Traffic Hype (reverse commute) (Arlington, Reston: how much, home, school)

[xantia10000]

Hi everyone,

I just moved to Arlington (Ballston) from Ann Arbor, MI. I work in Herndon, a 20-mile drive each way. Before I settled on my location, I consulted this forum, and from what I read, I was scared to death about the traffic conditions that everyone described. I read that my commute was going to be at least one hour each way, with a 20 - 30% increase in time for rain.

Now that I live here, I have to say, I think maybe some of you are overreacting a little bit, or perhaps you expect a 20-mile morning commute to take only 15 minutes. True, I've lived here only 2 months, and true, I've lived in LA, Boston, and the NYC area for some context, but overall it ain't that bad.

Maybe I just lucked out with my route & timing: I take 66W from Ballston. The merge onto 66 from the exit 71 on-ramp is slow (maybe about 5 - 10 min from on-ramp to fully merged), but once on 66, traffic moves at about 45 - 60 mph. I then take the Toll Rd. to Herndon, and I've never hit any traffic there, averaging about 65 - 75 mph (yup, already got one ticket). It's about a 20 min drive from 66 to my exit off the Toll Rd (#11), and about another 5 min. to my workplace.

That is approximately a 30 - 35 min commute door-to-door - which I don't consider too horrific at all! I'm usually on the road at 7:55 and reliably at my desk at about 8:30... for things like conference calls I can't be late for! If I could get my lazy butt out of bed earlier - even 10 min earlier - the merge at exit 71 is no problem at all.

One time there was a crash on 66, and that made the total commute about 45 min. This was the worst I ever experienced in the past 2 months, including some rainy summer mornings.

Of course, I have yet to experience snow, and I did notice heavier traffic volume after school began. I have one co-worker who lives in the West End part of DC, and she says her commute to Herndon is about 45 min in the morning.

Going home is a little different - if I leave between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm, it's about 40 - 50 min drive (I wonder why it's worse at night?). The Toll Rd. is always good, but right after the toll booths and the 495 split, things start slowing down. The worst I've seen was traffic forming at the booths, but traffic reliably slows down about a mile or so before the merge onto 66. It's stop-and-go all the way until about Falls Church, and then (strangely), speeds pick up to about 40 - 55 mph by the time I'm close to Exit 71 for Ballston. However, traffic on 66 lessens after approx. 7:00pm, and the commute is down to about 35 min again.

Anyway, perhaps this is too detailed, but I thought I'd post this for others who are moving to DC as a bit of a reality check for one example of a NoVA commute!

-mark

[Darksword]

I think you're helped out by the fact that you're doing a reverse commute.

BTW...how much was your speeding ticket? I stil haven't adjusted well to how much slower people drive in NOVA compared to SoCal. I think I've hit 70mph on the open highway only once, and I was paranoid the whole time that a cop would jump out of nowhere and nab me.

[dkf747]

Traffic wasn't so bad this summer. $4 gas has helped reduce traffic slightly. You're reverse commuting. You're also using the toll road. These factors help make things easier for you.

[NOVAmtneer82]

The fact that you use the Toll Road is obviously going to help with regards to having a shorter commute. There are many other ways out to Herndon that do take longer. I personally don't care about paying the tolls because I dont work out that way everyday and it does indeed make the commute better. However, some people don't like paying $2.50 each day to get out to the Reston/Herndon area and back. Oh and yes, I've also gotten a ticket on the Toll Road...always a delight!

[HEATHER72]

Of course your traffic isn't bad.... REVERSE COMMUTE and using the TOLL ROAD.

[smaug20000]

Also, I wonder what exit you get off the toll road. If you get off at Reston Parkway, that exit can back up sometimes. I went to a meeting with a guy who said he waited at the exit for 25 minutes one day. I get off at 7100, and I never have a back-up.

[xantia10000]

Well, I was told that there is no such thing as a reverse commute in NoVA! I additionally read that commutes similar to mine (Arlington going to the "Dulles Corridor") were at least one hr. As for the "non-reverse" commute, I have noticed that in the mornings, the eastbound direction is pretty slow in some areas on 66, especially where the Toll Rd merges with 66. However, in the evenings, the westbound traffic is almost always way faster than the eastbound.

As far as taking the Toll Rd. vs. other routes - isn't the Toll Rd. really the only direct way to travel from Arlington to Herndon? Are there other solutions that are better? I get off at exit 11, and never had to deal with back-ups.

As for speed limits - WTF, VA! It's like the 1980s double-nickle never went away. The 8-lane Toll Road can certainly safely handle speeds much higher than 55. In MI, crumbling 4-lane roads with no shoulder permitted 70. Perhaps I should consider my $180 ticket for going 72 in a 55 a tax for such nicely maintained roads!

[dkf747]

I often "reverse" commute from Gaithersburg to Arlington or to DC. On some days it is a breeze, while onothers it can take 2 hours. (at non peak times it only takes 30 minutes). You got lucky with your "reverse" commute. Celebrate, and stop complaining.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Most people usually quote 30-40 minutes on a commute from Arlington out to Herndon/Reston, which btw covers somewhat of a broad area. What takes you half an hour could take someone who works a further down the road another 10-20 minutes. There are other less direct routes from Arlington to Herndon that avoid the Toll Road but I don't feel the need to elaborate on them because I never use them and they take longer. I can assure you in the winter when we get half an inch of snow and it takes you 2 hrs to get home you will be wishing for this easy reverse commute.

[Newk]

My last few weeks of working in DC, it was the summer, but traffic volume had dropped off a lot. It made commuting a lot easier. Now my commute is 3 miles one way. It is great!