MATOC Monitors Region during Eventful Weeks

The Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination  (MATOC) program which is housed at the Center for Advanced Transportation  Technology’s Capital Wireless Information Net (CapWIN) offices was recently  touted in several Washington Post articles for successfully monitoring the metro region during the 9/11 Memorial  Ride and the 5.8M Earthquake.

The August 19 ride which consisted of nearly 2,000  motorcycles stretching 12 miles began in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and snaked  through Maryland and Virginia ending the day at the Pentagon.  On the following day, the procession  continued across the District of Columbia and back into Maryland towards New  York City, its final destination.   Departments  of Transportation from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia worked  with police and public safety agencies to warn motorists avoid the event’s  route because of the potential severe congestion it could create.  Taran Hutchinson, MATOC Facilitator, was  interviewed by the Washington Post about the Washington Area’s response to the warning. “If you look at  [Interstate] 66, even for a Friday that’s light, so I think people got the  warning” was his quote published in the Post.   MATOC Operator, John Minisi, was also quoted in the Post article about  how fast the ride was able came through the area.

MATOC was also on hand during the major earthquake that  shook the metro region on August 23.  One  Post article discussed the horrendous commute most residents faced after the  earthquake.  Hutchinson commented on how  while congestion started earlier it was pretty normal for rush hour. The other  Post article talked about how the earthquake highlighted how problematic  evacuating Washington, D.C. is. Hutchinson commented, “Once people began moving  out, it was just a volume issue.”

To read the full Memorial article, visit: Avoid  BW Parkway, travelers warned as they plot escape around 9/11 memorial ride

To read the full Difficult Commute  article, visit: After quake,  a difficult commute for thousands.

To  read the full Colossal Challenge article, visit: Earthquake  illustrates colossal challenge of evacuating Washington, D.C..

About MATOC
Following  experiences from the 9/11 attacks and other major incidents, transportation  officials from Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the Washington  Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) have committed to share information  and coordinate their incident management practices for both day-to-day  operations and during larger regional incidents.  The National Capital  Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) has partnered with the major  transportation agencies in creating MATOC, the Metropolitan Area Transportation  Operations Coordination Program. By integrating traffic management systems,  improving procedures and planning, and providing more accurate and timely  transportation information to the public, your transportation agencies are  working together to make travel smoother and safer. This is the vision of  MATOC. For more information about MATOC visit: www.matoc.org.

Published September 27, 2011