Is driving around the DC Metro area REALLY that bad?

[Sonic99]

My dad and I will be visiting Northern Virginia in a couple weeks for my sister's wedding. We will have a rental car while we are there, and were planning on doing most of our sightseeing via car. My mom and sister live there and have been telling us about how horrific traffic is and just getting around via car in general. While we are from Arizona and many think of us as the "rural west", both my dad and I are born and raised, and have done a large amount of driving, from the Phoenix Metro area which is the 5th/6th largest city in the country. Trust me, I-17 and the Superstition Freeway in rush hour aren't exactly dirt roads of tumbleweeds, there is heavy, heavy traffic. We know that going in, and are prepared and fine with traffic. But is it REALLY as bad as some make it out to be in terms of congestion and getting around? Or is it something that someone like us, familiar with metro areas and heavy congestion out here, will be ok with?

[corco]

Having driven in Phoenix very extensively and in dc and other eastern cities a bit, the traffic is definitely significantly worse than Phoenix's. That said, you'll be fine, just be prepared for more gridlock than you're used to during rush hour.

[1995hoo]

I just came back from a trip that ended with three days in Phoenix (and a trip through Prescott en route to Jerome). Based on that trip, the biggest difference I've noted is the general rudeness and aggressive driving here compared to Arizona. Congestion is certainly worse and you can't rely on the distance correlating to the travel time, especially not during rush hour (example: it's about 13 miles to my wife's office from our house, but during rush hour if I'm driving on a day that's not a federal holiday I'd allow an hour), but I don't think the congestion is prohibitive except on certain roads at certain times of day. In fairness, though, I've lived here since 1974 and I know umpteen different ways to get everywhere if something happens to snarl the route I planned to take.

If you don't mind my asking, in what area, generally speaking, do you plan to stay and what do you want to try to see while you're here? If you don't mind providing that sort of information, it will make it easier to give more concrete advice as for tips on routes to take or avoid, times of day to drive, etc.

[Sonic99]

We are staying in Manassas, and we are trying to get to the Zoo and the National Cathedral on one of the days, possibly the Inner Harbor of Baltimore depending on the weather and what kind of time my sister has available. We will be going into DC to see some things on the Mall and a Capitol tour.

On the Sunday we are there, my dad and I want to take a day trip out to Ocean City, MD and plan on stopping in Annapolis to visit the Naval Academy Museum there. I have been told that traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge can be a big pain, but if we're crossing it at 8am on a Sunday morning, late in October, is it really very bad?

[froggie]

Heading eastbound (towards Ocean City) at 8am on Sunday shouldn't be a problem...but if you're making a daytrip out of it (BTW, it's about 3 hour drive one-way from DC, closer to 4 hours coming from Manassas) you may hit traffic on the return westbound trip.

[jeffandnicole]

Traffic is going to be heavier than you're used to, but overall it's not going to be all that bad. Relatively speaking, traffic anywhere from Richmond to Boston is heavier than elsewhere in the country, and millions of people outside of this region drive it without a problem (other than getting confused as to what "EZ Pass Only" means)!

[empirestate]

I'd concur with 1995hoo that your biggest difference will be the rampant aggressiveness and, in particular, outright dickheadedness you'll experience from local drivers. While in places like NYC and even Boston you'll certainly get aggressive driving, it can usually be chalked up to a simple attempt at expeditiousness (often a misguided one, but so be it) in the face of widespread congestion. But in DC you'll likely notice a more spiteful, mean-spirited approach; when someone cuts you off there, it will often seem like a direct, personal attack instead of just the unfortunate consequence of you happening to be in someone else's way (and it's perhaps as likely to occur in free-flowing traffic as it is in congestion).

[Zzonkmiles]

If you're new to the DC area, I'd be on the lookout for the following:

1. Potholes and generally rough road conditions on the secondary roads.

2. Backed up traffic on the interstates and drivers ahead of you NOT using their emergency flashers to let you know the traffic is stopped.

3. Lots of sudden lane drops and exit only lanes.

4. The concept of no true "passing" lanes. Seems that drivers here pass in any lane that is open. Unfortunately, this also means there are a lot of left lane hogs who poke along at 65mph when other drivers want to go faster.

