Federal transportation policy and funding must result in safe, accessible transportation options in cities nationwide. All Americans, regardless of how they get around, benefit from well-designed Complete Streets, where safety for everyone is a priority.

Ensure federal funds are used to help all Americans get where they’re going, safely.

• Prioritize funding for safety projects by increasing the total share of federal funding directed toward Complete Streets. Direct money to locally-identified safety priorities through formula set-asides, competitive grant programs, and increasing flexibility for states to spend safety funds on local safety projects. Increase the overall federal share allowed for safety projects under the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Prioritize the design and construction of FHWA’s proven safety countermeasures, including sidewalks, crossing islands, bike lanes, and road reconfiguration projects.
• Invest resources in communities harmed by past infrastructure projects by funding programs that address the safety, environmental, and connectivity issues created by interstate construction.

Continue the national commitment to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.

• Require states to set annual safety goals, tied to their Highway Safety Improvement Plans, that consistently reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on a year-over-year basis.
• Update national requirements to ensure all new vehicles are safe for both occupants and non-occupants. Adopt a visibility standard to reduce fatalities by mandating minimum visibility from the driver’s seat of all light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. Require additional safety features, such as cross-over mirrors and side impact guards, on trucks. Ensure an appropriate data collection period for event data recorders and develop advanced collection and analysis techniques for EDR data.

Ensure federal design standards and guidance prioritize safety for people walking, rolling, taking transit, and biking.

• Future MUTCD revisions must embrace a safe system approach and remove design restrictions on traffic control devices that can improve safety.
• Advance best practices for multimodal design in any guidance issued by U.S. DOT and its modal administrations, emphasizing opportunities to develop multimodal, accessible streets in federal-aid projects.
• Endorse and support the use of NACTO design guides in all federal-aid projects by local and state governments.

To meet America’s transportation needs, Congress must reorient the way transportation funds are raised and allocated. Cities own and maintain the majority of roadway mileage in the U.S. and face increasing demand to not only maintain that infrastructure, but to develop transformative projects to meet today’s transportation needs. In addition, federal programs are increasingly funded with transfers from the General Fund, including $118 billion via the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Federal programs must result in local investments, without unnecessary bureaucratic barriers that have traditionally kept cities from delivering quickly. 

Secure a reliable funding source for transportation.

• Congress must identify and commit to revenue sources that can support federal investments in transportation. Such sources could include expanding existing user-pay models, such as increasing the federal motor vehicle fuel tax, new user-pay models, such as Vehicle Miles Traveled and Zero Occupancy fees, or formally dedicating a portion of general revenues.
• States, regions, and cities must have the autonomy and, where necessary, the federal support to implement their own revenue mechanisms, such as road usage fees, congestion pricing, or local fuel taxes, without additional federal oversight.

Change funding relationships and priorities to direct investment in local priorities.

• Authorize direct aid agreements between cities and the Federal Highway Administration to speed up project delivery times, streamline funding transfers, and reduce overall project costs.
• Increase the percentage of funds that are sub-allocated to urbanized areas and require that those funds support projects to improve safety and multimodal access.
• Change how funding is allocated to states so that maintenance is prioritized over expansion projects. Rather than using formulas based on driving volume and current lane miles, Congress should prioritize dollars toward projects that improve objective standards for state-of-good-repair on existing highways, roads, and bridges.

Accelerate the delivery of projects that deliver essential safety, accessibility, and multimodal infrastructure.

• Streamline environmental and permitting processes that require multiple agency reviews.
• Develop categorical exclusions for bikeway, pedestrian, and transit projects in existing public rights of way for NEPA and historic preservation processes. Simplify the processes for bikeway, pedestrian, and transit projects that require new right-of-way.
• Expand financing options to increase private investment in infrastructure, including bonds and programs such as the Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Investment Act and the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing. Ensure loans via TIFIA and RRIF are not considered part of the federal share of project funding.

Transit unlocks freedom of movement, regional economies, and affordable living for millions of Americans. NACTO supports policies, programs, and projects that ensure frequent, reliable, and low-cost public transit.

Provide federal funding for transit operations.

• New federal funds should be allocated to transit operations, specifically to allow agencies to offer expanded service hours, increase frequency, support community ambassadors, and generally improve the safety and reliability of existing transit systems.
• Continue to support regular upgrade and rehabilitation efforts through formula funds and competitive grants programs, such as the Buses and Bus Facilities Program and Low or No-Emission Bus Grants.

Scale up transit project delivery by expanding and simplifying the Capital Investment Grant program.

• Increase the total funding allocated for CIG each year so that more agencies can advance through the program pipeline every year.
• Reform CIG to simplify review and requirements for transit agencies, including reducing federal oversight where project sponsors have successfully implemented projects of similar complexity in the past five years, and making accessibility upgrades and bus terminals eligible expenses in core capacity projects.

Maximize available technical assistance for transit agencies.

• Support transit agencies exploring and implementing new strategies to improve transit service, such as bus network redesigns and new fare payment types and systems.
• Expand eligibility in the Pilot Program for Expedited Delivery by increasing the federal funding share from 25% to 50%.

Support the people who use public transit by easing financial barriers.

• Provide resources to transit agencies and cities to upgrade fare and payment infrastructure, implement free or reduced fare programs, and explore alternative payment methods.
• Maintain or increase the pre-tax benefit for public transit. Reinstate or introduce pre-tax benefits for publicly operated shared micromobility systems and personal bike use. Ensure pre-tax benefits are not available for ride-hail or other private transit services.

The rapid innovations in mobility technologies offer many potential benefits, but realizing those positive outcomes requires collaborative relationships between private interests and governments. NACTO supports thoughtful policy and regulations that ensure new and improved technologies are used to create a safer, more equitable transportation system.

Improve local air quality through regulations and programs that reduce pollutants from motor vehicles.

• Maintain Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and tailpipe emissions standards for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks while developing stricter standards for future model years.
• Reduce costs and barriers for governments and agencies implementing solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging and purchasing, including through electrifying transit and municipal fleets.

Expect safety excellence from emerging technologies.

• Set minimum standards that ensure automated driving systems are proven to improve road safety for everyone, including non-passengers. Require NHTSA to develop automated driving safety metrics and performance standards for vehicles that are tested or deployed on public roads. Develop and enforce strong cybersecurity protections for automated vehicles.
• Include city transportation leaders in the development of any regulations and oversight of emerging technology. Reject attempts to prevent state and local oversight of emerging mobility modes, such as autonomous vehicles.
• New mobility and transportation uses seeking to use public right-of-ways must work on the roads we already have. Cities and other governments should not be required to redesign their roads to accommodate those modes or pay for the supporting communications infrastructure on which emerging technologies rely. 
• Implement robust data-sharing requirements such that local government can access and use data from emerging technology to inform and enforce local regulations, laws, programs, and plans.