When I moved to Springfield, Virginia, my neighbors enthusiastically told me about the slug line, an informal carpool system that has been around since 1971. There’s a pick-up spot right in my community and several others elsewhere in town. Many folks in the DC area don’t know about the slug line — I didn’t until I moved to Springfield.
The plan is simple. Drivers need three people in the car to use the HOV lanes on I-395. So drivers and riders (aka slugs) meet at designated locations. The drivers fill their vehicular quotas, the riders get a free lift, and everybody gets into the city — and home again — faster. Unlike a traditional carpool, you never know who will ride with you (or give you a ride). With some lobbying and political maneuvering over the years, slugs have convinced local governments to set aside areas where these commuters can park and meet.
At first, the notion of getting in a car every morning and every evening with two complete strangers sounded absurd to me and more than a little dangerous. A year or so went by before I tried it. But people are creatures of habit. Most keep to more-or-less the same schedule every day, so slugs and drivers begin to recognize each other. Mentally, I give the familiar people nicknames. People tell stories and share information. The slug line was social networking and grassroots activism long before either one was trendy.
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