Ideas for leveraging

Safe Streets & Roads

for All Grants (SS4A)

Round 2

It’s time to go Big & Bold for Vision Zero

Update: the FY23 NOFO for SS4A grant closed on July 10, 2023.
The FY24 NOFO expected in Spring 2024.
GET STARTED

What we'll cover

  • Why SS4A funding matters
  • Maximizing SS4A for lasting safety improvements
  • What's new & most exciting in SS4A - Round 2

Vision Zero is more than a goal, more than a tagline, more than even just a program. It is a fundamental shift in how we approach roadway safety. This will take strong leadership, community engagement, a focus on equitable and effective safety strategies, and willingness to change the status quo.


And funding helps too. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) commitment to a zero roadway deaths nationally and its shift to a Safe System approach, which underpins Vision Zero, we are seeing stepped-up policy and funding commitments to help communities prioritize safety. We want to help your community leverage these important opportunities to advance Vision Zero, starting with the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program.


Here, we’re providing our suggestions on how to make the most of this funding opportunity to make meaningful, lasting Safe System change in your community.

Note: this is not the official grant website. For critical information & details about the SS4A grant program, visit USDOT’s informative website.

See official SS4A grant website for important info

SS4A Basics

What is Safe Streets & Roads for All (SS4A)?

SS4A is a new federal funding program to help advance the nation’s goal of Zero Roadway Deaths: $1 Billion/year is allocated for Vision Zero Planning, Demonstration & Implementation at the local, regional and tribal levels. This is an important opportunity to invest in the Safe System approach for lasting change in your community.

SS4A emphasis on:

  • Complete Streets
  • Promoting walking, biking & transit
  • Advancing racial & health equity
  • Managing speeds for safety
  • Making systemic change based on the Safe System Approach
  • Demonstration designs & activities

… and more!

SS4A Basics

Why SS4A Funding Matters?

0

people died

on U.S. roads in 2022

(data source)

0 %

increase of fatalities

from 2020 among all road users

(data source)

~ 0 %

more likely for Black people

to be killed by drivers while walking than

White, non-Hispanic Americans

(data source)

~ 0 x

more likely for people in low-income communities

to be killed by drivers than

in high-income areas

(data source)

~ 0 %

increase of

pedestrian deaths

over the 2010-2019 decade

(data source)

SS4A Basics

Opportunity to shift to a Safe System

The SS4A program supports the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Roadway Safety Strategy that rests on the Safe System approach. With this new funding, it is time to evolve beyond the traditional “E’s” of roadway safety (education, enforcement, engineering) to the Safe System approach.

This includes prioritizing...

Safe speeds

Self-enforcing roadway designs & Complete Streets for all road users

Safe, convenient options for transit, walking & biking

Equitable strategies & outcomes, not over-reliance on enforcement & education measures

SS4A Basics

Safety Impacts:

SS4A Round 1 Funds Cover Half U.S. Population

Map of FY2022 SS4A grant recipients, excluding Alaska. Source: USDOT.

In February 2023, USDOT announced the recipients of the the first round of SS4A grants (FY2022 ), including: 473 communities received planning grants and 37 communities receiving project implementation grants. Read Vision Zero Network’s statement here and see the list of recipients here.

Why does this matter?

  • There’s a good chance your community is in one of these areas and may benefit from a Round 1 grant soon
  • Now is the time to apply for a Round 2 grant – your community or in partnership with other entities
  • Even if your area is receiving a Round 1 grant, you may still be eligible for a Round 2 grant – read on….

SS4A Basics

What's New in SS4A Round 2 Grant Program

"Action plan" category (Round 1) is now called "Planning & Demonstration" category. Now, there are two overarching categories: (1) Planning & Demonstration and (2) Implementation.

Planning & Demonstration includes 3 areas: Developing (a) a Road Safety Action Plan, (b) Supplemental planning & (c) Demonstration activities.

Demonstration activities = an important (new) focus area with great $$ opportunity.

Encourage including Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities in both types of grant category: Planning & Demonstration - and - Implementation proposals.

If your community is part of another entity (e.g. County or MPO) that has or is developing a Plan, your community can apply for Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities.

