Motorists travel on the Dulles Greenway in Loudoun County. Photo by Tracy A. Woodward.

Carpool, Vanpool and Commuter Information

Commuter Connections is a regional network of transportation organizations coordinated by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. In addition to providing information about carpools and vanpools, it offers maps of park-and-ride lots, commuter news and information about area construction projects, mass transit and commuter options. Call 800-745-RIDE (7433) or go to http://www.mwcog.org/commuter/ccindex.html.

CommuterDirect.com offers information on transit fares at http://www.commuterpage.com/splash.cfm.

On the Springfield Interchange Improvement Project Web site, available through July, the Commuter Solutions page offers information on mass transit, locations of park-and-ride lots, ride-sharing agencies, and carpools and vanpools. Go to http://www.springfieldinterchange.com/cs.html.

Commuterpage.com, sponsored by Arlington County Commuter Services, offers information on mass transit, carpools and vanpools, and other commuting topics. Go to http://www.commuterpage.com/carpool.htm.

The Maryland Transit Authority offers information about carpools and vanpools at http://www.mtamaryland.com/resources/transitlinks/mdridesharing/index.cfm.

Other car and vanpool information, by jurisdiction, can be found at http://www.erideshare.com/carpool.php.

The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission offers OmniMatch, a free service that matches commuters with carpools and vanpools. Visit http://www.prtctransit.org/omnimatch/index.php.

Commuting 101: Becoming Fluent in Traffic Talk

HOV (high-occupancy vehicle), or carpool, lanes are reserved for carpools, vanpools, buses and motorcycles during weekday morning and evening rush hours. They are designated either HOV-2 (two or more passengers required) or HOV-3 (three or more passengers), which means that (except for motorcycles) there must be at least that many people in a vehicle during the posted carpool lane hours.

In Northern Virginia, there are carpool lanes on interstates 66, 95 and 395 (Shirley Highway) and the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267). In Maryland, carpool lanes are found on Interstate 270 and Route 50.

Virginia allows solo drivers of hybrid vehicles to use carpool lanes on I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road; and if the vehicles were registered before July 1, 2006, they can be used on the HOV lanes on I-95 and I-395 as well. Maryland does not grant special HOV status to hybrid vehicles.

For HOV hours and information on enforcement, go to the following Web sites:

• In Virginia, http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/hov-default.asp.
• In Maryland, www.montgomerycountymd.gov. Click on "Departments," then "Public Works and Transportation" and then "Commuter Services." Information can also be found at www.mwcog.org/commuter/Bdy-carpool-hov.html and www.commuterpage.com/hov.htm.

Information can also be found at http://www.mwcog.org/commuter/Bdy-carpool-hov.html and http://www.commuterpage.com/hov.htm.

E-ZPass is a toll collection program that allows drivers traveling in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts to pay tolls electronically using a device mounted on their windshields. For information or to sign up for E-ZPass in Maryland, call 888-321-6824 or go to http://www.ezpassmd.com. In Virginia, go to http://www.ezpassva.com or call 877-762-7824 or 703-391-7630.

Smart Tag is an electronic toll program operating in Virginia, including on the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway. The tags also work on toll roads in states that accept E-ZPass. Virginia eventually will phase out the Smart Tag name and use only the E-ZPass name.

For information or to sign up for Smart Tag or an E-ZPass, call 877-762-7824 or 703-391-7630 or go to http://www.smart-tag.com.

"Slugging" is a term used by commuters along the Shirley Highway/Interstate 395/Interstate 95 corridor of Northern Virginia traveling into and out of downtown Washington and the Pentagon. Commuters wait in line at designated locations and are picked up by other commuters who want to use the HOV lanes but lack the required number of riders. For information on slugging and slug line locations, go to http://www.slug-lines.com or http://www.commuterpage.com/slug.htm.

Toll Roads

The Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) is an eight-lane, 14-mile highway between the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) and the Dulles Greenway's main toll plaza near Route 28. The toll-free Dulles Airport Access Road runs in the median of the toll road and is restricted to airport traffic.

The toll road operates rush-hour HOV carpool lanes eastbound from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and westbound from 4 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays.

Car tolls are 50 cents at on/off ramps, including Route 28, and 75 cents at the main toll plaza near Spring Hill Road. For more information, call 703-383-2702 or go to http://www.ezpassva.com/TollFacilities/Dulles_Toll_Road.htm.

The toll road is operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

The Dulles Greenway is a privately owned 14-mile toll road connecting the Dulles Toll Road with Leesburg. It starts at Route 28 near Dulles International Airport and ends at Route 15 in Leesburg. Tolls for cars range from $2.30 to $3.50, with varying discounts for Smart Tag traffic. For a list of tolls or for more information, call 888-707-8870 or go to www.dullesgreenway.com.

Transit Information on the Web

• www.commuterpage.com, an Arlington site with links to transportation Web pages
• rideguide.wmata.com, for "The Ride Guide," a planning tool for trips using Metro and other forms of public transportation in the region
• www.trafficland.com, to access live traffic cameras
• www.nuride.com, a carpool service
• www.wilsonbridge.com, for updates on the Wilson Bridge Project
• www.springfieldinterchange.com, for information on the Springfield Interchange project
• www.slug-lines.com, for an explanation of how "slugging," a casual form of carpooling, works

Up-to-Date Traffic Information

The Washington Post offers traffic information at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/metro/traffic. For lane closure information, storm reports and to see live images from traffic cameras throughout Maryland, visit http://www.chart.state.md.us.

The Virginia Department of Transportation Web site offers information on traffic and road conditions at http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/eoc-main.asp.

Live feeds from traffic cameras throughout the District can be viewed at http://app.ddot.dc.gov/services_dsf/traffic_cameras/index.asp.