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
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.
… and more!
SS4A Basics
SS4A Basics
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.
Check out these examples at local, state, and federal levels
SS4A Basics
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?
SS4A Basics
See the full list of changes on the USDOT page here.
SS4A Basics
Watch our May 11, 2023 webinar recording
for Tips to Make the Most of SS4A Grants.
SS4A Basics
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
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.
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.
USDOT has streamlined the application process & lowered barriers to entry. Check out the application instructions and watch “How to Apply” webinars.
SS4A Basics
Both Planning & Demonstration and Implementation grants can include funding
for Supplemental Planning and/or Demonstration activities
SS4A Basics
Planning Grants: Action Plans
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:
Planning Grants: Action Plans
Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning
Planning Grants: Supplemental Planning
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 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: Demonstration Projects
“Reimagine what roadway safety looks like” – USDOT webinar on April 27, 2023
1. Feasibility studies: on-the ground pilots, examples: planters, paint, posts for traffic calming, road re-design
2. Pilot programs for Behavioral or Operational activities: small-scale testing of other activities
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
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
Planning Grants: Demonstration Projects
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 Takeaways
Action Plan
Supplemental Planning
Demonstration Activities
One or ALL of the above
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
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
USDOT, Travis Estell, Seattle DOT, Tim Durkan, Will Porada on Unsplash, Jeanne Clark, Hackney Council, City of Missoula, Rethinking the Future, Sport&Impianti,