Slugging It Out; C. D. Bradford

I knew there had to be a better way. As I looked for alternate ways to get to work 1 studied the different options, including Metro Bus and Northern Virginia Rail. As a Metro Bus rider, 1would have to drive my car to a "Park & Ride" lot purchased by tax money, and then get on a bus to Wash ington, D.C. The bus is inconvenient and the one-way cost is more than I pay for gas for a round trip in my car. Years· ago a rail line into Prince William County was proposed to alleviate the traffic congestion on 1-95. After many delays, it is now in service, but the fare is more than the bus, and there is serious talk of charging riders to park their cars in the rail station lot. To top it off, the rail that carries passengers into D.C. is not the same line that runs through D.C., so I wouldn't be able to directly transfer to another line. c. Daniel Bradford is a major in theArmy and works for theNational Guard Bureau inArlington, Virginia.

From Intervention Comes Opportunity: The "Slug" Line To relieve trafficcongestion on 1-95 the State of Virginia built a separate set of traffic lanes that flow north in the morning and south in the evening. Legal use of these lanes during peak hours requires at least three people in the car. These lanes are called HOV-3 lanes, or High Occupancy Vehicle-3 persons. These lanes travel at a much higher average speed and are much lesscongested and lessprone to accidents. Individuals who work in the metropolitan area drive to commuter lots in their communi ties and park their cars. They then stand in a queue and wait for drivers who are traveling to their general destination. As a driver comes to the queue he announces his destination and howmanyriders he needs. Riders join the driver and they enter the HOV-31anes. This system works. The riders need to get to work. The driver wants to drive his car and needs extra riders to use the HOV-3 lanes.

The driver drops off his riders and everyone goes on his way. No money is exchanged. Each has benefited from the voluntary exchange: the riders (slugs) get to work and don't have to worry about driving or parking and the driver (slugger) gets the use of his car and the legitimate use of the HOV-3 lanes. In the evening the process is reversed. In the 30years riders have been slugging it out, there has not been a single reported incident of violence. 1 find it saves me about a half hour when I pick up slugs. I have never had to stand in the "Slug Line" for more than ten minutes. Several years ago 1 was in a store that has a parking lot that is used as a commuter lot. I thanked the owner for allowing us to use his parking lot as a "Slug Line." He said that a few years before, agents of the government bus service asked him to refuse the use of his parking lot to the "Slug Line." They found it was significantly cutting into their ridership.

They wanted a more captive clientele. The store owner refused, and the "Slug Line" in that area continues. The "Slug Line" may not be for everybody, but it provides a market solution a great many prefer over the government solutions to the traffic congestion in northern Virginia. D 597 THEFREEMAN IDEAS ON LIBERTY Lettersfrom Russia by Dennis L. Peterson G rigOryenjoyed studying English. He also wanted to write, especially if it would help him improve his English. One day, near the end of 1979, his love of the language and his desire to write led to a clash with Soviet authorities. "I was at the post office," Grigory recalls, "and suddenly noticed that a woman in front of me in the line was having her letter registered with the address written in English on the envelope. She was mailing a letter to someone in the USA!" Grigory had long dreamed of correspond ing with an American. An idea flashed into his head, and he began to memorize the name and address on the envelope. When he got back home, he immediately wrote a short letter to the man, a John Geiss, asking for his help in finding an American pen pal.