5. If you'll be in Manassas, you'll probably be using VA-28 and I-66. Both of these roads can have really difficult traffic during rush hour.

[froggie]

2. Backed up traffic on the interstates and drivers ahead of you NOT using their emergency flashers to let you know the traffic is stopped.

I'd like to know where in the country this is actually done.  I certainly haven't seen it in my (fairly extensive) travels...

3. Lots of sudden lane drops and exit only lanes.

Not really, excluding auxiliary lanes between interchanges.

[jeffandnicole]

 

2. Backed up traffic on the interstates and drivers ahead of you NOT using their emergency flashers to let you know the traffic is stopped.

I'd like to know where in the country this is actually done.  I certainly haven't seen it in my (fairly extensive) travels...

This is a sure sign someone isn't from the area. I'll see this on occasion too, in a commonly congested area. Clearly the visitor to the area wasn't expecting congestion, and figures no one else may be either, even though it's a normal rush hour.

One would wear out their hazard button if they hit the button everytime they encountered congestion near most cities in the eastern US.

[1995hoo]

We are staying in Manassas, and we are trying to get to the Zoo and the National Cathedral on one of the days, possibly the Inner Harbor of Baltimore depending on the weather and what kind of time my sister has available. We will be going into DC to see some things on the Mall and a Capitol tour.

....

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond further. I fell asleep on the couch really early last night, but on the plus side I feel like I got one of the best nights' sleep I've had in a long time.

I can't really comment on Ocean City since I've never been there, but I will note that's a REALLY long way to go for a day trip. I'd suggest skipping that in favor of a trip to Annapolis and maybe Baltimore instead. Or, if you want to go over the Bay Bridge as a road-related interest, St. Michaels makes for a nice day trip that's a lot closer than Ocean City. The Blackthorn Irish Pub has excellent fish and chips, too.

Manassas to the Zoo and the cathedral poses a bit of a conundrum in that if you're going to drive, you'll probably want to go relatively early in order to take advantage of HOV-2 on I-66, but when you reach DC your options are limited by rush-hour traffic patterns. Outside the Beltway, the HOV lane doesn't work all that well because it's just the left lane with no separation from the general-purpose lanes. It doesn't move that much faster than the other lanes and as you approach the Beltway it slows to a crawl. Inside the Beltway the entire road is HOV in the peak direction and it does make a difference in travel time, although it still slows down from Exit 67 to Exit 69 because two lanes enter from the right at Exit 67 and the majority of the traffic has to shove left because neither of those lanes becomes a thru lane. (This is not an issue in the afternoon, but note there is a bit of road construction wrapping up in that same area due to a widening project.)

What makes it tricky is that when you reach the District, the best route to both the Zoo and the cathedral is Rock Creek Parkway, but you can't use Rock Creek Parkway during the morning rush hour because it's one-way inbound from 6:45 to 9:30 AM (it's also one-way outbound from 3:45 to 6:30 PM). One alternative to the cathedral would be to take Exit 73 from I-66 onto US-29, then make the last left turn onto Lynn Street, go over Key Bridge into Georgetown, make a right onto M Street, then make a left onto Wisconsin Avenue (there's a bank building with a gold dome on the far left corner). Wisconsin goes right past the cathedral. Note that driving in Georgetown can be very slow and going over Key Bridge can be mildly frustrating due to a ramp merging on the right from the GW Parkway.

The easiest way from the cathedral to the Zoo, IMO, is to go a short distance north from either and go across Macomb Street.

Parking at the Zoo was around $20 or $22 last time I was there, but I'd recommend you pay that rather than taking your chances on the streets. DC is known for its parking enforcement and the restrictions can get tricky. On weekdays, odds are you can probably forget about on-street parking near the Zoo; it's most likely time-limited except for residential permits so as to give local residents a chance to park without being overrun by zoo traffic. I do not know what the current parking arrangements are at the cathedral. My wife said something about there being a new parking garage when she went there for a funeral last year, but she was vague on the details.

