The Native Slugs of Northern Virginia

Slugging is one of the most fascinating commuting systems in the world and Washington is lucky to be home to the original slugging system.  Also known as casual carpooling or dynamic ridesharing, slugging is very similar to traditional carpooling but for the fact that the carpools are formed on the fly, among complete strangers, who share only a common destination.  Drivers needing passengers meet up with individuals seeking rides at various locations called “slug lines” along the I-95 corridor.  Certain slug lines correspond to common destinations such as the Pentagon, Rosslyn, Crystal City, and L’Enfant Plaza among many others.  Two passengers enter the car, it qualifies for the HOV lanes, and all participants have a faster and more pleasant tip.  After exiting the HOV lanes the passengers depart at the agreed upon destination.  Drivers save time and passengers save money (and time).   During the afternoon the system works in the exact same way but in the opposite direction.   

The practice got started years ago when the first HOV lanes were implemented on I-95 in Northern Virginia.  Drivers that wanted to use the HOV lanes but didn’t have enough passengers started offering rides to people waiting in line at bus stops.  It worked so well that a completely new form of carpooling was born.  From its organic roots slugging has persevered for over 20 years in spite of (or due to) its lack of formal organization. 

San Francisco and Houston are the only other cities in the country with comparable systems- though Houston’s is on a much smaller scale.  For years, one of the few sources of information about slugging has been David LeBlanc’s website slug-lines.com.  Though highly informative, the website is primarily concerned with “how-to” information and not necessarily what makes the system tick.  Slugging has also received regular attention from mass media outlets like the BBC, NPR, and Washington Post but has been studied little from a scientific or academic angle.  As a master’s student in urban planning at Virginia Tech I wanted to shed more light on slugging by gathering baseline data about the system and its users.  Last August, I surveyed nearly 300 Washington area slugging participants to find out more about their commuting behavior, motivations, and demographics.  I also wanted to discover why similar systems have not appeared on more of the hundreds of HOV corridors across the country. 

The results were surprising and indicated that slugging is a very robust, legitimate, and predictable commuting option for a very diverse group of participants.  The system operates purely on economic terms.  Participants slug because it benefits them directly and not out of the goodness of their hearts or because they want to be environmentally friendly (though slugging is that).  Slugging is an arm’s length transaction and that’s what makes it work so well.  Participation is not limited to the poor, undereducated, or stereotypical risk taking groups as one might assume.  Many participants are married with children, hold advanced degrees, and earn very impressive salaries. 

Slugging is also very beneficial to society in general.  It requires no government funding or oversight beyond HOV enforcement.  Slugging contributes to 66% fewer cars on the road than if participants were driving in single occupant vehicles.  Further, that translates into reduced emissions per passenger vehicle mile traveled, lighter parking burdens at workplaces, and happier, un-stressed employees.

Though technically leaderless and not directly supported by any government or institution, slugging relies on certain artificial conditions for its continued existence.  Enforcement of HOV laws by the Virginia State Police is truly its reason for being.   Participants are often fiercely defensive of its organic (perhaps anarchic?) nature but the truth is that with a little well-placed support from local governments and employers slugging can be improved.  Several localities and employers (such as Arlington County, the Navy, and Pentagon) have taken steps to smooth the way by posting signs for slug lines.  A step further might be to provide bus type shelters for those waiting in line to stay out of the elements.  

Based on the findings of the survey and further research into the systems in place in Washington, San Francisco, and Houston I have concluded that with the just the right policies in the right places slugging can be induced to expand in our region.  In my opinion the perfect candidate is the Dulles Toll Road and Greenway (Route 267) corridor that connects I-66 with Leesburg.  If the Virginia Department of Transportation or Federal Highway Administration were to create a pilot program that exempted vehicles with three or more occupants from paying the tolls (up to $11.50 roundtrip) during the morning and evening commute I am quite certain that slugging would expand to that corridor.  Now all we need to do is figure out how to pay for it…

To view the full report, presentation, and data summary visit commuterpage.com’s research center.

Marc Oliphant (marcoliphantathotmail.com), is a native of Arlington and works in facilities planning for the U.S. Navy.  He holds an MS in Urban & Regional Planning from Virginia Tech.  He formerly worked in planning for Fairfax County Parks.  Marc is working to put together a joint project on slugging with the Navy and FHWA.   

Comments

[Mark]

brendamelissa79:

Try Rolling Valley or Sydenstricker Park & Rides.

[brendamelissa79@yahoo.com]

Help please! I am living in Springfield and need to commute to the Pentagon daily. I stopped by the old Kmart Parking lot area this morning but everyone I asked seemed to head to DC not the Pentagon. Does anyone know where to slug into the Pentagon from in Springfield? There has to be a way??? Thank you in advance

[Tim]

Interesting article.

I see someone is trying to take slugging to facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=196840997541&ref=mf

[David LeBlanc]

Marc did a great job on this paper and the data he collected on slugging is extremely valuable. Little is done, officially, to capture this kind of information on slugging, so detailed quality work like Marc’s is very helpful.

Just for the record, as the webmaster of www.slug-lines.com I did not assist in his paper other that posting the survey. It was interesting to read his paper as basically "independent thought" on the subject. He validated that slugging is a great system that has tremendous potential. In addition, he has some great ideas on ways to encourage/expand slugging to other areas.

Anyway, great work on your research!