NACTO applauds the Biden-Harris Administration for not only providing urgently-needed funding through Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) to dozens of communities to stem the traffic safety crisis, but also for working with cities across the country to design the program to maximize the number of lives it will save on local streets. 

Safe Streets and Roads for All unlocks federal dollars to fund some of the most effective safety interventions on streets–small-scale investments deployed at scale–that were previously inaccessible to communities without strong local funding sources. In the dozens of communities selected by USDOT, small and large street changes–from upgraded street lights to reconfigured intersections to completed bike lane and sidewalk networks–will demonstrably stem traffic deaths, help correct stark racial inequities, and reconnect communities to each other and to opportunities in their cities. 

At less than 1% of the total cost of the infrastructure bill, Safe Streets and Roads for All will make streets meaningfully safer in many communities across the country. The impact of this program will be even greater if it serves as a model for future funding decisions across the U.S. transportation system–including informing how $300 billion in ‘formula’ federal funds are spent directly by U.S. states and territories every year. 

“The unconscionably high and widely inequitable traffic death toll demands a new approach to how we plan, fund, and build transportation infrastructure in the U.S.,” said Corinne Kisner, Executive Director of NACTO. “Safe Streets and Roads for All provides a model for how to align transportation investments to the safety, equity, and climate crises on our roads. By making walking, biking, and taking transit safer for the millions of Americans who do so every day, we can make the U.S. healthier, more prosperous, and resilient.”

###
About the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
NACTO is an association of 95 major North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. The organization’s mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life. To learn more, visit NACTO.org or follow us on Twitter at @NACTO and Instagram at @NACTOcities. 

Press Contacts
Alex Engel | [email protected]
Billy Richling | [email protected]

For Immediate Release
February 1, 2023 

Previous Releases & Further Information
New Federal Program Takes a Major Step to Help Cities Combat America’s Escalating Traffic Safety Crisis (NACTO Statement)
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program (Information from USDOT)
State and Federal Policy (NACTO)