If you're headed to the Mall and the Capitol from Manassas, parking can be a mild conundrum. The easiest place to park for the Capitol, if you don't mind walking a half-mile or so, is probably the parking garage at Union Station, and I think the easiest way to get there from Manassas is I-66 to Exit 75 (VA-110), follow that to I-395, follow I-395 into the tunnel under DC, then take the exit IN the tunnel (ceiling-mounted little green sign says "US Capitol"), then exit to the right again at the sign that says "US Senate," then go left onto Louisiana Avenue up to Union Station. You have to make a right at the plaza in front of the station and then stay to the left because the parking garage is around the back. It's a bit of a long walk to most of the Mall, but the parking garages convenient to the Mall tend to fill up with commuters and are also usually expensive. In my mind, it makes less sense to move the car than it does just to suck it up and walk a longer distance or else pay for a cab or Uber when you get tired of walking. (If you've never used Uber but think you might use it while you're here, I can send you a first-time user code for a $20 discount if you send me a PM. I used it for the first time a couple of weeks ago to go to the airport and it worked quite well for that purpose.)

Note that in the afternoon, driving west to Manassas is likely to be slowed by sun glare delays. Be careful if this happens because a lot of people will not turn on their headlights.


Edited to add: BTW, regarding rudeness, some of the things you see around here are generally inexplicable. There can be a ton of empty room behind you, yet the guy in the other lane who wants to get over will insist on trying to shove his way in front of you (crossing a gore area if needed), apparently because he'd be admitting "defeat" or something if he slowed down to take his turn. People routinely use turn lanes as thru lanes and try to shove across at the last minute. On I-395 in the mornings, people already on the road will shove right into the onramp acceleration lanes to try to cut ahead two or three carlengths, which causes other people not to want to let anyone else merge. Tailgating is common everywhere, though my unscientific observation is that it tends to be worse in Maryland.

I think the difference between "New York rude" and "DC rude" is that "New York rude" is mostly impatience and a low tolerance for stupidity. If you're been standing on line at McDonald's and you reach the counter and you still don't know what you want to order, New Yorkers will get annoyed at you because you should have made up your mind sooner. (It's similar to the sign at Pat's in Philadelphia that says "Have your money ready" and tells you to do your borrowing while you're waiting on line.) "DC rude" is rudeness just for the sake of what on this forum is sometimes called a "MFFY" outlook.



Regarding the hazard flashers, I'll turn mine on if there is a sudden slowdown in a place where one does not normally occur and the traffic is approaching at high speed, but normally the only time that happens is outside of rush hours.

[empirestate]

Regarding the hazard flashers, I'll turn mine on if there is a sudden slowdown in a place where one does not normally occur and the traffic is approaching at high speed, but normally the only time that happens is outside of rush hours.

I'm on board with that, too. I don't usually do it where congestion is expected or is easily visible, but I will do it at unexpected incidents, or where traffic behind me might be likely to see my car before it can see the actual tailend of the congestion. (In fact, yesterday I saw a guy in front of me do it at a backup on I-84 due to an accident. Of course, I had already spotted the much-more-visible police lights and the sea of stopped taillights, but I appreciated his additional effort anyway.)

[ixnay]

I've been to OCMD many times, Sonic, and have always enjoyed it, especially the Thrasher's fries (there are a couple of locations on the boards but only the more southerly may be open in late Oct.).

If you insist on doing Ocean City, Sonic, it's 185 miles/3h 26m from Manassas per https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Manassas,+VA/Ocean+City,+MD/@39.156943,-77.6037825,8z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b65b80d465d68b:0x83529b5eb6fbe752!2m2!1d-77.4752667!2d38.7509488!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b8d671ac93de8b:0xb4bc715a3af31672!2m2!1d-75.0849058!2d38.3365032 .

ixnay

[Alps]

Weighing in a little late...

If you're driving into DC during the morning or out of DC during the evening, on a weekday, do not take any of the major routes. Avoid I-95 and US 1 entirely. (1 is even worse SB in the PM than it is NB in the AM.)
If you're driving into DC from about 1 PM-8 PM Saturday, maybe 11 AM-3 PM Sunday; or if you're driving out of DC from about 4 PM-12 AM Saturday, and 2 PM-10 PM Sunday, you will want to seek alternate routes. Not as bad, usually, barring crashes or other incidents, as the weekdays. Usually.
Streets of DC itself, you'll be okay.
DC freeways, if you want to check them out, I would just avoid weekdays. Weekends should be fine.
Ocean City shouldn't be too bad this far off-season.

