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
March 15, 2011
There are many signs that people are generally ready to make a significant departure from the status quo when it comes to transportation. Similar to how the...
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News
March 9, 2011
Federal-regional funding agreement part of COG’s 2011 Federal Legislative Priorities
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News
February 22, 2011
Last week The Morning Measure looked at President Obama’s proposed budgets for transportation and energy . Overall those two areas of the budget are...
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News
February 17, 2011
Metro is an indispensable asset to our region. It provides an environmentally sustainable alternative to auto transport and helps alleviate some of our...
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News
February 16, 2011
Yesterday The Morning Measure highlighted some key elements of President Obama’s proposed transportation budget. Today we’re going to look at his proposals...