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Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

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Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#251

Post by bix6 »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #241
cure wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good advice. I also keep a "Portable Car Jump Starter" in the trunk. These days they are basically big batteries (mine is ~3100mAh at 12V apparently) and they come with USB plugs and a built-in flashlight... Handy if you need to recharge your phone in a pinch.

I hope you're off by an order of magnitude on that current rating, or it might not deliver the goods when you need it...

I jumped a stranger’s car with my 66.6 Wh battery the other day. DC output 12V/10A. Peak current 2000A. Battery is still ¾+ full. Haven’t tried charging a phone from it though.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#252

Post by lsllc »

dragontamer wrote: post #5

I'm not surprised. I've taken this road before during the 2017 Eclipse. Its a path that connects major parts of the country together, but there are no alternative roads to take if this one road closes. Other locations have "Backup" highways to lighten the load or otherwise take up the slack if the main road closes. Not so here. I've been told that Virginia once had plans to build additional highways / alternative roa…

If VADOT were unable to sand and plow I-95 for this storm then presumably they'd have the same problem with the backup highway. I suppose given a bad crash then the backup highway would help, but in that case, detouring off the highway between the crash-adjacent exits would work too.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#253

Post by sokoloff »

kaesar14 wrote: post #130
sokoloff wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having lived through it all and seeing the outcome, the Big Dig was a pain while it was happening, but a smashing success now that it’s done. A later removal of some of the toll booths in favor of automated tolling has made the road network even more effective. Is there still some traffic? Yes. Is it better than it was 30 years ago, even as the roads handle way more traffic? Absolutely.

I'd rather the T be functional and get me to where I need to be, and a better commuter rail system, then having to drive to and fro on Storrow at rush hour. There's no amount of bridges or expansions to the roads that would make it better short of leveling the city to build a giant highway, which I'm sure some percentage of Massachusetts drivers would be in favor of.

You prefer the T or commuter rail. That's fine and improving those modes of transit seems a fine goal as well. That preference/goal doesn't support an argument that the Big Dig solved nothing for those who choose to drive.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#254

Post by mikestew »

nostromo wrote: post #87
whatshisface wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never understood how inducing demand doesn't count as success. That means people want to use the road, doesn't it? It's almost like saying that releasing new software doesn't do anything to help users, because it increases the demand for software by the virtue of its own utility more than it reduces the demand for software by keeping people busy.

Yeah, they're shifting the goal posts. Here in city (Seattle) most people drive because transit tends to be spotty and slow for most people. So, what's the solution? Make driving worse of course. Speedbumps everywhere . Change 4-lane roads to 2-lanes. Remove parking. Lower speed limits to absurd levels. Make through streets dead ends. Transit still mostly sucks, but now driving sucks too. Success! I love transit and…

Transit still mostly sucks, but now driving sucks too.

And now bicycling and walking suck just a little less. That is a success.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#255

Post by asdff »

R0b0t1 wrote: post #169
emptybottle wrote: post #73

A good reminder to keep some warm blankets/coats/gloves/hats in your trunk, along with some non-perishable snacks and a first-aid kit & flashlight. Water is harder to store in the winter since it will freeze and burst containers if full, but snow can be melted given a container to put it in. Also a good to refuel often. I try treat 1/2 a tank as empty and stop accordingly. On longer trips it lines up well with bathro…

If I really kept kitted out for an incident like this I use up all my grocery room or most of the back seats. I was in my last car, but because I usually didn't take passengers.

You could easily fit it all in a milk crate and shove it in the back of your trunk with your spare tools.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#256

Post by jart »

The geographical location is I-95 near Fredericksburg, VA if anyone wants to look it up on Google Maps.

I can't tell if this video is a deep fake or a modern compression algorithm but one of the guys stuck in the jam for 15 hours says he hasn't seen a single emergency or police vehicle https://twitter.com/DeFede/status/1478361020670394370 So I wouldn't be surprised if some political scandal comes out of this, similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

The function of government is mostly to do things like build roads, collect garbage, operate sewers, and segregate criminals. Roads aren't much good if the roads don't work. If the U.S. Government continues to fail at these kinds of core competencies then there'll likely be opportunities for truly revolutionary startups in the future.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#257

Post by jcranmer »

pempem wrote: post #204
emptybottle wrote: post #73

A good reminder to keep some warm blankets/coats/gloves/hats in your trunk, along with some non-perishable snacks and a first-aid kit & flashlight. Water is harder to store in the winter since it will freeze and burst containers if full, but snow can be melted given a container to put it in. Also a good to refuel often. I try treat 1/2 a tank as empty and stop accordingly. On longer trips it lines up well with bathro…

No one kitts their car out like this in DC bc this amt of snow is basically unheard of...?

The DC area gets a "good" snow storm (≥6") about every 2 or 3 years. Typical behavior is to get a snow day the day of the storm and often the day after as well. Anyone trying to go anywhere during the storm is likely to have a rough time--the local streets won't see anything like a plow come through for a good long while, so it's not really sane to attempt to go anywhere. Even for smaller storms, only 1-2" total, shutting down completely for the day is pretty typical.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#258

Post by kaesar14 »

dugmartin wrote: post #228
kaesar14 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Some numbers for comparison according to a Google search: Hong Kong Area: 427 mi² Washington DC Metropolitan Area: 5,565 mi²

Ok, just compare the Metropolitan areas. The actual city of DC is 68.34 mi², smaller than Hong Kong. Still worse to get around in.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#259

Post by lsllc »

binaryblitz wrote: post #250
lsllc wrote: post #202

Driving apps like Waze don't seem to have a "weather on my route" option which would be a key feature for long distance drives in any climate that can have severe weather. Can anyone recommend a navigation app that supports weather forecasts along the way?

https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ It's designed for electric cars, but it does include weather info in its routes. I'm not 100% sure how it works, but it is there.

Ah, thanks! Seems that the weather info is only available for a Premium account though.

Re: Motorists have been stranded on a major interstate in Virginia since last night

#260

Post by bix6 »

emptybottle wrote: post #73

A good reminder to keep some warm blankets/coats/gloves/hats in your trunk, along with some non-perishable snacks and a first-aid kit & flashlight. Water is harder to store in the winter since it will freeze and burst containers if full, but snow can be melted given a container to put it in. Also a good to refuel often. I try treat 1/2 a tank as empty and stop accordingly. On longer trips it lines up well with bathro…

Emergency (foil) blanket saved my life one night when I was freezing. I carry one more often than not now. Minor space/weight penalty to avoid hypothermia.

Camelbak 3L comes with me on all road trips but I’m considering a permanent water tank in my car.

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