The TPB met on September 18, October 16, and November 20, 2024. The following is a summary of key events and board actions from this fall’s meetings.
September 2024
Regional Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Implementation (REVII) Strategy
Dusan Vuksan, TPB Principal Transportation Engineer, and Haley Erickson with ICF provided an overview of the Regional Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Implementation (REVII) Strategy. TPB’s Climate Change Mitigation Study of 2021 found that transitioning vehicles from fossil fuels to clean fuels is the action with highest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the on-road transportation sector and help the region achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals. As of January 1, 2024, the region had just over 82,000 EV registrations, 3,900 Level 2 EV charging station ports, and 385 direct current fast charger ports.
The REVII strategy, prepared by ICF in coordination with TPB staff, has two main components: EV registration projections used to anticipate future charging needs and a charging station location priority map to support the development of a comprehensive charging network across the region by identifying specific potential sites for EV charging stations.
COG was recently awarded $3.9 million from the CFI program, and COG used the REVII strategy to develop a recently submitted regional application for the next round of funding. The REVII strategy serves as a resource for local jurisdictions to determine the best path forward for deploying EV charging stations. View the report.
2023 Washington-Baltimore Regional Air Passenger Survey
The TPB conducted its first regional air passenger survey since 2017 in October 2023. General results of the survey were shared at the September TPB meeting by Kenneth Joh, Ph.D., Principal Statistical Survey Analyst, and in a TPB News highlight. In total, 486 flights were surveyed at the region’s three major commercial airports, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), yielding 9,599 valid responses from passengers. The air passenger survey’s percentages were weighted based on annual enplanements, reflecting air passengers for an annual period rather than just those passengers who were surveyed during the October period.
The results of the 2023 survey provide a useful look at how air passengers who live in the region and visitors from outside the region are making airport travel decisions in a still-evolving, post-COVID period. The General Findings Report is now available online.
October 2024
TPB establishes new Regional Transportation Resilience Subcommittee
On October 16, the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) approved Resolution R2-2025, establishing the new TPB Regional Transportation Resilience Subcommittee. Stemming from this past year’s initiative to formalize the TPB’s resilience activities, the subcommittee will provide a forum and framework for the coordination of transportation resilience planning throughout the National Capital Region.
The new subcommittee will aim to enhance the resilience of transportation systems and infrastructure, mitigate potential current and future risks, and build community resilience with a focus on equity to better adapt to impacts from natural hazards. The inaugural meeting of the TPB Regional Transportation Resilience Subcommittee was held November 14, 2024, with City of Falls Church Councilmember David Snyder serving as chair.
Implementation Considerations for On-Road Transportation Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Strategies
TPB staff and ICF presented the final report on implementation considerations for on-road transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies. ICF, in coordination with the TPB, conducted the study to examine implementation issues and considerations associated with the seven GHG reduction strategies identified for further exploration by the TPB in 2022 plus an additional nine strategies recommended by ICF in consultation TPB staff and the TPB Technical Committee.
The study examines the potential impacts of these strategies on various regional goals, such as accessibility, affordability, equity, safety, and resiliency. View the report.
TPB Regional Roadway Safety Summit
On October 31, TPB members and transportation partners were joined by experts from academia and the federal government to focus on regional concerns around recent roadway fatality and serious injury trends and to develop recommendations for regional and local action. Six action items were proposed at the summit and discussed at the November 20 TPB meeting. The action items will continue to be refined over the next few weeks.
Action items proposed so far include:
- Inventory and report on safety-supportive activities undertaken by TPB members pertaining to TPB Safety Resolution (R3-2021).
- Join the USDOT’s Allies in Action partnership
- Partner with and assist COG to develop a multijurisdictional arrangement to fully enforce traffic laws and hold dangerous drivers to account (including reciprocity of automated enforcement)
- Continue to provide input on federal safety rulemaking and coordinate with COG on regional advocacy strategies
- Regionally track/raise awareness of transportation safety funding opportunities
- Assist member jurisdictions to pursue Vision Zero activities
The TPB will continue to report on roadway safety actions in the coming months. A summary of the summit was presented at the November 20 TPB meeting. See Item 8 on the agenda.
November 2024
TPB hosts 2024 Vibrant Communities and Safer Roads Webinar
The TPB hosted its third Vibrant Communities and Safer Roads webinar on November 13 to feature projects recently funded through the TPB's Transportation Land-Use Connections (TLC), Regional Roadway Safety (RRSP), and Transit Within Reach (TWR) programs. This lively and popular webinar features short presentations on the following projects:
- City Of Alexandria, South Pickett Street Corridor Improvements Study
- City of Alexandria, Pedestrian Lighting Improvements Study
- City of Gaithersburg, Safe Routes to School Priority Improvements Study
- City of Rockville, Mannakee Street Complete Streets Feasibility Study
- Prince George’s County, Bus Stop Safety and Accessibility Study
- City of Fairfax, Main Street Road Safety Audit
- Fairfax County, Prosperity Avenue Road Diet & Bike Lanes 30% Design
- Prince William County, Yorkshire Multimodal Corridor Planning Study
The application period for the next round of funding for the TLC and the RRSP programs will open January 6, 2025. Look for TPB News announcements this winter about the FY 2025 opportunity.
Draft Targets for Transit and Highway Safety
TPB Transportation Engineer Eric Randall, and TPB Transportation Planners Pierre Gaunaurd and Janie Nham reported on transit and highway safety targets as part of the TPB’s federal performance-based planning and programming (PBPP) requirements at the November TPB meeting. In November, TPB staff briefed members on the National Capital Region’s progress in meeting 2019-2023 highway safety targets and reviewed the process for establishing highway safety targets for the 2021-2025 period. In addition, TPB staff briefed board members on 2023 transit safety targets and reviewed the required process for establishing transit safety targets for 2024.
More information on the region’s targets and rates for reporting years are included in the Item 7 memos and presentations from the November 20 TPB Meeting.
At the November meeting, board members requested that information about the key causes of crashes, injuries, and fatalities be shared in future reports. TPB staff are preparing a response memo to the board with additional information. In addition, board members recommended that TPB staff share a summary of the types of safety and traffic incident prevention, education, and enforcement activities being undertaken in member jurisdictions.
Stay Connected
To keep up to date on the TPB's programs and projects, look for future announcements in TPB News, read highlights in the COG Newsroom, and subscribe to COG’s Regional Roundup for daily briefs on transportation in the DMV. The next TPB board meeting will be December 18. A livestream will be available.