Six things to know about applying for the next round of Safe Streets for All funding

With USDOT soon opening up over $1 billion in Safe Streets for All grant funding, cities, towns, counties, and other local jurisdictions should be prepared to apply for this tremendous opportunity to receive direct federal funding for improving the safety of everyone who uses your streets. After detailing the program’s unique ability to fund quick-build … Continued

Transportation

Supercharge your community’s safety demonstration projects with Safe Streets for All

Because of a mistake by Congress in the 2021 infrastructure law, 40 percent of the new $1 billion-per-year Safe Streets for All program must be directed to planning rather than constructing tangible infrastructure projects. A clarification that the planning grants can support quick-build safety demonstration projects presents an enormous opportunity for cities and towns to directly tap the available $400 million and experiment with low-cost temporary street safety projects.

Complete Streets Transportation

Brighter streets, safer streets: Improving pedestrian safety after dark

Pedestrian deaths are on the rise, with 76 percent of fatalities occurring at night. We know that the dangerous design of our roadways emphasizes speed over safety. Reduced visibility at night also drastically increases risk. Improved lighting can help keep pedestrians safe, but if we want long-term solutions, we need to reevaluate the priorities deeply embedded in our transportation infrastructure.

Complete Streets Transportation

A strong Complete Streets policy prioritizes underinvested and underserved communities (element #2)

Building a complete and connected transportation network requires investing in places and people that have not received investment. The strongest Complete Streets policies will specifically prioritize underinvested and underserved communities based on the jurisdiction’s composition and objectives.

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A strong Complete Streets policy applies to all transportation projects, in every phase (element #3)

To which projects or streets should a Complete Streets policy apply? If the policy is a strong one, then it dictates a holistic approach to every transportation project, in every place, in every phase of work. This means the application of a policy will also look different based on context.

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A strong Complete Streets policy allows only clear exceptions (element #4)

As noted in policy element #3, Complete Streets policies are comprehensive and apply to all streets and in all phases of all projects, but there are certain circumstances where exceptions can—and should—be made. But those exceptions must be narrowly and clearly defined, as well as require public notice prior to approval by a high-level official.

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A strong Complete Streets policy requires coordination between jurisdictions, agencies, and departments (element #5)

Any number of agencies—city, county, metro region, or state—may be responsible for the streets and sidewalks, often with overlapping authority. This is why the strongest Complete Streets policies clearly define who is responsible, what level of coordination is required, and even when or how outside parties must comply.

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A strong Complete Streets policy requires proactive and supportive land-use planning (element #7)

Streets don’t exist in a vacuum. They are inextricably connected to the buildings, sidewalks, spaces, homes, businesses, and everything else around them that they serve. The strongest Complete Streets policies require the integration of land-use planning to best sync up with a community’s desires for using and living on their land today and in the future.

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A strong Complete Streets policy measures progress (element #8)

How do you know if your Complete Streets policy is working? You measure it. And then you share the results publicly. A strong Complete Streets policy requires tracking performance measures across a range of categories—including implementation and equity—and making someone responsible for doing it.

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