441–450 of 770 posts
Back in 2004 a friend and I were driving from Seoul (Korea) to Daejeon when a huge snowstorm blew in. We were on a 56 mile stretch of expressway through the mountains with no exits when the traffic ground to a halt. After a couple of hours it was clear from the radio that the road would be struck for a long time (the jam was reported to be 50 miles long), so we walked a couple of miles back to a service station we'd…
There are a lot of comments here about why public transit in the DC area doesn't work, but nobody that I've seen has put their finger on it. The biggest issue is that the area covers two states, at least ten counties depending on what you count as the “DC area”, plus the District of Columbia, which isn't a state, doesn't have control over its own budget, and has no representation in Congress. Oh, and in Virginia citi…
> And because unlike everywhere else in the US DC workers who live in Virginia or Maryland don't pay DC taxes I don't think that's the case. In my experience as a remote worker you always pay where you live, not where you work.
If you work and live in two states, they will both do their best to get a cut of your paycheck.
The ineptitude of the state governments in DC/VA/MD is amazing to me. Snow happens in these places?
Snow actually didn't use to happen in those places. Not in this way. That's why the word "change" is in "climate change". DC, btw, is not a state, and has no "state government".
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...?
That also was my experience in Richmond, VA, somewhat further south.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> it's best to lock up the vehicle with a note on the dash and make your way to a shelter out of harms way Just a note for varying geographical locations: If you do this in Australia, you will most likely die from exposure.
Just a note for locations actually not varying that much and this is generally terrible advice: people die of exposure doing this in the US and everyone ever asked from search and rescue will tell you to stay in your car unless it is actively going underwater or falling off a cliff.
i.e. If you're stuck on the shoulder of a snowy/icy highway and there's a walking distance Motel 6 visible, go straight to the hotel and make your phone calls there. A road is a terrible place to camp, your occupancy has zero influence on the probability of the vehicle getting hit, though it may feel like the right/responsible thing to do - to not abandon your vehicle, it's rarely the safe choice when the stop was unplanned.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nobody in northern Virginia wants to live in Hong Kong, and even if they did that ship sailed long ago. Also, the fertility rate in Hong Kong is less than half the replacement rate. They’re like the Asgard—an impressive civilization, full of marvels, but without a future.
Ok, go to like, every other city in China, Japan, South Korea, or most of the cities of Western Europe. Take your pick.
Go to Dallas and look at all the families with 3-4 kids. That’s what the future looks like. (Except the minivans and pickup trucks are probably electric.)
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Wow, didn't know that! In the UK and most of Europe it's standard practice.
The same applies in the UK, but like the US you’re unlikely to get arrested unless you’re doing something more than peeing behind a bush.
There are local bylaws.
And there are more serious laws for sexual behaviour etc.
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…
Yes. We had a family incident a number of years back. Stuck on a mountain pass in the cold for the better part of a day. We've also seen a breakdown in the desert, and that one was a couple days. We always refuel before entering a risky part of travel. Never count on getting there. Make sure. And in a scenario like this that refuel could provide a days worth of heat, depending. No matter what, it's a lot more heat th…
From personal experience that seems extremely conservative, although that may be the point. According to [1], a semi truck or city bus use a little less than a gallon per hour idling.
[1] https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-861-february-23-20...
There are a lot of comments here about why public transit in the DC area doesn't work, but nobody that I've seen has put their finger on it. The biggest issue is that the area covers two states, at least ten counties depending on what you count as the “DC area”, plus the District of Columbia, which isn't a state, doesn't have control over its own budget, and has no representation in Congress. Oh, and in Virginia citi…
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/08/arlingt...
Also the DC metro system is in fact organized across state lines and receives generous federal subsidies....DC Metro spends $4.7 billion a year. There's also interstate light rail from MD and VA to DC that's billions more. There are probably few cities in the world that have public transport more heavily subsidized than DC.
Commuter income tax reciprocity in DC metro is no different than most other regions.
The primary issue this week is that this section of Virginia rarely sees snowstorms of this magnitude and further most DC residents have no idea how to drive in it (or know when to stay home).