The region's extensive highway and road network forms the backbone of its transportation system. Every day, millions of people travel by car or truck to access jobs, schools, and medical care, as well as shopping, entertainment, and recreational opportunities. Roads also carry the majority of goods deliveries to homes, schools, businesses, and stores in the region.
The region also boasts one of the premier public transit systems in the country. Metro moves hundreds of thousands of people—commuters, students, and tourists—each work day. Commuter railroads in Maryland and Virginia and dozens of local bus and other transit providers move many thousands more. Together, these transit services play a critical role in sustaining economic vitality, serving the needs of low-income and other disadvantaged populations, providing high-quality alternatives to driving, building communities, and reducing environmental impacts.
COG and the TPB lead numerous efforts to monitor and manage traffic on area roadways, promote highway and traffic safety, forecast future travel demands, and coordinate long-term planning of roadway improvements. In addition, COG and the TPB analyze regional ridership trends and forecasts, coordinate long-term planning of major transit improvements, and organize programs to promote greater use of transit as a commute alternative. COG and the TPB also bring transit operators together from around the region to share best practices for improving short-term operations and to highlight long-term funding needs.
News & Multimedia
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News
November 2, 2016
Eric Randall is a metropolitan Washington native. According to Randall, he decided to become a transportation engineer after “growing up getting stuck in...
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News
October 26, 2016
COG interim report details system’s needs, value after year of intense focus
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News
July 26, 2016
At its meeting on July 20, the TPB took action on three items, including approval of an update to the regional Freight Plan and a proclamation of this year’s...
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July 19, 2016
Analysts at the TPB have examined hour-by-hour traffic patterns on area roadways during the first four “safety surges” of Metro’s aggressive, yearlong SafeTrack...
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News
June 22, 2016
During SafeTrack, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) plan to return the Metrorail system to a state of good repair, COG has been...