Today, America’s cities and the people who live in them are struggling with three intertwined crises: a global pandemic, systemic racism, and accelerating climate change.

For the past 70 years, transportation policy has exacerbated these problems rather than mitigated them. This has resulted in patterns of sprawl, automobile dependence, and design practices that are unsustainable, unjust, and vulnerable to external shocks. While cities have long led efforts to make transportation safe, equitable, and sustainable, they cannot succeed alone. NACTO engages governments at all levels to help create a legislative and regulatory environment that truly supports growth and prosperity for all.

NACTO’s policy work encompasses a variety of issues that shape our transportation systems. Click the links below to learn more about our current focus areas.

Read our full 2022 policy platform (pdf).

NACTO is committed to supporting cities to realize their goals for stronger, safer, and fairer transportation and communities.

We support infrastructure policies and transportation projects that connect people to opportunity, disrupt historical harm, and work to address the deep sustainability, safety, and racial justice crises defining our time. We believe that transportation infrastructure and policy should serve the public good and that the public sector should ensure the wise use of public funds in building roadways, bridges, and transit while reimagining public space and putting mitigation measures in place to avoid the displacement of communities.

NACTO’s core principles and priorities for city transportation in state and federal legislation and regulation are:

1. Eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries by making safety transportation’s top priority.
2. End the racist legacy of transportation policy and planning and build an equitable, accessible transportation system.
3. Prioritize and expand transit to meet the nation’s current and future mobility and access needs.
4. Lead the transition to a low-carbon transportation system.
5. Modernize transportation funding.
6. Enable local control over project selection and development.
7. Research and leverage emerging technologies to advance public policy priorities.

Read our full 2022-2023 policy platform here.

NACTO Statements and News

• NACTO Establishes Principles for an Autonomous Future Centered on People (November 2024)
• Innovative Federal Program Funds Transformative Small Projects at Scale to Stem America’s Traffic Safety Crisis (Jan 2023)
• More Than 100,000 Comments In Support Of DOT Greenhouse Gas Rule Submitted During Comment Period (Oct 2022)
• NACTO Opposes Automaker Requests for Safety Exemptions for Autonomous Vehicles (Sept 2022)
• Why the U.S. Gives Monster SUVs Five-Star Safety Ratings and What You Can Do About It (May 2022)
• Intensifying Traffic Deaths a Clear Mandate to Address the Main Causes of America’s Traffic Safety Crisis (May 2022)

Press

• US Traffic Safety Push Delivers $800 Million for Street Fixes – Bloomberg (Feb 2023)
• GM’s Cruise wants to add 5,000 more robotaxis to American streets. This city warns it could backfire – CNN (Sept 2022)
• City Leaders Back Biden in Controversy Over Infrastructure Spending – Route Fifty (Feb 28, 2022)
• As infrastructure funds begin to flow, climate, safety, equity impacts are not enough, some say – Smart Cities Dive (Dec 2, 2021)
• Opinion: Infrastructure can pave the way to a greener, fairer Houston – Houston Chronicle (Oct 1, 2021)