Governing for Results 13 - Washington State Digital Archives
Governing for Results 13 - Washington State Digital Archives
Governing for Results 13 - Washington State Digital Archives
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<strong>Washington</strong> <strong>State</strong> Patrol<br />
Pilots Take on Traffic Congestion<br />
Aviation Section pilots <strong>for</strong>merly focused primarily on speed violations, but as<br />
traffic congestion in Puget Sound’s I-5 corridor became a higher public priority,<br />
<strong>State</strong> Patrol pilots tested ways they could address this public concern as well.<br />
The outcome was the Metro Air Patrol project, operating 1500 feet over the<br />
highway grid, and providing invaluable timesaving and safety-enhancing data to<br />
ground troopers on the Everett-to-Tacoma I-5 roadway.<br />
Pilots now spot collisions not yet reported and reduce response time by in<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
dispatch personnel. They observe motorists with car trouble, enabling faster<br />
assistance. They scan reported accident scenes, notifying troopers when<br />
blocking accidents are moved to the shoulder, so the response car can travel at<br />
safer speeds. And when drivers themselves clear reported incidents be<strong>for</strong>e law<br />
en<strong>for</strong>cement arrives, pilots notify dispatch to disregard, freeing troopers to<br />
respond to the next call. Pilots have also assisted in criminal and hit-and-run<br />
apprehensions and pursuits. In spearheading this new air-to-ground in<strong>for</strong>mation<br />
network and working in conjunction with radio and television traffic spotters,<br />
Aviation Section pilots help WSP troopers, Seattle Police Department, and King<br />
County Sheriff’s personnel in their daily traffic congestion challenges.<br />
<strong>Results</strong><br />
★ In seven months, pilots have identified 144 lane-blocking incidents be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
dispatch got calls, reducing traffic back-ups by 104 hours and 1,247 miles.<br />
★ Pilots identified fully 32% or 5<strong>13</strong> reported accidents as ‘unable-to locate,’<br />
allowing troopers to redirect over 85 hours to needed responses.<br />
★ Traffic in<strong>for</strong>mation is exchanged with media and other aircraft, enhancing both<br />
emergency response ef<strong>for</strong>ts and the driving public’s ability to react.<br />
Team Name: Metro Aviation Program Team<br />
Team Members: Sergeants Ed McAvoy, Tim Walters; Lieutenant Robert<br />
Johnson; Troopers Darryl Russell, Paul Speckmaier, Jim Nobach, Dwayne<br />
Korthuis-Smith; KIRO-TV: Clark Stahl; KOMO-Radio: Paul Tosch<br />
CONTACT: Sergeant Ed McAvoy, (360) 753-6173<br />
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