FREDERICKSBURG, VA – On August 13-14, 2024, GWRideConnect conducted a study on slugging practices within the George Washington Region, also known as Planning District 16, and found significant activity at Stafford County’s Staffordboro Park and Ride Lot located off Route 610. Notably, signs suggest slugging may also be returning to the Warrenton Road Park and Ride Lot located off Route 17.
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, slugging activity was observed outside of the Staffordboro lot. At the Warrenton Road lot, surveyors counted four riders and four vehicles on Tuesday, August 13th. Leigh Anderson, GWRideConnect Program Director, stated that “with OmniRide commuter buses now servicing more commuter lots in the region, slugging is making a modest but promising return to this area. There is potential for slugging to expand to the commuter lots on Route 630 Courthouse Road in Stafford and Route 1 Commonwealth Drive in Spotsylvania, which are also served by OmniRide commuter buses.” Commuter buses provide an alternate way to work for riders who are unable to secure a ride through slugging.
Since its origin in the 1970s, slugging has evolved into a highly effective form of carpooling that significantly reduces vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on the I-95 corridor. Sometimes referred to as casual or instant carpooling, slugging occurs when drivers pick up non-paying passengers at designated pickup points, which are usually in commuter parking lots, and drop them off at predetermined destinations, with the Pentagon being the most popular terminus for this region’s commuters.
On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, surveyors counted 402 riders (or “slugs”) securing rides with 208 vehicles. A similar study was conducted last year, also in the second week of August. Compared to the previous year, there was a slight decrease in both riders and vehicles at the Staffordboro lot. However, GWRideConnect staff noted that this was the first week of school for all public schools in the region, which is a highly disruptive event to morning routines. In response, GWRideConnect plans to move future counts to the second week of September, beginning in 2025, to avoid conflicts with the start of the school year.