About Us

COG is the one place in metropolitan Washington that regularly brings leaders together to develop solutions to the region's major challenges. COG prepares plans enabling the region to receive federal funding, provides members with research and data to inform decision-making, and offers a wide range of programs, including commuter services, cooperative purchasing, technical assistance and grants, and public outreach campaigns.

Transportation

Through the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), area officials, planners, and engineers ensure a well-managed and maintained transportation system. The TPB, which is staffed by COG, conducts the federally mandated transportation planning process for the region and ensures the uninterrupted flow of federal transportation funds that area jurisdictions receive.

Environment

COG's work engages leaders in various environmental fields from water quality experts to climate scientists. Together, they are advancing regional efforts to restore local waterways, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change, promote recycling, and enhance and preserve green space and agriculture.

Community

Area officials and experts, including planning and housing directors and child welfare and health officials, work together with their counterparts at COG to help shape stronger communities throughout the region.

Homeland Security & Public Safety

COG brings police chiefs, fire chiefs, emergency managers, and other leaders together as part of its work to strengthen regional public safety coordination, homeland security planning, and emergency communication.

Transportation

Transit Safety

The final Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan rule was published on January 18, 2017, which specified the transit safety performance measures. However, the final Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan rule, which would specify the target-setting process and timeline, is still pending.

The Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan rule has the following goals:

Guide the national effort in managing the safety risks of public transportation systems.
Institute agency practice of the Safety Management System (SMS).
Establishes the safety performance criteria of fatalities, injuries, safety events, and system reliability for all modes of public transportation.

The Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, once final, will require the following of providers of public transportation:

Adopt the SMS process for safety.
Set safety performance targets and coordinate targets with MPOs to aid in the planning process
Develop a safety plan for approval by the Board of Directors (or equivalent) and perform an annual review and update of the plan. Note that States may draft plans for small and 5310 providers.

Once the transit safety rules are final, TPB staff will work with partners through the TPB Regional Public Transportation Subcommittee and the Technical Committee to develop transit safety targets for the region.