Bicycle Friendly America Fall 2017 - 25

DeFazio (D-OR) was a leader in the committee on the issue
of bicyclist and pedestrian safety. Building upon the Vision
Zero grant program concept, legislators worked on a targeted
bicyclist and pedestrian grant program. Caron and I worked
with offices to answer questions and provide support for the
language of the program, with attention to who can access the
program and what the program can fund. This effort ultimately
led to the creation of the 405(H) National Priority Safety Program for Non-Motorized Safety.
The National Priority Safety Program for Non-Motorized
Safety sets aside 5% of the National Priority Safety Program
funding - just under $15 million per year - for states that
meet the requirements of the program. States meet the requirements of the program if:
* The annual combined pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in
the state exceed 15 percent of the total annual crash fatalities in the state;
* The federal cost of a project does not exceed 80 percent;
and
* The grant funds are used for (A) training of law enforcement officials on state laws applicable to pedestrian and
bicycle safety; (B) enforcement mobilizations and campaigns designed to enforce state traffic laws applicable to
pedestrian and bicycle safety and (C) public education
and awareness programs designed to inform motorists,
pedestrians and bicyclists of state traffic laws applicable
to pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Earlier this year, the first round of grant funding was awarded under the new National Priority Safety Program for NonMotorized Safety. States showed great interest in the program,
with 27 states applying for a grant, and every state that met
the eligibility requirements received a grant. We're already seeing the effect of this program with advocacy organizations in
states such as New York and Michigan having received funding for safety programming. While we do not yet know all the
activities funded by the program, it is exciting to see these early
partnerships between biking organizations and state highway
safety offices.
We hope that the National Priority Safety Program for NonMotorized Safety will provide a long-term federal funding
source for "non-infrastructure" activities. While this funding
source is not universally available, unlike past programs, its
data-driven eligibility may help show the value of this funding.
Ultimately, we want fewer bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities
and with this targeted grant program, states have a new way to
focus resources on enforcement and education that contributes to fewer bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities. We're proud
of the role we played in the creation of the program, and we're
grateful to our members, Summit attendees, state and local
organizations and supportive legislators who played key roles
in making the program possible.
Ken McLeod is the League's Policy Director.

https://goo.gl/ER2Poy
FALL 2017

BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA 25

http://www.ghsa.org/about/federal-grant-programs/405 http://www.ghsa.org/about/federal-grant-programs/405 https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/fy2017-grant-award-summary.pdf http://www.bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/NBS16_Noninfrastructure_Fact_Sheet.pdf http://www.bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/NBS16_Noninfrastructure_Fact_Sheet.pdf https://www.goo.gl/ER2Poy https://goo.gl/ER2Poy http://altaplanning.com/ https://goo.gl/ER2Poy https://goo.gl/ER2Poy

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bicycle Friendly America Fall 2017