[cpzilliacus]

We are staying in Manassas, and we are trying to get to the Zoo and the National Cathedral on one of the days, possibly the Inner Harbor of Baltimore depending on the weather and what kind of time my sister has available. We will be going into DC to see some things on the Mall and a Capitol tour.

On the Sunday we are there, my dad and I want to take a day trip out to Ocean City, MD and plan on stopping in Annapolis to visit the Naval Academy Museum there. I have been told that traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge can be a big pain, but if we're crossing it at 8am on a Sunday morning, late in October, is it really very bad?

I'd concur with 1995hoo that your biggest difference will be the rampant aggressiveness and, in particular, outright dickheadedness you'll experience from local drivers. While in places like NYC and even Boston you'll certainly get aggressive driving, it can usually be chalked up to a simple attempt at expeditiousness (often a misguided one, but so be it) in the face of widespread congestion. But in DC you'll likely notice a more spiteful, mean-spirited approach; when someone cuts you off there, it will often seem like a direct, personal attack instead of just the unfortunate consequence of you happening to be in someone else's way (and it's perhaps as likely to occur in free-flowing traffic as it is in congestion).

There are a lot of District of Columbia drivers that are rude, aggressive and bad, all rolled into one.

[cpzilliacus]

We are staying in Manassas, and we are trying to get to the Zoo and the National Cathedral on one of the days, possibly the Inner Harbor of Baltimore depending on the weather and what kind of time my sister has available. We will be going into DC to see some things on the Mall and a Capitol tour.

On the Sunday we are there, my dad and I want to take a day trip out to Ocean City, MD and plan on stopping in Annapolis to visit the Naval Academy Museum there. I have been told that traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge can be a big pain, but if we're crossing it at 8am on a Sunday morning, late in October, is it really very bad?

Also late to the conversation, and I repeat some of what has been said above.

A few thoughts:

0. A GPS navigation program that can use congestion to give you routing advice is your friend.  I use TomTom on an Android device, but there are others out there as well. 

1. I-66.

I-66 between Manassas and Washington, D.C. can be extremely congested on any day.  There are HOV lanes (west of I-495 (outside the Beltway), HOV-2 in the left lane; east of I-495 (inside the Beltway), HOV-2, all lanes (mostly a two-lane road)). 

HOV runs 5:30 AM to 9:30 AM eastbound outside the Beltway and 6:30 AM to 9:00 AM inside the Beltway.

HOV runs 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM westbound outside the Beltway and 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM inside the Beltway.

HOV lanes do not operate weekends and holidays.

2. The National Zoo is big, but parking should be available this time of year.  Plan on several hours there.  Travel time from Manassas to the Zoo is at least an hour.  Best to arrive when the place opens.

The National Cathedral has a lot of interesting things to see, but does not take as long.  The Inner Harbor Area of Baltimore is also interesting - it is about an hour one way from the Zoo to Baltimore, one way.

3. There is little or no parking right around the U.S. Capitol.  It is also tough to find parking on the National Mall, though there is some.  Check to make sure they offer tours on the day you plan to visit.

4.  Manassas to Annapolis is over an hour, even when there is little traffic.  Check the Naval Academy Web site for hours of operation.  Parking in Annapolis can be tough (it is an old, colonial city).

5. Manassas to Ocean City is a long drive.  Over 3 hours one-way.  The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is not usually a problem this time of year.  Do not drive this bridge if you have  a fear of heights.

[CtrlAltDel]

Don't forget that there are red-light and speed cameras pretty much everywhere. You'll want to be careful with those.

[cpzilliacus]

Don't forget that there are red-light and speed cameras pretty much everywhere. You'll want to be careful with those.

Much more so in the District of Columbia.  They are not currently allowed in Virginia, and Maryland has them in some places.  TomTom is pretty good about warning of speed and red light cameras. 

[lordsutch]

2. Backed up traffic on the interstates and drivers ahead of you NOT using their emergency flashers to let you know the traffic is stopped.

I'd like to know where in the country this is actually done.  I certainly haven't seen it in my (fairly extensive) travels...

I'll do it occasionally on a rural freeway or in very bad weather when there's no obvious reason for the slowdown (i.e. no construction signage), since people aren't expecting I-75 in podunk rural Georgia to scream to a halt from 75+ with no notice. But I wouldn't do it on the ATL downtown connector at 5 pm on a weekday...

