This is a press release from the federal Department of Transportation about a new wave of grants issued on the local level to pay for studies and improvements to street layout and design. The goal...
This is a press release from the federal Department of Transportation about a new wave of grants issued on the local level to pay for studies and improvements to street layout and design. The goal is to improve safety, especially for pedestrian and cyclists. I think news like this often goes underreported because it's not as engaging as "omg look at the exciting high-speed rail project in California" or similar. However, the design and safety of your local neighborhood can have the most direct impact on your life, typically far more than state-level or federal-level projects you only engage with sometimes.
While $86 million is not going to eliminate all deaths that cars directly cause, it goes a long way in getting the ball rolling. Once planners have completed studies on roadway/street/safety improvements, they can identify specific actions for local officials to take. This may include things like extending curbs to shorten pedestrian crossing distances, removing parking near intersections to increase visibility, removing a lane of car traffic to provide a bus and/or bike lane, planting street trees to provide shade, and other things.
Today the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $86 million in Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants to 235 regional, local and Tribal communities for planning and demonstration projects to improve safety and help prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways. These funds will help communities develop safety action plans, inform improvements along corridors with safety issues, use “quick-build” strategies to test out safety features such as separated bicycle lanes or curb extensions at intersections and more.
A few of the communities and projects being funded by the awards announced today include:
The Navajo Nation Division of Transportation received $1.44 million in Federal funds to develop a new comprehensive safety action plan.
The City of Deerfield Beach, Florida received $192,000 in Federal funds to test out a temporary build project along Southwest 3rd Avenue in support of its Vision Zero Action Plan to inform how to increase safety, accessibility and mobility along the corridor.
The County of Kauai, Hawaii, received $200,000 in Federal funding to develop a new comprehensive safety action plan.
The Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System in Maine received $400,000 in Federal funding to develop an action plan, and pilot temporary demonstration activities such as separated bicycle lanes, flashing beacons at a few key intersections, and modifications to lane delineations to inform action plan projects and strategies
The press releases always select a few seemingly random grants for political points: a diverse mix of geographically and culturally distinct communities. (Federal guidelines encourage equitable distributions of funding, and officials are aware of the importance of image.) Some of the largest grants provided in this wave are as follows, with the biggest grant standing at $9.92 million:
Click to view the list of largest individual grants
[MD] Baltimore: $9.92 million, Baltimore City Complete Streets Demonstration Program
[IN] Rushville: $787k, New Action Plan for IN State Road 3 between I-70 and I-74
[CA] Pasadena: $759k, Citywide Active Transportation Plan
[CA] San Diego County: $744k, San Diego County SS4A Supplemental Action Plan
[CA] Elk Grove: $680k, 2023 Elk Grove Action Plan
[CT] West Hartford: $669k, Speed Management Pilot Program
[OR] Corvallis: $664k, City of Corvallis, Oregon SS4A Safety Action Plan and Supplemental Planning Project
[AL] Chambers County: $640k, Safe Streets For All in Central Alabama: A Comprehensive Safety Action Plan for Autauga, Chambers, Elmore, and Perry Counties
[CA] Monterey County: $640k, Monterey County Regional Vision Zero Plan
I'm really excited about this news. You're right it's not sexy like High-Speed Rail, but it is a huge step in making our future more pedestrian-friendly and less car-dependent.
I'm really excited about this news. You're right it's not sexy like High-Speed Rail, but it is a huge step in making our future more pedestrian-friendly and less car-dependent.
This is a press release from the federal Department of Transportation about a new wave of grants issued on the local level to pay for studies and improvements to street layout and design. The goal is to improve safety, especially for pedestrian and cyclists. I think news like this often goes underreported because it's not as engaging as "omg look at the exciting high-speed rail project in California" or similar. However, the design and safety of your local neighborhood can have the most direct impact on your life, typically far more than state-level or federal-level projects you only engage with sometimes.
While $86 million is not going to eliminate all deaths that cars directly cause, it goes a long way in getting the ball rolling. Once planners have completed studies on roadway/street/safety improvements, they can identify specific actions for local officials to take. This may include things like extending curbs to shorten pedestrian crossing distances, removing parking near intersections to increase visibility, removing a lane of car traffic to provide a bus and/or bike lane, planting street trees to provide shade, and other things.
For a full list of grant awards, see 2023 SS4A Awards. For some reason they decided to list these in an interactive map. There is a PDF buried a few levels deep, which you can see here: Safe Streets and Roads for All: FY23 Planning and Demonstration Awards by State – October 2023.
The press releases always select a few seemingly random grants for political points: a diverse mix of geographically and culturally distinct communities. (Federal guidelines encourage equitable distributions of funding, and officials are aware of the importance of image.) Some of the largest grants provided in this wave are as follows, with the biggest grant standing at $9.92 million:
Click to view the list of largest individual grants
Of course there were plenty more. You can see your state's plans in the link above.
I'm really excited about this news. You're right it's not sexy like High-Speed Rail, but it is a huge step in making our future more pedestrian-friendly and less car-dependent.