Safe Streets for All:

1. RECEIVE presentation on upcoming Safe Streets for All grant program; and
2. PROVIDE input on potential grant application sponsored by TAMC.

In November 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was passed into law. It established the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program, which supports local initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets, commonly referred to as ‘‘Vision Zero’’ or ‘‘Toward Zero Deaths’’ initiatives. Funding for the program is distributed competitively and eligible applicants include: Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Regional Transportation Planning Associations (RTPAs), Local Agencies, and Tribes.

There are two types of SS4A grants:

• Planning and Demonstration Grants provide funds to develop, complete, or supplement a comprehensive safety action plan. The goal of an Action Plan is to develop a well-defined strategy to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries in a locality, Tribe, or region. Planning and Demonstration grants may also fund supplemental Action Plan activities in support of an Action Plan, or demonstration projects in support of an Action Plan. The expected minimum and maximum award range is $100,000 to $10 million.
• Implementation Grants provide funds to implement projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan to address a roadway safety problem. Projects and strategies may be infrastructure, behavioral, and/or operational activities. Implementation Grant funding requests may also include project-level planning and design activities, supplemental Action Plan activities in support of an existing Action Plan, and demonstration activities in support of an Action Plan. Applicants must have a qualifying Action Plan that meets the eligibility requirements to apply for Implementation Grants. The expected minimum and maximum award range is $2.5 million to $25 million.

The selection criteria used in the grant award process is expected to reflect the following desirable outcomes:

• Is likely to significantly reduce or eliminate transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries involving various road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and commercial operators, within a timeframe proposed by the eligible entity;
• Demonstrates engagement with a variety of public and private stakeholders;
• Seeks to adopt innovative technologies or strategies to promote safety;
• Employs low-cost, high-impact strategies that can improve safety over a wider geographical area;
• Ensures, or will ensure, equitable investment in the safety needs of underserved communities in preventing transportation-related fatalities and injuries; and
• Includes evidence-based projects or strategies.

If a higher-level jurisdiction (e.g., an MPO or county would be a higher-level jurisdiction for a city or town) has an existing plan in place, or is in the process of completing an Action Plan, an eligible applicant can apply for supplemental planning or demonstration activities without its own plan as long as: 1) the higher-level jurisdiction’s Action Plan’s geographic boundaries covers the eligible applicant’s jurisdiction; 2) the proposed activities are coordinated with the high-level jurisdiction, and the application demonstrates such coordination; and 3) the activities will inform the Action Plan of the higher-level jurisdiction. 

 The Transportation Agency is considering submitting an application for Safe Streets for All funds to develop a regional action plan that acts as an umbrella for all partner agencies. This would allow partner agencies to apply for implementation grants in future funding cycles. The scope of work being considered for a TAMC application to develop the action plan might include the following components:

1. Establish a Vision Zero Task Force
2. Organize and conduct community engagement outreach
3. Collect and Evaluate Data
4. Develop implementation strategies and recommended actions
5. Prepare an Action Plan

Agency staff will provide an update on the grant program and seek feedback from the Committee on the potential application for a regional Vision Zero program.