[1995hoo]

Don't forget that there are red-light and speed cameras pretty much everywhere. You'll want to be careful with those.

Much more so in the District of Columbia.  They are not currently allowed in Virginia, and Maryland has them in some places.  TomTom is pretty good about warning of speed and red light cameras. 

Virginia does have red-light cameras in places, though not all jurisdictions use them. No speed cameras in Virginia. Maryland's speed cameras are required by state law to allow a 12-mph cushion (eg, if the speed limit is 65, you can go 76 without the camera nailing you, though I wouldn't push it that close for fear of speedometer error). DC doesn't say what tolerance they allow, but I don't trust them to calibrate the cameras properly because I recall some incident a few years back where a DC camera was set for a speed limit 10 mph lower than the actual posted limit.

[Zzonkmiles]

Don't forget that there are red-light and speed cameras pretty much everywhere. You'll want to be careful with those.

Much more so in the District of Columbia.  They are not currently allowed in Virginia, and Maryland has them in some places.  TomTom is pretty good about warning of speed and red light cameras. 

Virginia does have red-light cameras in places, though not all jurisdictions use them. No speed cameras in Virginia. Maryland's speed cameras are required by state law to allow a 12-mph cushion (eg, if the speed limit is 65, you can go 76 without the camera nailing you, though I wouldn't push it that close for fear of speedometer error). DC doesn't say what tolerance they allow, but I don't trust them to calibrate the cameras properly because I recall some incident a few years back where a DC camera was set for a speed limit 10 mph lower than the actual posted limit.

I wonder if the independent cities are different here because I've definitely seen red light cameras in Falls Church. They even have signs saying "photo enforced."

[1995hoo]

Don't forget that there are red-light and speed cameras pretty much everywhere. You'll want to be careful with those.

Much more so in the District of Columbia.  They are not currently allowed in Virginia, and Maryland has them in some places.  TomTom is pretty good about warning of speed and red light cameras. 

Virginia does have red-light cameras in places, though not all jurisdictions use them. No speed cameras in Virginia. Maryland's speed cameras are required by state law to allow a 12-mph cushion (eg, if the speed limit is 65, you can go 76 without the camera nailing you, though I wouldn't push it that close for fear of speedometer error). DC doesn't say what tolerance they allow, but I don't trust them to calibrate the cameras properly because I recall some incident a few years back where a DC camera was set for a speed limit 10 mph lower than the actual posted limit.

I wonder if the independent cities are different here because I've definitely seen red light cameras in Falls Church. They even have signs saying "photo enforced."

I said red-light cameras are in use in places. I know Falls Church and Alexandria have them. (Alexandria has them at consecutive intersections on southbound Route 1 at Gibbon Street and Franklin Street.) I'm pretty sure Fairfax City has at least one. Fairfax County used to use them; while they're still in place at a few intersections in the county, they're not currently active. I believe Richmond and Chesapeake use them. Other cities and counties may (I would not be surprised at all to learn Arlington uses them).

When the General Assembly first passed a bill allowing them, the number of cameras a jurisdiction could use was tied to population–I think it was one camera per 10,000 residents except in Northern Virginia. I don't recall the details nor whether that limitation still applies.

[AlexandriaVA]

Arlington has them. In fact, they just installing (or are nearing completion) of a red-light camera at Columbia Pike & Glebe Road. I welcome them.

Alexandria has one on Duke Street near the Landmark Mall.

[froggie]

If you're driving into DC during the morning or out of DC during the evening, on a weekday, do not take any of the major routes. Avoid I-95 and US 1 entirely.

Even during rush hour, I-95 is not horrible between DC and Baltimore unless there's an incident.  It would be more prudent to avoid MD 295/B-W Pkwy during rush hour than I-95.

[cpzilliacus]

DC doesn't say what tolerance they allow, but I don't trust them to calibrate the cameras properly because I recall some incident a few years back where a DC camera was set for a speed limit 10 mph lower than the actual posted limit.

I have heard 6 MPH or 7 MPH.  But it is pretty obvious to me that automated speed enforcement in D.C. is mostly about revenue, not safety.