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Transportation Alternatives and Highway Safety Provisions in the IIJA��

Caron Whitaker

Deputy Executive Director

League of American Bicyclists

caron@bikeleague.org

202-215-3908

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AGENDA

IIJA: A strong step forward for Active Transportation

Transportation Alternatives

Safety

Planning
Complete Streets
Safe Streets for All

Reconciliation

Neighborhood Equity and Access

Tax incentives

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Transportation Alternatives

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TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES

850 million

Population

States can transfer this 50%

State Competitive process

850 illion

State portion

(Minus RTP)

50%

Metropolitan areas Pop > 200,000

Pop < 5,000

Pop between

200,000- 5,000

50%

State can transfer this 50%

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TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES

Concerns

Funding

Over $7 billion of unfunded local government applications
Address states’ ability to transfer 50%

State concerns

State staff overwhelmed by applications.
State’s can’t apply for funds

Local governments

No ability for MPOs to implement
Difficulty making local match

Local governments needing help with application process

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TA- FUNDING

	Current	IIJA	Issue addressed
Funding	$850 m/yr	10% of STBGP ($1.38- $1.5b)	Unmet need
Funding breakdown	50% State/ 50% by Pop	41% State/ 59% Population	More funding for MPOs, set asides by community side
Transfer- ability	State can transfer 50% to any other program	Require states to: Run competitive process Offer Technical assistance Certify no worthy application unfunded	Addresses funding, Local control

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TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES

10% of STBGP ($1.38b)

850 million

Population

States can transfer this 50%

State Competitive process

Or state can transfer

850 million

State portion

(Minus RTP)

59%

Metropolitan areas Pop > 200,000

Pop < 5,000

Pop between

200,000- 50,000

41%

Limits transfer- ability

Pop between

49,999- 5,000

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TA- STATE FLEXIBILITY

State Flexibility	Current	IIJA	Issue addressed
Technical assistance/ staff	n/a	States can use 5% for staffing and to offer technical assistance	States overwhelmed/ Local control
local match- safety projects	20% local match per project	Can use HSIP (highway safety improvement program) $$ for local match	Help with local match
Local Match flexibility	20% local match	states can meet 20% local match at project or program level	Help with local match
Suballocate to LG	n/a	Allow states to suballocate up to 100%	State flexibility
Transparency
Require states to report on TA projects	Includes reporting in bulk	Require project list and current stage of each project	Transparency

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TA- LOCAL CONTROL/ EQUITY

Local Control	Current	IIJA	Issue addressed
Small MPOs eligible	No	Makes small MPOs eligible	Local control
Large MPO obligation authority	No	Gives large MPOs obligation authority/ allows them to sign contract	local control
State allowed to apply	No	Only when Local government asks for help	State flexibility and local control
Equity
Prioritization of projects based on equity concerns	No	Prioritize projects whose location or impact helps high need communities	Equity

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SAFETY PROVISIONS

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SAFETY

Increased Funding

VRU Safety

Assessment

Safe Systems

FHWA Research

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VULNERABLE ROAD USER SAFETY ASSESSMENT

VRU Safety Assessment

All States required to conduct assessment

Contents

Analysis of all fatalities and serious injuries (FSI)

Including location, design speed
ID roadway functional classification, demographics

Identification of High risk areas

List projects and strategies to address

NYC Informer

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SAFE SYSTEMS

Revises Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

to include safe system in Highway Safety plans
to include VRU in Highway Safety plans

Integrates VRU safety in existing program/definitions

Example: In list of eligible projects intersection projects changed from

CURRENT LAW: An intersection safety improvement

IIJA: An intersection safety improvement that provides for the safety of all road users, as appropriate, including a multimodal roundabout

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FHWA RESEARCH

Requires FHWA to create research plan to develop

Roadway designs
Safety Countermeasures

Which improve safety AND promote bicycling and walking

Focus on how the following affect safety and rates of bicycling and walking:

Roadway safety improvements, including traffic calming and VRU accommodations on suburban arterials
Traffic speeds
Access to low stress corridors
Tools to evaluate the impact of infrastructure on safety and use of bicyclists and pedestrians

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KEY COMBO!

