Backlick Rd Park and Ride

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Topic: Backlick Rd Park and Ride
Posted: 06 Oct 2009 at 7:24am

Hi All!

I have couple questions.

1. The Park & Ride under the bridge in Back lick Rd, are there any slug action happening there, if not I do see a lot of cars there, how easy it is to get to the metro from there. Mainly who uses that lot(is it mostly car poolers?).

2. Is there a list of hybrid cars/fuel efficient that can use the HOV lanes and even if they are Hybrid cars do they have to have a special license plate? I also see some toyota's that say "PRIUS" but does not look like one at all(could be an older model?)

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Posted: 06 Oct 2009 at 7:58am

The info about hybrids using HOV-2 and HOV-3 lanes in VA has been posted on this message board before in several other places.

HOV-2: Qualified hybrids with Clean Special Fuel license plates can use all the HOV-2 (I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road) lanes in Virginia when they have less than 2 people aboard. The qualified hybrids are listed at this DMV website: http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/citizen/vehicles/cleanspecialfuel.asp

HOV-3: To use HOV-3 (and that's I-95/395 only) with less than 3 people aboard , hybrids must be on the DMV list AND ALSO have the grandfathered Clean Special Fuel plates that were issued prior to 1 July 2006. And, yes, these plates can be transferred from an older qualified hybrid to a new qualified hybrid. (If any hybrid with post-1 July 2006 plates and less than 3 people aboard is using the HOV-3 I-95/396 lanes, it is in violation of the HOV-3 rules.) Of course, vehicles with 3+ people aboard can use the HOV-3 lanes on I-95/395. Here is the website with the rules about hybrids using HOV: http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/hov-rulesfaq.asp

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Posted: 07 Oct 2009 at 10:44am

There isn't any use of the Backlick lot because it was a failed effort by the Country government under Gerry Conolly who was flush with cash to flush it down a hole.

The Backlick lot has a number of major problems. First, it isn't on a road which drivers use to reach the highway. As a result it requires a detour to reach, and by that point most drivers either have slugs or are not using slugs.

Because it is near the Parkway, it doesn't have a large number of single drivers who would veer off to use the lot, since there is not entry to I-95 North for single drivers from teh PArkway, most of them have to go somewhere else before going to the highway.

In the afternoon, reaching the Backlick lot is difficult. Since the lots on the parkway (stridenstricker) are pentegon only, the vehicles getting off there are only coming from one location. And it is unliekly that a driver woudl want to take the significant detour to exit drop at hte backlick lot and then return to the parkway.

Again, I have said it before but the County government was TOLD all these factors before they committed to building the lot. Instead of listening to the slug community, the Connoly administration decided to dump millions of our dollars on this unused lot. One would hope that they have learned their lessons going forward.

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Posted: 08 Oct 2009 at 1:20pm

The Backlick Rd lot was intended to reduce the amount of through traffic on Backlick between the FFxCo Parkway and the Memorial Bridge and absorb some of the Bob's slugs as the Springfield Downtown redevelopment project starts (if it ever starts).

It has about 280 spaces, partially covered, it has a designated light at the entrance, and actually has relatively easy on and off FFxCoPkwy exits near the HOV entry and exit lane. I use it with a carpool somtimes.

Its a decent lot and is now being used by Metro parking lot refugees (it has an express bus to the Springfield Metro). It has the potential to be a new slug line lot but, old habits die hard and Bob's slugs have been reluctant to adopt it.

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