The second worst commute in history.

[icarus]

Hello, Dc-ers.

It just took me seven hours to drive a 20 minute commute.

How 'bout you?

There was no snow at 3pm, then suddenly the DC area got slammed. Five inches in about an hour or so.

The snow equipment wasn't ready. Rush hour traffic hit before they could clear the roads. Then they couldn't plow because of all the cars. In the unplowed streets, people had accidents, got stuck, and abandoned their cars in the road. The plows couldn't plow all the blocked lanes.

A total mess.

I drove a car length, put it in park. Then sat for ten minutes. Drove another car length and put it in part again.

One young guy tried to hot rod his way through the median and got stuck. A nice fellow in a Ford Explorer helped him out (they used his floor mats to give him traction, which was clever). At one point I threw it in park, got out, and started to use my arms to knock the snow hat off the roof. A woman rolled down her window and offered her snow brush. I gave her an orange, figuring she probably was hungry. We'd been there for hours.

At another point, a young Indian guy was sitting in the middle of the road, his car dark. I rolled down the window and asked him, "What's wrong?" His battery was dead. So I pulled in front and give him a jump. The battery was very dead, but hell, I'd already been in traffic six hours at that point.

Finally, around midnight, traffic cleared. All that was was left was the last cars rolling at 15 mph ... and the carnage.

Snowplows trapped. Darkened cars spun out into the median, or angled at the edge of the road and left, blocking lanes. Traffic lights dead dark.

I have never driven such an agonizing commute. I'm rethinking the whole concept of cars.

Comments

[rivkat]

My husband picked up the kids at 4:30, arrived home at 9:30. My nearly 3-hour commute was trivial by comparison (go Metro!).

[icarus]

No kidding. I was thinking: I'm getting a job in DC and taking the Marc train. Driving is for the birds.

[amalthia]

That kind of reminds me of the 12 hour drive to San Antonio before Hurricane Rita was supposed to hit the Houston area. It was almost pure chaos and a lot of sitting around doing nothing, only it was in 100 degree temps not snow and ice.

I'm glad you made it home safely.

[icarus]

I think yours was worse. Far worse.

[amalthia]

Yeah if I remember correctly that traffic jam made national news. But still being stuck in traffic for 7 hours sucks.

[rellan]

Yikes! Glad you finally made it home.

*sends some warm*

[icarus]

Thank you. *basks in the warm*

[everbright]

*jesus* Glad you're ok. Is it to much to hope you won't have to go in tomorrow?

[icarus]

It was ... amazing. And I'm not going in tomorrow, not if the snow vanishes by magic, the sun shines, birds chirp, and rainbows fly out of our collective arses.

[icarusjj]

Yet another reason to try to work from home as much as possible!

[mrshamill]

If it makes you feel any better... MrHamill works within walking distance to our home, he can literally bike to work and get there five minutes later than it takes to drive there. I emailed him when the thunder sleet started, about 3:30, telling him to cut his losses and just come home. About 4:30, I hear him and think, oh, good, he took my advice, only to find out he'd left at three!

So, yeah. It took him an hour and a half to drive less than two miles. Our neighbor ended up parking over a mile away and walking home, because our major road was closed due to a four-car accident. It wasn't pretty.

And my office is closed!! I can't believe it.