Friday, May 17, 2024
More than half of all trips are three miles or fewer, and USDOT’s Safe Streets and Roads for all funding deployed at the community level stands to improve safety for short trips that can be made by bike and on foot
Washington, DC - Today, on National Bike to Work Day, the U.S. Department of Transportation is announcing over $63 million in grants from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. The funding will go directly to nine local, regional, and Tribal communities to improve road safety and help prevent deaths and serious injuries on their roads, including safety for bicyclists. The investments come at a key moment for road safety in America. While road fatalities have decreased over the past seven quarters, approximately 40,000 people die on U.S. roads each year and a growing share of those lives lost are outside of motor vehicle such as by bicyclists.
“Bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers should be safe on our roads and streets, and the Biden-Harris Administration is taking action across the country to make our roads safer for everyone who uses them," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Thanks to our Safe Streets for All grants, communities across the country are improving their roads so they can be safely shared by bikes, cars, and pedestrians, and this latest round of funding will make it possible for 99 communities to implement roadway safety measures that help save more lives.”
“Cycling is a low cost and healthy mode that burns no gas, emits no carbon, makes our streets safer, and connects people to their communities. And as I know from personal experience, it can spark joy every day,” says USDOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “USDOT is committed to helping communities invest in complete streets and connected trail networks that make bicycling safe, comfortable, and convenient for all riders.”
In total, President Biden’s infrastructure law makes billions of dollars available across multiple programs to improve safety for all road users. Safe Streets and Roads for All grants help communities address roadway safety through a comprehensive approach aligning DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, including the development of road safety action plans and implementing effective interventions that are proven to dramatically reduce crashes. For example, separated bicycle lanes can cut crashes by more than half. Funding can also be used to test, or demonstrate, safety features such as separated bicycle lanes or curb extensions at intersections. In 2023, the program provided $1.7 billion in direct funding to over 1,000 local communities, supporting roadway safety for around 70% of the nation’s population and on some of the most dangerous roads.
Today’s Safe Streets and Roads for All awards represent the first of three rounds of awards that will be made in 2024. The grant program is still actively accepting applications through August 29th, and communities are encouraged to apply as funding remains available for the third and final round.
A few of the communities and projects receiving funding, particularly those highlighting bicycle transportation, include:
- Mount Holly, NJ: This $400,000 award will be used by Mount Holly and Burlington County to identify and prioritize crash trend locations of vulnerable road users where physical bicycle and pedestrian improvements can increase safety and access. In addition, the county plan will identify opportunities to create safe and accessible multimodal infrastructure where none exists to reduce conflicts between motorists and bicyclists/pedestrians and provide safe mobility choices to all.
- Palacios, TX: This $320,000 award will be used by the City of Palacios to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan and conduct a demonstration activity for bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements to determine how to best implement future roadway and sidewalk construction projects.
- Goodyear, AZ: City of Goodyear Road Safety Plan & Demonstration Project - This $624,000 award will be used by the City of Goodyear to develop a Road Safety Action Plan and to conduct a demonstration activity evaluating the effect of bike lane materials on safety.
- York, AL: This $145,200 award will be used by the City of York to pilot quick-build safety activities to assess their effectiveness. If these temporary demonstration activities are successful, they will be added to the city’s future Action Plan.
See the full list of today’s awards here.
The second round of SS4A grants is expected to be announced in August. For more information on the SS4A program, including information on applying for the open third round, click here.
National Bike Month each May is a celebration of bicycling and what it contributes to human and community well-being. National Bike to Work Day is marked annually in communities across the United States to encourage people to try bicycling for transportation and to reward those who do with prizes, morning breakfast pit stops, T-shirts, and more. You can read more about the Department’s commitment to active transportation here.
All press releases from U.S. Department of Transportation
