Mon, 05/14/2007 - 12:42pm

DC has always been ranked among the top cities in the world with the worse commute. People commute from as far north as Baltimore and as far south as Fredericksburg. Unfortunately, Metro doesn’t go that far out; and sometimes you can’t rely on the MARC or the VRE. So leave it to the Virginians to take a page out of Los Angeles' playbook by producing the infamous Slug Line. I’d explain the history of this phenomenon but your homework is to check out the details on your own at http://www.slug-lines.com/. What I can tell you though is that it’s not what you think.

So let’s say you’re commuting about 40 minutes each day from Woodbridge, VA. If you don’t know where that is, think Potomac Mills Mall. In Woodbridge alone, you have multiple pick-up points at your disposal where you can catch a slug line. You can get dropped off, or leave your car in these designated areas – mostly park-and-ride lots or empty lots near shopping centers. Once there, you’re likely to see several lines of people waiting around – reading newspapers, drinking coffee, checking their blackberries. If you’re a rookie, ask anyone where to go, as most of the sluggers are overly anxious to guide you in the right direction. If you’re going to 14th Street, Rosslyn, the Pentagon, a metro station or the State Department, they got you. All of you have to do is find your line and stay there. As you come closer to the beginning of the line, you have to start paying attention though. Drivers come by, yell out where they’re going and you have hop in. They may say they’ll only two riders, some may say three, but no matter, you’ve got a free ride.

Why hop in the car with someone you don’t know? Simple – fewer cars on the road and you get to work faster in the HOV-3 lanes. Sit in traffic if you want to, but it would behoove you to drop by a slug line and pick up a few strangers. Some people have to drive to work, for whatever reasons, and for that, the non-drivers and the road-ragers thank you in advance. Of course, you may want to know how safe this whole thing is. I’ve slugged more than a few times in my lifetime and I must say that I’ve never felt uncomfortable or scared. I get in, say good morning, go to sleep, say thanks and get out. I tried not to get in cars if I was going to be the only woman, or if someone looked overly weird, but everyone should use their own best judgment. And in the evenings, you do it all over again.

The DC area slug line started off fairly small well over ten years ago, and as more people moved into the area, it has grown tremendously. Commuters can even make up their own slug-line if there’s enough interest. Heck, if you commute from Richmond, you can probably catch a free ride if you try hard enough. It’s become so popular that the Pentagon designated a pick-up and drop-off area just for sluggers. The lines usually start as early as 6:30 a.m. and end around 7:00 p.m. coincide with the HOV-3 lane restrictions, depending on your location. They even have a lost-and-found for crying out loud. Get with it people!

Right around this time, I’d typically take this opportunity to impart some friendly slug rules, but we’ll stick to the facts. Ah, okay, if you insist! Here are just a few Steph P. rules for all of you sluggers out there: 1- Please don’t talk to me-I don’t care about you or anything you have to say, 2 - Please don’t ask me to drop you off at a specific corner, it’s not gonna happen lady, 3 – I realize your kid is in the back seat with me, but am I really responsible for keeping him quiet during the trip, 4 – Keep the music simple, the more religious and rock music you play, the more annoyed I get, 5 – I know you’re my co-worker but you’re at the end of the line, no cuts..that’s rude.

So folks if you don’t feel like driving or if you absolutely have to drive – slug. It is definitely the best thing going for metropolitan area commuters, in this otherwise dismal voyage we take every day in this journey called life. Everyone benefits and it’s free; so go ahead, get in the car with a stranger, and see where it takes you.

About the author

Stephanie M. Parker hails from Dale City, Virginia (little DC), but currently lives in DC. Here for 6 years now, she has become familiar with what DC has to offer – from dance performances to community fundraisers to nightclubs, she enjoys it all. A break-dancer in her previous lifetime, Steph enjoys hanging out with her friends and writing down personal experiences. She can be reached at Elleh_cim@yahoo.com

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