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Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: DMV God ()
Date: May 08, 2014 03:50PM

Especially for those confused Southerners'

http://www.wtop.com/149/3618295/Driver-killed-in-Express-Lanes-crash

WASHINGTON - An out-of-town driver has died after a fiery, three-car wreck at the entrance to the new 495 Express Lanes Tuesday, state police say.

And the fatal crash has prompted the express lanes' operator Transurban to undergo a safety review to determine if any changes are needed to help avoid future collisions.

Mary Jane Treacy, 72 of Bluffton, S.C., was driving a Town and Country minivan on the Inner Loop of the Beltway when she suddenly braked at the entrance of the tolled express lanes, according to the Virginia State Police.

A Jeep Wrangler swerved and was able to avoid hitting the minivan but a Mercedes sedan was unable to stop and rear-ended the van, spinning it around.

The minivan then hit the Jeep. Meanwhile, the Mercedes hit the jersey barrier where it began to smoke and caught fire, police say.

Treacy died after arriving at a local hospital, according to the Virginia State Police.

Her husband Thomas Treacy, 78, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but was expected to survive.

The driver of the Mercedes, Ronald Henderson, 30 of Dulles, was able to get out of the car on his own and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Jeep Tricia Hindermann, 43 of Arlington, was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police have not yet determined the cause of the crash.

When the tolled express lanes first opened in 2012, drivers trying to bail the toll lanes and return to the main lanes caused numerous crashes.

Additional signage and pavement markings were added to help drivers decide whether they wanted to pay to travel along the new lanes.

Transurban spokesman Mike McGurk tells WTOP that the toll lane operator will call in an outside entity to review the fatal accident and determine what happened and what can be done to prevent future crashes. He said such reviews are done for any accident involving the express lanes.

Drivers who accidentally enter the tolled lanes should keep driving and exit as soon as they can. " And give us a call after their trip," McGurk says.

The lanes will eventually connect to the toll lanes that will replace the existing HOV lanes along Interstate 95. That project is slated to be finished in 2015.

"We're continuing to look at additional enhancements along the entire corridor to strengthen awareness and better indicate entry and exit points," McGurk says.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: oldsters ()
Date: May 08, 2014 04:12PM

those lanes are the greatest thing to happen to transportation on the beltway in my lifetime.

After broke dicks are forced onto side streets, next is the oldsters.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Bill.N. ()
Date: May 08, 2014 04:14PM

You can't make something idiot proof.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: TRUTHSPEAKS ()
Date: May 08, 2014 04:22PM

NO. The reason the accident happened is because the DRIVER of the car WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE ROAD!!!

If a driver is not paying attention to road signs and even writing ON THE ROAD then they're too stupid to be driving. I use the Express Lanes all the time. It only takes me 8 minutes to drive from Alexandria to Tysons. For $2-3 bucks that's worth my time.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Cunnybox ()
Date: May 08, 2014 04:30PM

Police have not yet determined the cause of the crash? Maybe we should start with hiring smarter police.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: I66 Hater ()
Date: May 08, 2014 04:53PM

I was on 66 last night near Fair Oaks Mall going west and a woman stopped her car in the right lane, got out tried to herd a momma duck and her 5 little ducklings back onto the side and into the woods. One duckling went the wrong way and went into the second lane and was almost ran over 3 times but lucky they all survived. The traffic is bad enough on the highways between the old folks not knowing how to drive and the ducklings following mom.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: OP = FAIL ()
Date: May 08, 2014 05:14PM

Latest effort to twist a story into something that it never was is now officially ruled a FAILURE.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Sweetheart FAIL ()
Date: May 08, 2014 05:29PM

A deer that lived between I-395 and Van Dorn Street in Alexandria touched lives

John Kelly/The Washington Post

By John Kelly
When it was clear that the deer was dead — struck by a car — someone in the crowd of onlookers who had gathered suggested that maybe it could be taken to a butcher, its meat given to the poor.

Deborah Williams would have none of it. To her, this was not some random roadkill. This deer was different. For eight years, the doe had survived in a seemingly inhospitable corner of Alexandria, spending most of her time living in a narrow stretch of woods between Interstate 395 and Van Dorn Street, cars whizzing by on either side.

Many people had their own private names for the deer. Some called her Baby. Some called her Bonnie. (The doe’s brother, Clyde, was killed on 395 years ago.)

Deborah called her Sweetheart.

“This deer is like a sister, a member of someone’s family,” said Deborah, a Department of Defense retiree who lives in Parkside. “These people in this community have grown to know this deer as someone other than just a deer running up and down the street. Could you take your sister to the butcher’s and eat her?”

Instead of turning Sweetheart into sausage, Deborah and two friends loaded her lifeless body into a car — a tiny Fiat 500, amazingly — and drove west, out Interstate 66 and then onto the Dulles Greenway. They buried her in the sort of bucolic setting the deer had never seen.

