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.
*This is not the official grant website. For critical information & details about the SS4A grant program, see USDOT’s informative website.
SS4A Basics
New funding opportunity to advance nation’s goal of Zero Roadway Deaths
$1 Billion / year for Vision Zero planning & implementation at the local, regional and tribal levels
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
Counties, cities, towns, transit agencies, or other special districts that are subdivisions of a State
Federally recognized Tribal governments
Multi-jurisdictional groups comprised of the above entities
Register for Grants.gov. This takes time, so do it ASAP.
SS4A Basics
Watch our June 28, 2022 webinar recording
for Tips to Make the Most of SS4A Grants.
Watch USDOT’s “How to Apply” webinar series here.
SS4A Basics
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. Learn more about joint applications and partnership here.
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.
20% match can include funding from the applicant, in-kind contributions and other non-Federal contributions (staff, goods, services, space, utilities…) – learn more form USDOT FAQ.
USDOT has streamlined the application process & lowered barriers to entry. Check out the application instructions and watch “How to Apply” webinars.
SS4A Basics
SS4A Basics
SS4A Basics
It is time to evolve beyond the traditional “E’s” of roadway safety (education, enforcement, engineering) to a Safe System approach
SS4A Basics
Whether you’re in the early stages of developing a Vision Zero Action Plan or implementing priorities of your plan,
this SS4A grant is an opportunity to deepen your community’s PIVOT to a SAFE SYSTEM approach.
Check out these examples at local, state, and federal levels
SS4A Basics
Both Planning and Implementation grants can include funding for pilot projects.
A strong Vision Zero Action Plan can be the catalyst for your community’s shift to a Safe System – a more effective and equitable approach to safe mobility.
Planning Grants: Action Plans
This is a chance to improve it with critical, deeper-dive work to priority Vision Zero areas, such as:
Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning
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 Action 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
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: Supplemental Planning
Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning
Pilot “safe school streets” by limiting car traffic in the streets surrounding schools during drop-off and pick-up times. Use temporary, quick-build features such as portable barriers, traffic cones and signage. Leverage these feasibility studies to inform future, community-wide work.
Use temporary, inexpensive quick-build designs to pilot and test impacts of reconfiguring intersections, traffic-calming streets or demonstrating other road-safety strategies. Use paint, plastic bollards, movable planters – and your imagination – to gather information about effectiveness and build buy-in for change.
Implementation Grants
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Many suburban streets and intersections are wider than necessary. Their “design speeds” are too high, encouraging people to drive too fast and compromising safety and neighborhood livability. Travel speeds on suburban streets can be lowered relatively easily with the use of low-cost quick-build traffic-calming measures, including:
Key Takeaways
Commercial corridors serve a range of users, including residents, shoppers and people employed in the area. They likely travel in a mix of ways, including walking, biking, driving and riding transit. Too often, though, street design caters mainly to car traffic to the detriment of others. Quick-build design treatments can make these commercial streets safer and more inviting and attract more customers to the area’s businesses. Examples include:
Explore more examples on quick-build strategies here.
Key Takeaways
Arterial streets often offer little or no consideration — or physical space — to people walking and bicycling. Arterials are disproportionately dangerous for people walking. While arterials are designed to carry high volumes of vehicle traffic, they can be retrofitted to function better for other road users. This is especially important as many arterials host a range of destinations which people walk and bike to, so their safety needs to be prioritized. Depending on width, configuration and traffic volumes, quick-build treatments could include:
Explore more examples on quick-build strategies here.
Key Takeaways
USDOT, Travis Estell, Seattle DOT, Tim Durkan, Will Porada on Unsplash, Jeanne Clark, Hackney Council, City of Missoula, Rethinking the Future, Sport&Impianti, BikePortland
Special thanks to those who contributed to developing this resource, including Eric Tuvel & Niko Letunic