If the new tolls on Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway are designed to push drivers out of their cars and on to transit, it doesn’t appear to be working.
On Thursday, we asked Metro if it has noticed a spike in ridership on the Orange and Silver lines, which serve Loudoun and Fairfax counties. Surely if drivers were going to ditch their trips on the Dulles Toll Road or I-66, Metro would be a prime option, right?
“We have not seen any significant change in ridership at Virginia Orange Line stations this week,” stated Metro spokesman Ron Holzer in an email to Potomac Local.
OK, fine. But what about OmniRide commuter buses. If I live in Manassas, Gainesville, Haymarket or elsewhere in Prince William County I’m going to park at a commuter lot and get on a bus.
“Our Planning Department hasn’t had a chance to look at ridership figures since Monday’s opening of the I-66 Express Lanes inside the Beltway. Our data is one day behind, so if we looked at ridership figures today, we would see the results only for Monday and Tuesday,” stated OmniRide spokeswoman Christine Rodrigo in an email.”
“It actually may be difficult to determine what impact the Express Lanes are having on our ridership initially because ridership typically drops in December as people take vacation time, particularly those who must use vacation days before the end of the calendar year. We should have a much better sense of how the new toll lanes are affecting ridership in January and February when people resume their regular work schedules and have considered all their commuting options.”
It’s much of the same story at Virginia Railway Express — no anecdotal notice of increased ridership on the system’s Manassas line. However, the commuter rail service says it takes several weeks to finalize the number.
As for Slugs, well, unlike I-95, the system has yet to develop along the I-66 corridor.
The only thing that did increase is the volume of traffic on the arterial roads like Routes 7, 29, 50, 123, and 193.
So, will the tolls force you from your car?
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