Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for approximately $1.3 billion in discretionary grant funding for FY 2024 through the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program. This is the third round of funding for the SS4A grant program. The amended NOFO was released on April 16, 2024 and remained open through August 29, 2024.
The purpose of SS4A grants is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through safety action plan development and implementation focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, personal conveyance and micromobility users, and commercial vehicle operators. The program provides funding to develop the tools to help strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives and is designed to meet the needs of diverse local, Tribal, and regional communities that differ dramatically in size, location, and experience administering Federal funding. There are two types of funding: Planning (including supplemental planning) and Demonstration Grants; and Implementation Grants. The City meets the criteria to be eligible to request either type of funding.
When Columbus worked with community partners to launch Vision Zero Columbus in 2020, it made a commitment to protecting lives above all else on the city’s transportation system. The proposed Vulnerable Road User project helps carry this commitment forward. Vision Zero Columbus crash data have already confirmed that Columbus’ Vulnerable Road Users and Communities of Interest have suffered a disproportionate share of the traffic violence in Columbus. The Vulnerable Road User project will provide the data analysis and plan updates necessary to ensure Columbus is able to equitably, comprehensively prioritize the most vulnerable road users and communities in executing the 2023-2028 Vision Zero Act...
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