See the full list of changes on the USDOT page here.

SS4A Basics

Learn more: SS4A webinars

Watch our May 11, 2023 webinar recording

for Tips to Make the Most of SS4A Grants.

SS4A Basics

Who Can Apply for Grants?

Cities

Towns

Counties

Transit agencies

and other special districts that are subdivisions of a State

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)

Federally recognized Tribal governments

Multi-jurisdictional groups comprised of the above entities

Deadline for Technical Questions: June 16, 2023. Proposals due: July 10, 2023. Applications are submitted through Valid Eval instead of Grants.gov but all the grant application materials can be found on grants.gov under opportunity number DOT-SS4A-FY23-01. See USDOT's robust FAQ page for more details.

SS4A Basics

Don’t be daunted! 

Communities of ANY size or type can succeed

Blackfeet Tribe, MT (population 9,741)

Planning grant award: $ 797,105

Madison, WI (population 269,196)

Supplemental planning grant award:

$267,680

Springfield, MA (population 153,700)

Implementation grant award:

$ 15,012,800

Are you concerned about the small size of your community?

Your community can team with other entities to strengthen your application. For example, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) can submit & manage a proposal for multiple towns, villages, and counties. If you’re concerned about your agency’s capacity to manage a federal grant, consider teaming with others who share your safety goals. Almost 50% of the SS4A Round 1 grant winners were rural communities. Learn more about joint applications and partnership here.

Are you new to Vision Zero & Safe System work?

That’s OK. This is a prime opportunity to start, especially given the new federal commitment to the Safe System approach at USDOT. Your work can start – and be funded by SS4A – with developing a Vision Zero Action Plan (Tips here). This is an important process to engage key stakeholders and build buy-in to this shift in roadway safety work. And, developing a strong Vision Zero Action Plan and local commitment can set you up well for applying for a SS4A Implementation Grant next year.

Are you concerned about matching funds?

20% match can include funding from the applicant, in-kind contributions and other non-Federal contributions (staff, goods, services, space, utilities...) – learn more here and form USDOT FAQ

Are you concerned about how much work it takes to apply?

USDOT has streamlined the application process & lowered barriers to entry. Check out the application instructions and watch "How to Apply" webinars.

SS4A Basics

Which type of grant should you apply for?

Both Planning & Demonstration and Implementation grants can include funding

for Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities

$ 0 million


Planning and Demonstration

1) Develop or complete

Action Plan

2) Supplemental Planning

activities

3) Demonstration activities (expect $250M)

$ 0 million


Implementation Grants

(must have Action Plan*)

Don't forget to apply for Supplemental Planning & Demonstration activities as part of your Implementation proposal

SS4A Basics

Planning & Demonstration Category Includes

3 Types of Activities

1: Develop an Action Plan

2: Conduct Supplemental safety planning to enhance a Safety Plan and/or a Plan being developed

3: Carry out Demonstration activities to inform the development of a Plan, or an update to a Plan

NOTE: These 3 different activities can be combined. (e.g. apply for $$ to develop a VZ Action Plan and to pilot (demonstrate) traffic calming measures, lower speeds, etc.).

NOTE: Supplemental Planning & Demonstration activities can – and should – also be part of Implementation grants.

Planning Grants: Action Plans

Planning & Demonstration: Actions Plans

Don’t think of this as just “another plan” to sit on a shelf…

A strong Vision Zero Action Plan can be the catalyst for your community’s shift to the Safe System approach – a more effective and equitable approach to safe mobility. A strong Vision Zero (or roadway safety) Action Plan can be a catalyst for:

  • More effective roadway safety spending
  • Prioritizing safety investments in underserved communities, especially in Historically Disadvantaged Communities and Tribal lands
  • Pivoting to a Safe System approach
  • Increasing and improving walking, biking, scooter, transit trips
  • Using a data-driven approach to prioritize problem locations (High-Injury Network)
  • Learning of community members' concerns when data doesn't tell a full story

Resources to develop a strong Action Plan:

Planning Grants: Action Plans

Examples of Vision Zero Action Plans

Alameda, California

(population 79,827)

Minneapolis, Minnesota

(population 425,336)

