Metro News Release

For immediate release: October 25, 2004

Metrobus gets real-time traffic video cameras in its bus operations control center

¬í\0t\n´A new real-time traffic camera system now allows Metrobus supervisors to monitor regional roadways to improve rerouting needed when incidents cause road closures. The new system will also help buses follow their established schedules. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) now has high-speed video access to over 250 traffic cameras in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The acquisition of this monitoring system was made possible through a technology grant from the Federal Transit Authority and a public-private partnership between TrafficLand, WMATA and the local State Departments of Transportation. The total cost to install this system was $185,000. "This new video monitoring capability increases our awareness and responsiveness to a wide range of potential impacts including severe weather, traffic accidents, crime and other public safety threats," said Jack Requa, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer for Metrobus. "Our control center personnel now have a more ’fluid’ understanding of traffic conditions and have a quick way of identifying incidents and their impact by viewing real-time video. This is one more measure of security Metro is undertaking to ensure the safety of our operators, and customers, and to improve bus on-time performance." Metro’s Bus Operations Control Center (BOCC) personnel will view traffic in real-time video at 30 frames per second on wall-mounted 40-inch screens. This allows staff to monitor live views of highways, secondary routes, special events, incidents, congested areas, bridges, and tunnels all in one glance. It also allows for emergency evacuation management, public awareness and a free, streaming traffic information service for area commuters.Metrobus personnel monitor the streets through a secure T1 connection to the data center, which enables personnel to view video in real-time. TrafficLand maintains specialized encoders and video servers at area Departments of Transportation Smart Traffic Centers and transmits the traffic video to its secure, centralized data center for re-distribution. It is already used by Metropolitan area police, fire, EMS and several federal agencies. Founded in 1999, TrafficLand is a Fairfax, VA, company that heads a consortium of leading companies that manufacture, integrate and support a wide range of sophisticated video surveillance, monitoring, storage and control systems. TrafficLand places advanced video technology to work along area roadways to provide travelers with anywhere-anytime access to the information they need to make more informed travel choices-and avoid traffic congestion. Metrobus serves the nation’s capital 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week with 1,457 buses.

News release issued on October 25, 2004.