Ideas for leveraging
Safe Streets & Roads
for All Grants (SS4A)
Round 2
It’s time to go Big & Bold for Vision Zero
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.
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?
more likely for Black people
more likely for people in low-income communities
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…
Check out these examples at local, state, and federal levels
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
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?
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?
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
SS4A Basics
Planning & Demonstration Category Includes
3 Types of Activities
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)
Bellevue, Washington
(population 146,145)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
(population 424,536)
Denver, Colorado
(population 715,878)
Madison, Wisconsin
(population 258,366)
Denver Regional Council of Governments, Colorado MPO
(population 2.8 million)
Los Angeles County, California
(population 3.9 million)
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:
Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning
Supplemental Planning
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
Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning
Demonstration Activities
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: Demonstration Projects
Examples of Demonstration activities:
Quick-build strategies
Supplemental planning activities can include demonstration/quick build projects to:
- Test Action Plan concepts on-the-ground before full implementation
- Conduct feasibility studies using quick-build strategies to inform future, permanent projects
- Create opportunities for stakeholder engagement & feedback on ideas tested in the community
Benefits of demonstration/quick build projects include:
- Greater cost-efficiency to test designs using lower-cost materials
- Faster turnaround time to assess results & reactions
- Chance to tweak designs real-time
- Building community & political buy-in
- USDOT encourages innovation – so try new safety strategies for your community
Planning Grants: Demonstration Projects
Examples of Demonstration activities:
Quick-build strategies
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
Implementation Grants
Key Points from SS4A website:
Vision Zero Network suggestions:
Implementation Grants
Implementation Grants
These important resources from USDOT should inform your work:
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
General
Practical:
- Application deadline July 10, 2023; deadline to submit technical questions June 16, 2023
- Register for Grants.gov. This can take time, so do it ASAP
- See USDOT’s informative SS4A website for critical details and examples
- HIGH likelihood your community is eligible, especially for Planning funds
Action Plan
Supplemental Planning
Demonstration Activities
One or ALL of the above
Strategic: Use this opportunity to
- Build internal buy-in & momentum for meaningful, lasting systems changes (= more than a one-off grant application)
- Deepen work to prioritize equity and manage speeds for safety
- Focus safety efforts on most vulnerable: people walking, biking, motorcycling, scooter, etc.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Planning & Demonstration
- Includes Action Plans & Supplemental Planning and Demonstration activities (or combination).
- HIGH likelihood your community is eligible. Example: If your town/city is part of area (e.g. County, MPO) already covered by an Action Plan, or Plan is under development, you could apply for Supplemental and/or Demonstration activities.
- The process of planning can be as important as the product to build buy-in and momentum for Safe System / Vision Zero change
- Include funding for valuable, non-traditional partners, including public health staff and nonprofit, community-based groups
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Implementation
STRONG ENCOURAGEMENT to include Supplemental &/or Demonstration activities in ALL Implementation proposals
Think beyond spot or one-corridor improvements” Consider systemic safety strategies on larger scale. You can propose safety countermeasures on broad scale, waiting to finalize all exact locations. This aligns with USDOT’s focus on the Safe System Approach: systemwide, proactive, preventative measures
Key Takeaways
Thank you & Good Luck!
Important links and resources
US Dept. of Transportation
- Stay informed by signing up for the SS4A email update list
- See extensive FAQ page
- Watch the informative webinar series on the how/who/why/what of SS4A program
Photo credits:
USDOT, Travis Estell, Seattle DOT, Tim Durkan, Will Porada on Unsplash, Jeanne Clark, Hackney Council, City of Missoula, Rethinking the Future, Sport&Impianti,