With new $$ for all transportation programs, local match will likely be a limiting factor.

27 States- Meet VRU safety threshold

For most this will result in requirement to increase HSIP spending on VRU.
TA will now allow HSIP funds as local match

Using HSIP as TA match should count as VRU spending

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Planning provisions- Complete streets, Safe Streets for All

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INCREASING SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

Requires states and MPOs to use 2.5% of planning $$ for:

Complete Streets standards or policies
Complete Streets prioritization plan
Transportation plans, for

Building Active transportation Networks
Connecting AT to transit
Increasing Transit riders
Improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists
Alternatives to increasing highway capacity, including rail

To opt out, a state or MPO must have

CS standards or policies AND
CS prioritization plan

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SAFE STREETS FOR ALL

$6 Billion!

Based on Vision Zero philosophy.
‘May’ include goal and timeline for eliminating fatalities

Discretionary Grants

Will go through the Office of the Secretary

Eligibilities

to develop a comprehensive safety action plan;
to conduct planning, design, and development activities for projects and strategies identified in a comprehensive safety action plan;
to carry out projects and strategies identified in the plan

Spanish-language PSA effort led by organizers now with Multicultural Communities for Mobility

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SAFE STREETS FOR ALL- concerns

Funding Breakdown

40% planning
60% projects

Equity/ Enforcement section

Cities often focus early efforts on enforcement

(cheaper than infrastructure)

No safeguard language

We would like criteria to require a plan to ensure no racial profiling/ inequity in enforcement

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RECONCILIATION

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NEIGHBORHOOD EQUITY AND ACCESS

$4 Billion for discretionary grant program

The program builds on Reconnecting Community but is larger than that.
Requires 40% of funds for low-income communities

Eligible projects

Remove or mitigate barriers (highways, sounds walls, etc.)
Reconnect communities through bike/ped networks

Includes “greenways” “spines”

Addresses Environmental Justice issues such as urban heat island, tree deserts and flooding.
Funds local Capacity building

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Questions?

Caron Whitaker

Deputy Executive Director

League of American Bicyclists

caron@bikeleague.org

202-215-3908

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COMMUNITY CLIMATE GRANTS

$4 Billion to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

$50 Million to US DOT to:

Develop GHG performance measure, including carrots and sticks for states

Discretionary Grants

$950 million for States

To be eligible states must meet their performance targets AND have incorporated goal into plans

$3 billion for local governments, tribal, territory regional etc.

Eligibilities

Reduces GHG
Provides zero emission transportation options
Reduces dependence on Single Occupancy Vehicles

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACCESS PROGRAM

$10 Billion program

(Final IIJA was $10b less than original agreement)
Mostly goes to transit projects
Focuses on Access for disadvantaged communities, areas of persistent poverty, and low-income individuals

Criteria - Improve Access and Enhanced mobility

Access to jobs and educational opportunities, health care and groceries/ fresh foods

Eligibility

Includes improved access to facilities including ADA compliance
Fare free and reduced fair transit (Operating assistance)
Capacity building - transit workforce development

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TRAFFIC SAFETY CLEARINGHOUSE

$100 Million to address to equity in enforcement

operate a national clearinghouse for fair and equitable traffic safety enforcement programs;

Research and Develop recording systems for states
Provide technical assistance to states in collecting data.
Develop recommendations and best practices to help States collect and use traffic safety enforcement data to promote equity and reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries;
Develop information and educational programs on implementing equitable traffic safety enforcement best practices

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AUTOMATED VEHICLES AND MOBILITY

CLEARINGHOUSE

$8,000,000 to operate clearinghouse

To:

Collect, conduct, and support research on the secondary and societal impacts of highly automated vehicles and mobility innovation on the built environment; and
Disseminate and make such research available on a public website to assist communities.

Includes issues of : Land use, municipal budgets, climate, equity, safety.