By Ron Shaffer

Thursday, March 4, 2004; Page PW01

During my online chat recently, a woman asked whether it's safe to slug -- commute with strangers. I haven't heard of any incidents; the system seems to work well.

Here are some responses to her question:

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I used to slug on a regular basis. I usually would not accept a ride if two men were already in the car. My worst experiences had to do with riding in dirty, stinky cars and drivers who blasted their music.

I'm in a carpool now but would not hesitate to slug again.

Jane Stephens

Woodbridge

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I also slug. Sometimes I drive, and sometimes I ride.

There are women who drive and women who ride from the Springfield area at the many Fairfax County Parkway and Old Keene Mill Road slug stops. I have heard of no incidents.

It is a great system. I truly depend on it to keep me off the backed-up lanes of Interstate 395, saving gas and time every day. It's just a great system used by very professional and dependable people.

Anyway, what is the best way to get onto Interstate 295 north from Interstate 395 north? If I'm coming up I-395 and want to get to Route 50 and cross the Bay Bridge, I know it's shorter to cut through town when there's low off-peak traffic than to drive all the way around the Beltway, across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to Route 50.

Greg Singleton

Springfield

Take I-395 north into Washington to the Pennsylvania Avenue exit. Turn right at the light onto the Sousa Bridge (Pennsylvania Avenue). At the other end of the bridge, turn left at the first light, which will take you onto I-295 north (Kenilworth Avenue). Take a right exit onto Route 50 toward Annapolis.

The Web site for slugging is www.slug-lines.com.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Traffic seems to get more press in the Washington area than in the other two major cities I've lived in, Philadelphia and Boston. What amazes me is that this traffic-snarled area has two lanes of pristine roadway heading into the District that go unused each and every day, and nobody seems to mind.

Cars sit in stop-and-go traffic on the Dulles Toll Road, even in the HOV lane, while the Dulles Access Road runs parallel and is nearly empty.

I understand that the access road was built for airport use, but it seems to me that many people who use Dulles International Airport must live near the airport because there is no denying that there are few cars in those lanes each morning.

As I understand it, this road was built in the 1960s, when most of the population that was expected to use the airport did not live in the outer, western suburbs.

Instead of reserving it for airport business and buses, why not try opening up the access road to HOV traffic?

Larry Katzman

Sterling

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has always been strict about allowing local commuters on the federal road built to serve the airport. But with Metrorail expansion to Dulles on shaky ground, the day might come when HOV traffic is allowed on the Dulles Access Road.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

Who is responsible for removing dead animals from the roadways?

I live in Loudoun County, where there is still some wooded acreage and wildlife left. At every intersection I cross, it seems like a creature of some sort took a pummeling.

The worst I have seen is a ravaged deer carcass at the entrance to a Little League field on Farmwell Road in Ashburn that has been there for at least a month. I'd like to think someone in the county government would want to see that taken out of the daily view of children.

Scott Moore

Leesburg

Call 703-383-VDOT and get a reference for an appropriate Loudoun County department, or contact your county supervisor.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

There is one area of regional transportation that needs to be studied more carefully: the outer region. Places near Washington, such as Richmond, could probably accommodate a large number of new inhabitants if only there was a way to commute to Washington for work.

For instance, trains that can go 200 mph or faster could travel between Richmond and downtown Washington in about a half-hour; a magnetic levitation train at 300 mph might be able to do it in 20 to 25 minutes.

With such a commuting time, many people might be inclined to move to, say, Richmond, with its significantly lower cost of living, and every family that moves takes a car off area roads.

James Owens

Arlington

I like high-speed rail. But taking our sprawl to scenic, genteel Richmond may be politically unacceptable. What would they get out of it?

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I find a major problem with using public transportation to be the lack of sidewalks or safe walking lanes in parking lots.

I use public transportation all the time but find that taking a bus to a shopping center, while possible, is a hassle. A bigger problem is that there is no way to walk from the sidewalk or bus stop to shops in the shopping center.

There are no safe walking lanes, no sidewalks to the stores, etc. -- no way to get around except dodge cars that are parking, hunting for a space, backing out, etc.

I go only to shopping centers that provide pedestrian access.

Nancy L. Turner

Alexandria

The way shopping centers are built around here is sickening. Not only do they lack pedestrian access, as you describe, but blocked-off parking lots force you out onto the main road to go to buildings next door. It's as if each segment is built without any regard for public access.

Plus, road builders are reticent about building common center lanes so traffic can make immediate left turns. Without those lanes, traffic turning into shopping centers can create backups.

At least these shopping centers are beautiful and inviting. Oh, sorry. How about bringing back shops along Main Street, U.S.A.? And Elm and Maple. . . .

The Virginia Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to widen Route 1 from Lorton Road to Telegraph Road. The four-lane road will be widened to seven lanes, with a sidewalk on the east side and a multipurpose trail on the west side.

The widening is necessary to improve traffic flow and enhance safety, according to VDOT. The project is scheduled for completion in November 2005.

Thanks for this project, VDOT, and especially for the sidewalk and multipurpose trail. If we could connect those trails, some commuters might get out of their automobiles.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

We just moved here and are wondering whether it is legal to ride a bike on the sidewalks in Washington.

Bill Tierney

Washington

No. Bicyclists must ride on the roadway, said Officer Quentin Peterson, a spokesman for D.C. police. It seems like putting bicyclists in harm's way, but cyclists on sidewalks present a danger to pedestrians, particularly downtown.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

A while back you recommended two driving schools you thought were far superior to others. I hope you can send that information to me because I want to reserve a spot for my 15-year-old daughter.

Also, I was hoping you would have backed up the gentleman who wrote asking you to mediate between him and his wife. She thought a driver should stay behind the white line when waiting to make a left turn. He thought the driver should pull forward so more than one vehicle would be able to make it through the light. Your answer was a bit disappointing.

Of course people should inch forward. On other occasions you have made the point that the flow of traffic is an important consideration. That poor man was looking to you to set her straight, and you left him hanging.

Before moving here I lived in Southern California, where no one would dream of not inching forward and someone would probably make a citizen's arrest if he observed that sort of behavior.

Maria Pierce

Frederick

I thought I did take a side -- his. Of course the lead driver should inch into an intersection to make a left on a yellow light, if not sooner. I merely suggested he do it his wife's way when she was in the car. Sorry that answer wasn't clearer.

The courses you are referring to are defensive driving classes, lasting a day or two. They are not for teaching elementary driving techniques. They are for avoiding accidents, with topics such as how to get out of a skid. The companies are BSR Inc. in Summit Point, W.Va., 304-725-6512, and Car Guys in Rockville, 800-800-GUYS.

As for the basics, I recommend that a parent, relative or trusted friend provide driver training. It might include 1,000 miles each of local driving and interstate highway driving. Plus, day and night driving; lots of experience on the Beltway; how to merge; how to pass on a two-lane road; entering and leaving an interstate highway; parking; how to drive in the rain, ice and snow; and how to correct if the tires go off the edge of the road.

That might last until, say, age 171/2. Many 16-year-olds -- poorly trained, set loose with a powerful machine and feeling immortal -- wind up crash victims.

I don't know of a driving school that provides extensive basic training.

Transportation researcher Diane Mattingly contributed to this column.

Dr. Gridlock appears Sunday in the Metro section and Thursday in Extra. You can write to Dr. Gridlock, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. He prefers to receive e-mail, at drgridlock@washpost.com, or faxes, at 703-352-3908. Please include your full name, town, county and day and evening phone numbers.