Drivers....why do you pick up slugs?

Um, let' see. Because I can.

OK. That is flippant and I should be more responsive.

Because there are slugs waiting to go when I am ready to go.

Because I can leave work whenever I am ready and not coordinate the leaving time with my car-pool people.

Because I have my car and can go anyplace during the day and not have a must-return-by time to meet my car pool.

Because I can work late, if the boss wants, and not have to shaft my car pool.

Because parking is free (for me). I know this is not the case for everyone.

Because the VRE is not as reliable (my opinion based on the number of times I've been captive on the VRE) as the good old roadway.

Because the VRE lot fills up sooner than the slug-lot.

Because the Marines at Quantico have made life a bit** to get there to park for VRE.

Because Quantico traffic messed up and Rippon is full.

Because VRE is physically uncomfortable if you have long legs or emotionally uncomfortable if you wear a skirt (even a modestly cut skirt) but have to sit on the upper deck of the sardine cars.

Because I find the stranger in the back seat less threatening than the ooglers on VRE.

Because the guaranteed ride home program works only if you have about three hours for them to get their act together for you. I am better off asking a co-worker to take me home.

Maybe I also use HOV because it is the responsible thing to do.

I drop-off and pick-up kids from day care and still am able to pick-up an impromtu car pool. This is more convient, for me, than a carpool/vanpool, but does not show it to be superior, nor inferior. So what was your point, KCWOLFPACK?

I put 200K on my last Astrovan doing about 20K per year. It was looking good and running well when we bought a new van, after 10 years. The main maintenance was oil changes, tires, annual alignment, and brakes. What part of that is "high maintenance?" If your car only last "a few years," you are not maintaining your car properly.

But it does not matter because when HOT comes about, slugging will die, access to the road will be metered. The three lane HOT will carry fewer than half the current HOV commuter load. As it was said before, "after paying a billion dollars, we will have less capacity."

BTW, I was just testing you KCWolfPck, sorry. I'm a slug. But you were really ready for the come backs.
Now, the part about that I've tried vanpooling, it's true. It's an alternative but not the best.

I like knowing that I have my car here, at work, where I can go at a moment's notice if necessary, or work late if necessary. Also, I live in Triangle, so if I wanted to do something after work I'd have to take my carpool all the way back to Triangle and then backtrack if I had plans, for example, in Springfield.

I guess for me it's just the comfort of knowing I don't need to depend on anyone else.

Carpooling has slugging beat all to pieces, if you have the luxury of set hours, like me. I like the dependability, and knowing I am going to make the daycare on time. And I like the deadline in the morning, or I would never get up!

My wife picks up slugs every morning, which means her morning is flexible, but she never knows when she is going to get out at night, so she can't take VRE or be in a carpool. Without slugs, I don't know what she'd do.

- My company pays for parking
- I'm a control freak who has a rather whimsical, I mean flexible, schedule.
- I like meeting new people
- The VRE is way more expensive for me
- Maintenence costs for my vehicle consist of oil changes and the annual servicing that would have been done anyway.
- Everything else SuzAnne said