Slugging?

[Guest Hoser]

Is it me or does this sound like hitch hiking?

From af.mil:

1/19/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Rush-hour traffic in the national capital region can be frustrating. To fend off the bumper-to-bumper blues, several servicemembers and civilians have taken to "slugging" -- the nickname given to instant carpooling here.

To use the high occupancy vehicle lanes on many of the highways here, drivers must have other people riding with them. The lanes are set aside to encourage carpooling and help commuters skirt highway congestion.

“Slugging is a great way to get yourself to and from work without having to drive yourself,” said two-year Fredericksburg, Va., resident Master Sgt. Roy Blanchard.

Sergeant Blanchard is a recruiter for the Air Force Reserve and has a 2 1/2 hour commute to the Pentagon every day -- slugging cuts that down to 50 minutes.

Signs in the Pentagon parking lot list the directions sluggers routinely head. A driver going that way pulls up to the lines that form around the signs, picks up riders and then drops them off at a specific slug point along that route.

“At first I was skeptical,” he said. “I wasn’t going to get in the car with a stranger, but after a few long trips on (Interstate) 95, I was ready to give it a try.”

Sergeant Blanchard has been slugging ever since.

“I’ve never had bad luck with any of the drivers I’ve ridden with,” Sergeant Blanchard said. “I’ve never gone without getting a ride and the longest I’ve ever had to wait was probably 45 minutes, but that hasn’t happened very often.”

He said there is a certain camaraderie as well as an etiquette between sluggers:

-- If someone has extra room, don’t push for a ride.

-- Keep cell phone calls to a minimum.

-- Kick the dirt off shoes or boots before getting in someone’s car.

-- Don’t smoke.

-- The driver has control of the radio.

-- Always be polite.

Slugging is excellent for energy conservation as well, Sergeant Blanchard said.

“I have a big truck, so with the price of gas these days, I’d go broke just filling up as often as I’d have to,” he said. “So it’s a great way to get around while still saving money and being energy conscious.”

There have been times, however, when Sergeant Blanchard knew he would be working later than usual, meaning he’d have to drive to work. In those cases, he said he stops by the slug lines for anyone left needing a ride. Sort of like giving back to the slug community, he said.

“As you get more comfortable with it, it’s the best way to go,” he said.

Hoser

[Guest terryrea]

At one time, a shipping company (can't recall which) was paying people min wage to ride along with drivers. This extra person enabled drivers to use car pool lanes. Minimum wage for just riding in a car.

[ClearedHot]

I Slug most of the week unless I have something that will keep me in the offcie past 1800. It takes me 27 minutes from my house to my office if I Slug. If I take the Metro, it takes 50 minutes. If I were foolish enough to drive, it would be well over an hour. It costs nothing, it is the fastest method, and you meet some very interesting people. I slugged in with a Federal Judge who is working a big in the news case last week. It has actually ben on the few good things about working in the puzzle palace.

[Guest Hoser]

I slug most of the week too, sometimes 6-9 times per day.

Are slugs supposed to be lumpy? No? Then I guess I just sharted instead of slugged.

"Ealge 1, down Code 3, SFS"

Hoser

[Guest C-21 Pilot]

Seems to me like the good PA folks at AF.mil need to find more constructive stories to work...

[Murph]

There are few things in the world more frustrating than trying to traverse I-66 to 495 and ultimately 14th street bridge during morning rush hour.

[brabus]

So what's to stop some guy from just getting in line and pulling a weapon on you once on the road? Wonder why hitch hiking is all of the sudden considered safe.

[ClearedHot]

Originally posted by brabus:

So what's to stop some guy from just getting in line and pulling a weapon on you once on the road? Wonder why hitch hiking is all of the sudden considered safe.

Where is he going to go with you? You are on the HOV which is a restricted lane with barriers on both sides. Slugging in DC requires two passengers so I guess there is more of an intimidation factor. Slugging has been going on for 18 years without a single violent crime event.

The worst I have had to deal with is some religious whack job blaring his Christian talk show or the occasional dude who has to be in the left lane doing five MPH under the speed limit.

[Guest blkafnav]

They had something like this at Camp Lejeune called "Share-a-Ride". There were stops all on the base for young enlisted w/o cars to catch a ride into town for free. The cab companies filed a lawsuit saying it was illegal for people to act as "cab drivers" and the program was stopped. They still have the stops on the base but the signs are all down now and many people no longer know of the old program.So young, broke Marines have to pay cabbies to take them into town. Hopefully, you bigwigs in DC won't let that happen to this awesome program.

[Guest ericvano]

DC is a very, very safe city.

HAHAHA.

The west side is largely civil anyway.

[brabus]

CH...I didn't realize there had to be 2 passengers, so yes, the extra guy should bring some intimidation to stop a situation from occuring (unless both passengers are working together). But even being stuck in the HOV lane, that doesn't stop him from making you give him your wallet, cell, etc. and then he jumps out and runs across the freeway. I mean sure it's far-fetched and he's probably going to get nailed, but what's to stop it from happening? Guess it's ok since it's been working for 18 years...it just still sounds pretty much like standard hitch hiking to me. I'm sure 95% of the hitch hikers you pick up on any road side are probably fine, but it's that 5% a person should be worried about.

[Toasty]

It would have to be a cracked-out DC resident to even try, I'd imagine. I'm assuming this is just a program for the Pentagon guys, so it would be assumed that a large portion have military experience. I personally wouldn't be hijacking cars of armed forces members. There are plenty of other street corners in southeast to jack cars from.

Come to think of it, the SE residents are probably packin' heat more than the military guys!

[Guest cmdrstask]

http://www.slug-lines.com/ has some good stuff.

[war007afa]

Do these guys put in for gas at all? I imagine gas is pretty steep up that way, eh?

[ClearedHot]

Originally posted by war007afa:

Do these guys put in for gas at all? I imagine gas is pretty steep up that way, eh?

NO

[Login Name]

Originally posted by toastychicken:

It would have to be a cracked-out DC resident to even try, I'd imagine. I'm assuming this is just a program for the Pentagon guys, so it would be assumed that a large portion have military experience. I personally wouldn't be hijacking cars of armed forces members. There are plenty of other street corners in southeast to jack cars from.

Come to think of it, the SE residents are probably packin' heat more than the military guys!

people slug to get everywhere, it doesn't have to be the pentagon. it's a good way to get around nova/dc since traffic is ridiculous. i'm sure the md folks slug too but don't know for sure since i'm not from there originally.