Information sourced from US DoT press release – click here to read

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is offering a fantastic opportunity to improve road safety in your community! Their Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program provides funding for projects that save lives.

The SS4A grant program is a major action that supports funding to advance the DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, which launched in 2022 to address the high number of traffic deaths happening across the country.

SS4A funds will help communities in the development of road safety action plans and improve unsafe roadway corridors by implementing effective interventions. Additionally, these funds can be utilized to test out safety features such as separated bicycle lanes or curb extensions at intersections.

Building a strong grant application is key.

This funding can prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries in the United States and RAP Tools including Star Rating for Schools, the Youth Engagement App, CycleRAP and Star Rating for Designs Tools are freely available to support your projects.

How can RAP Tools help?

We have tools that can measure the safety Star Rating of roadways and school zones for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and vehicle occupants before and after improvement and  inform evidence-based investment plans to eliminate high-risk road sections and prevent deaths and serious injuries.

Including:

• School zone safety: Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) is an award-winning evidence-based programme of tools, training and support to measure, manage and communicate the risk children are exposed to on a journey to school.
• Engaging young people: The Youth Engagement App is an innovative tool that allows young people to easily identify and report road safety conditions around their schools. YEA helps young people actively participate in improving road safety, giving them a voice in shaping their communities.
• Cycling infrastructure: CycleRAP is an evidence-based risk assessment model specifically for bicycling and light mobility. It evaluates the safety of bike lanes and suggests improvements.
• Safer road design: Star Rating for Designs (SR4D) is a package of tools, knowledge products, support and other initiatives so that roads are built safe, right from the start. It analyses the safety of new road designs before.
• Building capacity within your team: We also have the ability to train your staff and help build capacity within your projects teams to help deliver road assessments and provide evidence driven Safer Roads Investment Plans (SRIP).
• Need help with writing the grant proposal? We are also able to provide guidance and helpful tips for your grant proposal. Contact our Safer Journey Lead for The Americas Edgar Zamora.

 iRAP’s impact in the US:

• Extensive experience: The usRAP programme activity has assessed 168,815 km of roads and designs, 84 schools, influencing the safety of US$10 million of road infrastructure investment.
• Innovative solutions: USA was involved in the 2023 Mapfre CycleRAP project piloting the bicycling and light mobility risk evaluation model across Fayetteville, Barcelona, Bogotá, Madrid and São Paulo.
• Building Capacity: 299 people have benefited from iRAP global/on-line training, along with 1,460 trained in events delivered locally.
• Nationally recognised: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recognizes usRAP as a valuable tool for project selection.(Refer to page 87 of the FHWA Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool)
• Cutting-edge research: The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is involved in an innovative AiRAP pilot to leverage artificial intelligence and big data to enhance road safety analysis in US networks, with expected global benefit.

Find out more about where we work across the world here

How safer are your roads? Use our freely available Safety Insights Explorer here to explore the true scale of road crashes, the safety of the world’s roads, and the positive impact that can be made with investment.

Need some support or advice?

We encourage you to see how our #RAPTools can help you with these grant opportunities in your cities, towns and regions. If you need any assistance, please feel free to reach out to our Safer Journey Lead for The Americas Edgar Zamora.

Email: edgar.zamora@irap.org

The United States Road Assessment Programme (usRAP) also has a free training programme available – find out more information here.

Need more information?

• Find out more information on the SS4A Grants opportunity here https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A
• Find out how to apply for the SS4A Grants here https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/fy24-nofo
• Please note the deadline for submissions is as follows:

• • April 4, 2024, 5 p.m. (EDT): Deadline #1 for Planning and Demonstration Grants.
  • May 16, 2024, 5 p.m. (EDT): Sole deadline for Implementation Grants. Deadline #2 for Planning and Demonstration Grants.
  • August 29, 2024, 5 p.m. (EDT): Deadline #3 for Planning and Demonstration Grants. Notice of Funding Opportunity closes.

Let’s work together to make US roads safer!

Image credit below: Department of Transport