USDOT Launches Unfunded 'SAFE ROADS' Program

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a new road safety program — but no associated funding or other details, reports Graham Kilmer in Urban Milwaukee.

The program, “Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies or SAFE ROADS,” asks state and local agencies to identify dangerous roads, “eliminate distractions,” and  “make the entire roadway right‑of‑way easier to interpret and navigate for all users, including pedestrians, vehicle operators, and automated vehicles alike.”

Secretary Duffy’s letter does not specify what constitutes “distractions,” which the letter mentions three times. “Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Duffy said, signaling that the administration plans to continue targeting roadway interventions such as ‘rainbow crosswalks’ and Black Lives Matter murals. The agency says it will provide technical expertise for assessments and studies. “The resources to effectuate any road safety projects, however, would need to come from the state or local level. The SAFE Roads program isn’t providing additional funding.”

City officials in Milwaukee say that city has been working through the steps of the Safe Streets and Roads for All program to develop traffic safety projects and awaits a decision on their application for $25 million in federal funding for implementation.