Bellevue, Washington

(population 146,145)

Tacoma, Washington

(population 219,205)

Denver, Colorado

(population 715,878)

Madison, Wisconsin

(population 258,366)

Los Angeles County, California

(population 3.9 million)

Tampa, Florida

(population 387,050)

Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning

Supplemental Planning

Don’t count this category out!
This can be more impactful than you may think!
Already have a Vision Zero Plan? Or part of a county/MPO with a Plan (or developing one)?
This is a chance to improve it with critical, deeper-dive work to priority Vision Zero areas, such as:

Developing a racial and health equity framework for roadway safety strategies

Creating a citywide speed management plan

Developing a High-Injury Network map & conducing road safety audits

Evolving your E’s-based Vision Zero Plan to a Safe System plan

Developing a proactive, predictive approach to roadway safety (examples)

Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning

Supplemental Planning

Must inform an Action Plan

  • either developed or approved OR under development
  • which can be for another entity other than the one applying if it’s part of the area covered by the Plan (or under development)
  • this can be part of an application applying for Action Plan funds, if the demonstrations will help inform that plan

Supplemental activities can be part of Planning & Demonstration category OR Implementation category

  • RECOMMENDATION: All Implementation proposals can & should include Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities.
  • WHY? Lots of funds available for Planning and less competitive than Implementation category; so your Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities can be funded even if your Implementation proposal is not funded.

Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning

Examples of Supplemental Planning:

Elevating equity in strategies, outcomes

We must recognize and address that some communities are disproportionately impacted by unsafe street designs and policies, particularly communities of color and people in low-income areas. SS4A grants emphasize safety investments in Historically Disadvantaged Communities and Tribal lands.


Supplemental planning funds can be used to prioritize collaborations with and support for these communities. For example, if you have a Vision Zero Plan that does not analyze and address impacts on these communities, a Supplemental planning grant can do so, and be used to empower and build capacity among nonprofit partners and community leaders to participate more fully in planning.

Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning

Examples of Supplemental Planning:

Elevating equity in strategies, outcomes

Philadelphia pivoted from the traditional "E's" approach in its first Vision Zero Action Plan (2017) to a Safe System approach in its 2020 Plan update.


This includes greater emphasis on designing roadways for safer speeds and Complete Streets for all, and recognizing that we cannot Educate nor Enforce our way to Vision Zero.


Philadelphia is using this guidance to rely less on police-led traffic stops of non-dangerous behaviors (such as tinted windows, broken tail lights), recognizing problems of racial bias in these encounters.

Planning Grants: Demonstration Projects

Demonstration Activities

“Reimagine what roadway safety looks like” - USDOT webinar on April 27, 2023

USDOT describes 4 types of Demonstration activities:

1. Feasibility studies: on-the ground pilots, examples: planters, paint, posts for traffic calming, road re-design

  • Must be temporary, finite trial period; Smaller scale & testing for bigger usage

2. Pilot programs for Behavioral or Operational activities: small-scale testing of other activities

  • USDOT Examples: Variable fines for safety infractions; education campaigns; focus group-testing/messaging; rideshare programs/alternatives to drunk driving; post-crash care activities
  • VZN ideas: Message development/testing to support safety policy; Restorative justice programs; Safe System trainings, learnings


3. MUTCD Engineering study: various engineering studies that further safety applications of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices


4. New technologies: Examples: pilots of speed safety cameras w/ focus on addressing equity concerns: piloting variable speed limit signs; intelligent transportation technologies in fleets


SEE examples. P.8 of USDOT NOFO

Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning

Demonstration Activities

Must inform an Action Plan, which exists OR under development

  • which can be for another entity than the one applying for Dem. Project if it’s part of the area covered by Action Plan
  • this *can* be part of an application applying for Action Plan funds, if the demonstrations will help inform that plan

Must be able to evaluate and share results

Priority for Demonstration activities set up within 18 months

Demonstration activities can be part of Planning category OR Implementation category

RECOMMENDATION: All Implementation proposals can & should include Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities

WHY? Lots of funds available for Planning and less competitive than Implementation category; so your Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities can be funded even if your Implementation proposal is not funded.