Ride Sharing, "the SLUG LINE", a GREENER alternative in Stafford VA

I always found it interesting, the concept of a "SLUG LINE".   What is this you ask?  Well I too, way back when, asked this question when we moved to Stafford, VA from Hoboken, NJ.

It is when you go to a designated area to park your vehicle and share a ride to a destination that is common with another commuter.  So to make it simple, there is a large commuter lot just off of Rt 95 at the Staffford, Garrisoville Rd, exit.  You can park here and then either you can pick up others or join in with another driver.  The advantage is that if you have 3 or more passengers in your vehicle you can hop into the HOV lanes to gain access to Northern VA or Washington DC faster then driving yourself. ( At least most of the time.) 

When we moved here 8 years ago, I thought oh my this could be a dangerous proposition.  The reason I thought this was I was someone who worked in NYC and the thought of getting into someone elses car, well was just crazy!  No offense to my fellow New Yorkers.  But soon after living here and speaking to many commuters this is not a new concept and one that has been quite effective.   Think about it, with gas prices going up and then up again and then down long enough to tease us, why not look to conserve and help the enviroment and share a ride!

So this had me looking into how many people are using the slug lines now.  As soon as I pondered this question, on the front page of our local paper in Stafford the headline read "Ridesharing Rises on I-95".  And the stats from the VA Transportation Commission were that nearly half of the region's is sharing a ride during the morning commute between 6 am 9 am.   They looked at carpools and vanpools which made up 28% of commuters and 19% on a bus versus driving alone. 

So if you are moving to the area and are going to be working in the Northern Virginia or Washington DC are this is something worth taking a look at.

I am interested in hearing where else "slug lines" and or going GREEN lines exist.  How do your neighbors get to work?

Why not save some money on gas, save time and save the enviroment!