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Disclaimer: cheating by "backtracking" via the Dulles Access Road for non-airport business is illegal. I don't do it, and you shouldn't either.

I was recently introduced to the oddity that is the Dulles Access Road (DAR), a free, limited access road running from Falls Church, VA to Dulles Airport via the median of the busier Dulles Toll Road (DTR). The DAR is designated exclusively for airport traffic, while anyone can pay to use the DTR. As you might expect, this has lead to people cheating the system. When traffic is heavy on the DTR and/or other nearby highways, or if a driver doesn't want to pay the toll, it is possible to take the DAR, loop through Dulles, and then exit the airport and proceed to the destination. Evidently this is enough of a problem that airport police and state patrol officers pull people over who cheat. (source source)

My question is, how do police officers know that someone is cheating? Imagine a scenario where two people: Goodwin and Bradley live in Tysons, VA. Goodwin goes to the airport via the DAR to pick up his friend, and then they stop at the Burger King in Oak Hill, VA near the airport. This is a valid use of the DAR. Bradley goes to work at the Burger King in Oak Hill, and to avoid paying the toll (and possibly to save time during rush hour), uses the exact same route via the DAR and the arrivals loop at Dulles. How would the cops know to pull over Bradley's car and not Goodwin's? Their routes are identical, and if Goodwin's friend is already out at the curb, their time in the airport will be similar.

For reference, here is the route that Goodwin and Bradley both took via the free DAR: Route Goodwin and Bradley took via the Dulles Access Road

and here is the route that Bradley should have taken via the toll road: Route Bradley should have taken via the Dulles Toll Road

Bunji
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1 Answers1

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How I presume it’s done:

  1. There’s a camera watching the entry and exit road - or just a traffic attendant with good memory and a notebook
  2. If a car shows up too many days in a row during peak commute hours, dispatch gets a notification and radios the license plate to a local police car
  3. They stop the car and issue a ticket if the driver doesn’t have obvious proof of doing airport business such as as a passenger or a purchase receipt
  4. If the driver chooses to fight it in court, they’ll now be committing perjury if they lie to the judge and most people are not willing to do that over a minor offense
  5. Police sends out a press release where they warn people about the enforcement which scares off most people tempted to try

Do some people get away with this? Yes, probably. Does it matter for the airport authority? No, unless it becomes too much of a problem.

JonathanReez
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