Deborah would have preferred that the deer had experienced the country while living. That was the hope — that the deer could be given a new life far from Shirley Highway.

But is it animal control’s responsibility to run a wildlife witness-relocation program for urban deer?

The deer had long been a neighborhood favorite, often greeting passersby along a fence.

Said Deborah: “Every morning she would walk up and down North Van Dorn behind the fence and people would get to know her at the bus stop and wave at her.”

Some people, Deborah said, would feed the deer apples and carrots.

The deer would sometimes disappear for a month or two, but she always came back.

“She was lonely,” Deborah said. “That’s why I think she got attached to the neighborhood so much.”

Recent Virginia Department of Transportation construction along 395 started shrinking the sliver of green the deer called home. People began to worry about her.

“She was getting spooked by big equipment,” Deborah said. “It got to be a real cat-and-mouse kind of game. We were tying up holes in the fence so she wouldn’t get out.”

Deborah contacted Alexandria animal control and Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF). She said she didn’t get much response until WJLA (Channel 7) did a report on the deer. And that’s when the messy interaction between deer and humans became a messy interaction between what you might call deer lovers and deer realists.

Shooting a 200-pound deer with a tranquilizer dart is not easy. What’s more, the drugged deer can run into traffic. So DGIF biologist Kevin Rose set up what’s called a box trap.

Some deer lovers thought a spooked Sweetheart could injure herself if she was trapped while no one was around and so tampered with the trap, Deborah said.

In an e-mail, Kevin wrote: “There is valid concern that a deer in a trap may injure itself, which is why it was monitored closely at a significant expense to DGIF.”

But after the trap was vandalized several times, DGIF gave up and removed it.

On the evening of April 4, Deborah saw a commotion in front of her house on North Van Dorn. A vehicle had struck the deer. Though the car was severely damaged, the driver was uninjured. The deer was not so lucky.

A week later, 50 people attended a memorial service for the deer at Fort Ward Park. If you drive on North Van Dorn Street, you can see remnants of posters and bouquets people put up in honor of the deer. “RIP BONNIE” is spelled out on one fence.

“People sometimes think I’m a crazy person,” Deborah said, “but I never realized how much that deer affected people in this community.”

But their love may have contributed to the deer’s demise. It is illegal in Virginia to feed deer. By providing a steady source of food, residents may have been preventing the deer from going elsewhere to seek it.

Wrote Kevin in an e-mail: “The death of this deer was partly due to the actions of well-meaning citizens and partly due to the inevitable interaction between wildlife and development.”

As Joseph Seskey, Alexandria’s chief animal control officer, put it: “Wildlife needs to be wild.”

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: greedgoodUSA #1 ()
Date: May 08, 2014 05:42PM

The reason the woman died is greed. Transurban built a profit death trap. Anyone with a brain realized people would die. Recall the DAY IT OPENED there were half a dozen accidents. Its fortunate more have not died. Out of state and out of country drivers will be in trouble when the see this divide and make paniced decisions. Yes there are signs but everyone gets distracted trying to navigate.

Is is bad to swerve and perform last min. maneuvers but the road should not be designed to create the situation in the first place. That spot is designed for one purpose - as a profit-chute. Transurban was probably Hoping people would get sucked in so they make $$.

States giving land to 3rd parties because in the riches country in the world we cannot build enough lanes to keep traffic moving. USA #1

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: greedgoodUSA #1 ()
Date: May 08, 2014 05:42PM

The reason the woman died is greed. Transurban built a profit death trap. Anyone with a brain realized people would die. Recall the DAY IT OPENED there were half a dozen accidents. Its fortunate more have not died. Out of state and out of country drivers will be in trouble when the see this divide and make paniced decisions. Yes there are signs but everyone gets distracted trying to navigate.

Is is bad to swerve and perform last min. maneuvers but the road should not be designed to create the situation in the first place. That spot is designed for one purpose - as a profit-chute. Transurban was probably Hoping people would get sucked in so they make $$.

States giving land to 3rd parties because in the riches country in the world we cannot build enough lanes to keep traffic moving. USA #1

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: greedgoodUSA #1 ()
Date: May 08, 2014 05:42PM

The reason the woman died is greed. Transurban built a profit death trap. Anyone with a brain realized people would die. Recall the DAY IT OPENED there were half a dozen accidents. Its fortunate more have not died. Out of state and out of country drivers will be in trouble when the see this divide and make paniced decisions. Yes there are signs but everyone gets distracted trying to navigate.

Is is bad to swerve and perform last min. maneuvers but the road should not be designed to create the situation in the first place. That spot is designed for one purpose - as a profit-chute. Transurban was probably Hoping people would get sucked in so they make $$.

States giving land to 3rd parties because in the riches country in the world we cannot build enough lanes to keep traffic moving. USA #1

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Lane.Meyer ()
Date: May 08, 2014 05:44PM

One thing that's lost in the story of the 495 Express Lanes is that ALL OF THE PROBLEMS are at the inner loop coming out of Alexandria. Why?

