Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman introduced the Building Safer Streets Act on Tuesday, marking a significant step toward improving street infrastructure and preventing the loss of lives on unsafe roads. The legislation, which was discussed at an EPW subcommittee hearing on roadway safety, is aimed at providing communities with the necessary resources to ensure safer streets.
“We are facing a street safety crisis in America — and in Pennsylvania. The thousands of lives we lose due to unsafe streets is unacceptable, and it’s long past time we in Washington do something about it,” said Senator Fetterman during the hearing. “This bill will equip communities—especially our smaller towns—with the resources and guidance they need to make their streets safer.”
Fatalities on American roads have reached their highest level in 41 years, a statistic that has alarmingly increased during the pandemic despite an overall decrease in driving. Vulnerable sections of the population, such as older residents, children, people with disabilities, those living on reservations, and people of color, are disproportionately likely to be involved in preventable incidents.
Pennsylvania, in particular, is grappling with this crisis. Between 2012 and 2020, 1,426 pedestrians lost their lives on Pennsylvania streets. Harrisburg’s State Street has even been dubbed the “deadliest road in America” by experts.
But the issue goes beyond safety. Unsafe and poorly designed streets pose a significant obstacle to economic revitalization, especially in smaller cities and towns. Better street infrastructure correlates with increased land values and improved retail tenant occupancy.
The Building Safer Streets Act proposes to modernize street design standards and facilitate innovative, locally-sensitive street designs and improvements. It aims to provide government agencies at all levels with the resources to remove bureaucratic hurdles and enhance street safety. The Act also plans to adjust the Safe Streets for All grant program to ensure that funds reach small communities.
The proposed legislation includes provisions that would streamline the process for features that improve safety, distinguish between rural, suburban, and urban needs in FHWA guidelines, and provide clarity on street design accommodation. It also seeks to direct the FHWA to assist states and localities in designing streets that consider freight and transit networks, create a consistent process for determining design exceptions for projects without multimodal facilities, and prevent the FHWA from accepting rising road fatalities as an acceptable safety performance target.
The Building Safer Streets Act has garnered endorsements from numerous organizations, including the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Transportation for America, the National Safety Council, the National Association of Counties, the National Association of Towns and Townships, the National Association of County Engineers, the American Planning Association, Vision Zero Network, America Walks, League of American Bicyclists, Families for Safe Streets National, Main Street America, LOCUS at Smart Growth America, among others.
The introduction of the Building Safer Streets Act signifies a vital initiative to tackle the escalating street safety crisis in America. As the nation grapples with the repercussions of unsafe streets, this legislation offers hope for safer, more inclusive, and economically vibrant communities.
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