Describe your worst VA traffic experience

[piratius]

The worst experience I ever had was going to a final exam.

Like an earlier poster, I went to George Mason University (back before it was popular!) I had one final exam left. The school didn't tell anyone that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) was playing at the Patriot Center the same night as the last night of final exams.

For those who aren't local, the Patriot Center is the basketball arena for GMU...I left for my 7:20pm exam at 5:30 because I wanted to get there early, grab a snack, maybe meet with a friend for a quick review.

Normally the traffic takes about ~30 minutes to get there, so I would arrive at 6pm, giving me almost an hour and a half to do everything mentioned earlier. Instead, because of the piss-poor traffic management, I got onto Braddock Road about four miles from the school, and sat there.

Ok, no big problem, I've got an hour and change, and I can wait.

It took me almost three hours to get to class. I get there after running from my car. Only like 3 people are in class. Everyone else was still sitting in traffic!

Needless to say, the professor let us take as long as we wanted, or even come take it the following day. It sucked ass, and I'm really glad I didn't have to pee!

~Brad

[gracemely]

Piratius, I have to commend you on your description of traffic during Patriot Center events. I'd like to add that I'm absolutely enraged when the Circus comes to town. I'll preface that by saying that Parking at GMU is a nightmare as it is. There are times when students have to walk 15 minutes to get to class (For those who don't know that's roughly 3/4 of a mile). However when the circus comes to town GMU GIVES them an entire parking lot for the animals and RV's and 1/2 parking lot for the trucks and trailers. That's on the order of 400 and more vehicles that are forced to park elsewhere.

That's when parking off-campus enters the argument. When we have no alternative but to park at University Mall the walk can increase to 20 or more minutes (again, 20 minutes equates roughly to 1 mile). I'm not complaining about the exercise but for the annual cost of tuition one would expect better consideration.

A friend of mine called the school "The Corporation of George Mason". Did you know that construction finished on the CONFERENCE CENTER AND HOTEL? Think about it. A university, a school, a place of learning, that houses a business conference center and hotel.

My mind is in a muddle.

[Jim_Rockford]

Anywhere north of Richmond on 95 I try my damnedest to stay away..

[mrmurdoc34]

OH yeah GMU Traffic AAAAAAAAAA makes my head feel like it is going to explode.

Then you add in all the construction that is going on there and I am surprised that anyone can get around on campus.

My 1 class on main campus was from 7 to 10:30 then I had to walk to the other side of the campus. For some reason the $1000+ they get per class isn't enough to put lights along the walking path. So there for I was packin at all times up there. I am not scared of the dark but my idea of fun is not walking through the woods on an unlit path at 10:30 at night in NVA.

[79wagoneer]

i live in Glen Allen and work in south side near Phillip Morris so i travel on 95 both ways every day and have only had one really bad experience. Any one rember the RV trailer fire several months back on 95 N, i think the temperature had been up in the high 90's that day which made it even worse for me

i had just gotten off work at 4:00 and got on 95N but didn't make it more than about a mile when i ran into traffic at a dead stop so i sat there........and sat there......and sat there. after about 30 minutes of sitting i shut the engine off because i only had about 1/4 of a tank of gas, and got out to talk with one of my co workers who was behind me. after about another 30-45 minutes i could see people ahead of us getting back in there cars and moveing so i got back in and turned the key, the engine cranked but wouldn't fire. i tryed it several more times with the same result so me, my co worker, and another motorist pushed the truck from the left lane over to the side of the road.

After trying to start the engine a few more times i gave up and called a tow truck. Unfortunatly because of the traffic it took almost 2 hours for the tow truck to get to me and another hour to get through the traffic and arrive at the auto shop down the street from my house. it was now almost 8:00 and to add insult to injury, when my dad came to pick me up he tryed to start the truck and it fired right up.

[gracemely]

Originally Posted by mrmurdoc34

So there for I was packin at all times up there. I am not scared of the dark but my idea of fun is not walking through the woods on an unlit path at 10:30 at night in NVA.

If carrying a weapon on campus is what you are referring to, I don't think that's a wise decision. GMU is not an unsafe campus and the surrounding communities aren't known for crime either.

[gracemely]

Hey 79wagoneer, I shared your post with my wife and she sympathises with you 100%.

[1993Renegade]

Rt.66, Rt.50, Rt.28 are all bad.

[Bustedknee]

Originally Posted by gracemely

If you haven't heard already, Northern VA has some of the nation's worst commuter traffic. ....

A lot of us consider NOVA to be the DC area rather than part of Virginia. Haha.

But the I-81 traffic is crazy at times. They really do need another lane.

[HaViiK01WJ]

Anytime I get in the Jeep. Theres always something pissing me off.

And Tysons Corner is awfull. I hate that place and I went the day after christmas. sucked camel balls.