Because when you're on the inner loop heading toward Tysons and you're in the left lane...you have to opt OUT of the Express Lanes. However, when you're heading out of Maryland towards Springfield on the outer loop running in the left lane, you have to opt INTO the Express Lanes.

Until more bodies pile up in the same place where this accident occurred, they won't reconfigure it but, if they did it would solve the problems.

If you are travelling through this area, do yourself a favor...just assume the people around you are going to have problems knowing what to do and plan an escape route. If there are cars around you with out of state license plates just move right so they have plenty of room to crisp their corpses on the end of a jersey barrier...if they're out of state they're infinitely more likely to fuck that interchange up.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Homeless guy ()
Date: May 08, 2014 05:45PM

Self-centered bitch. That deer would have fed a lot of people.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: GeUVx ()
Date: May 08, 2014 06:10PM

The express lanes are great. If you're going to commit to all the other expenses of owning an automobile, a few extra bucks to keep you vehicle at it's happy speed is not a big deal. Idling in traffic is not good for your car (or your blood pressure).

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Fairfax Bob ()
Date: May 08, 2014 06:21PM

Could be a tad confusing for out of towners...or in towners.


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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Richard Christy ()
Date: May 08, 2014 06:37PM

This area fucking blows.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Rod Serling ()
Date: May 08, 2014 06:46PM

That sign post up ahead...your next stop is the Tysons Twilight Zone!

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: ....... ()
Date: May 08, 2014 07:32PM

All this money and effort wasted when we already know the cause:


Dumb bitch.


Case closed.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Fred Norris ()
Date: May 08, 2014 07:35PM

Does anyone remember when that section of the beltway was surrounded by trees? Then they fucked it all up. how long did it take? 5 years to put in the express lanes?

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: dxMMx ()
Date: May 08, 2014 08:18PM

> Could be a tad confusing for out of towners...or in towners.

You do know that the answer will be MORE SIGNS.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Tysons Nonengineer ()
Date: May 08, 2014 08:20PM

The problem is that they eliminated several ramps from the design early in the project, which is why you have to make multiple lane changes at speed just to go straight, and the reason why the entrance to the express lanes is at Braddock Road instead of before you get to the mixing bowl.

Saved some money though.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: dtkWd ()
Date: May 08, 2014 08:25PM

Fred Norris Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone remember when that section of the
> beltway was surrounded by trees? Then they fucked
> it all up. how long did it take? 5 years to put in
> the express lanes?


it used to be a rather pleasant drive through the trees. now it looks like new jersey.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Big foot It is ()
Date: May 08, 2014 08:38PM

dtkWd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Fred Norris Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Does anyone remember when that section of the
> > beltway was surrounded by trees? Then they
> fucked
> > it all up. how long did it take? 5 years to put
> in
> > the express lanes?
>
>
> it used to be a rather pleasant drive through the
> trees. now it looks like new jersey.


I thought it was kind of pleasant also... This area has no fucking heart anymore. Time to cash out.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Sammich ()
Date: May 08, 2014 09:54PM

Old bish shoulda been in da kitchen making sammiches.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Rockhound ()
Date: May 08, 2014 10:06PM

Just can't fix stupid.

If we are going to blame designers for accidents let's start with all of NYC, or how about the rural windy highways in Pennsylvania.

You can't teach people to not drive like complete fucking idiots.

/thread

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: fuck off, op ()
Date: May 08, 2014 10:59PM

Fuck off, OP. The hot lanes are the best thing to happen to this area's fucked up roads in a long time.

As cruel as the truth may be, this is a case of a bad driver who ignored signage and made a bad choice that endangered those around her and proved fatal.

The spot where the driver slammed on the brakes was right where the solid line starts and just before the physical barrier between the hot lanes and regular lanes... she had plenty of distance and time to observe the multitude of signs advertising the upcoming toll lanes.

What should one do if one mistakenly ends up in a toll lane? Be a mature, responsible driver. Don't panic. And get off at the next available exit to turn around. Sure, it may add 10-20 more minutes to your drive, but it's better than an eternity in the grave.

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Sweetheart FAIL ()
Date: May 09, 2014 02:08PM

Homeless guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Self-centered bitch. That deer would have fed a
> lot of people.

+1

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: airwolf ()
Date: May 09, 2014 02:28PM

Fairfax Bob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Could be a tad confusing for out of towners...or
> in towners.
>
>

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: blue thunder ()
Date: May 09, 2014 02:29PM

airwolf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Fairfax Bob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Could be a tad confusing for out of
> towners...or
> > in towners.
> >
> >



>
>
>

are the in/out-of-towners in helicopters?

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Re: Why the Express Lanes are a total FAIL
Posted by: Ghost of Bob Bruhns ()
Date: May 09, 2014 02:32PM

She should have taken the Silver Line to Tyson's instead. Oh, wait.

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