Multimodal Streets Safety and Funding

Summary#

This bill, the Building Safer Streets Act, changes how federal highway and transit design rules consider all road users, especially pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and small communities. It requires more transparency about what designs the national traffic manual forbids, sets new guidance and exceptions to support multimodal street designs, and adds studies and reports on safety and the manual’s use.

Key changes:

• Requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish explanations when the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) bans specific devices or designs, and asks the national committee to document its update decisions.
• Orders a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on how the MUTCD is used and whether it limits alternative safety designs.
• Directs the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to update rules to clarify what “consideration of all modes” means, give methods for evaluating pedestrian and bike needs, and publish guidance on connected multimodal networks and bus stop placement.
• Requires FHWA to create a list of categorical design exceptions for multimodal elements (and update it at least every 5 years).
• Changes grant program rules to set aside at least 10% of a Safe Streets grant program for small communities and allows a higher federal share (up to 90%) for some small-community projects.
• Prohibits counting higher speed limits as a travel-time benefit in some federal benefit–cost analyses for non-freeway roads.

What it means for you#

• Drivers and commuters

  • Road projects funded or guided by these federal rules may include more features for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.
  • Design changes could affect lane widths, turning radii, and street speeds as agencies adopt multimodal guidance.

• Pedestrians and cyclists

  • The bill aims to make it easier to add safety features for people walking and biking by clarifying when exceptions or alternative designs are acceptable.
  • FHWA guidance will target complete networks so gaps in sidewalks and bike paths may get more attention in funded projects.

• Transit riders

  • New joint federal guidance will address bus stop placement and roadway design to improve safety, accessibility, and connections with sidewalks and bike routes.
  • Recipients of certain transit funds must receive these guidelines.

• Small communities

  • At least 10% of funds for the Safe Streets program must target small communities (projects under $1 million and finished within 5 years).
  • Small communities may get up to 90% federal funding for qualifying projects if they show some state or local commitment.

• State and local governments

  • States must report whether they updated their highway design manuals to reflect FHWA guidance on lower-speed road design. This is a condition of receiving federal highway funds.
  • Grant applicants for certain competitive federal programs must document they considered multimodal options and justify not including nonmotorized facilities.

• Federal agencies

  • FHWA, the Federal Transit Administration, and the GAO must prepare studies, guidance, lists, and reports within set deadlines (mostly 1–2 years).

Expenses#

No publicly available cost estimate is provided in the bill text.

Possible costs or budget effects the bill implies:

• Administrative costs for FHWA and the Federal Transit Administration to draft, publish, and implement new regulations and guidance.
• GAO study and reporting costs (time and staff) for the Comptroller General’s office.
• State and local expenses to update highway design manuals, notify the Secretary, and adjust project designs to meet new guidance.
• Potential increase in federal grant spending if the Secretary increases the federal share up to 90% for qualifying small-community projects.
• Possible project cost changes where multimodal features or compliance with guidance require design changes or additional work.

Proponents' View#

The bill appears intended to:

• Increase transparency about why the national traffic manual forbids certain devices or designs, so local agencies understand limits and options.
• Make it easier and clearer for states and localities to include pedestrian, bicycle, and transit facilities in federal-aid projects.
• Reduce unnecessary barriers (such as lengthy exception processes) to implementing proven safety countermeasures for vulnerable road users.
• Support small and rural communities by reserving funds and permitting a higher federal share for small projects.
• Improve safety by studying crash factors on federal-aid highways and ensuring multimodal networks are part of project planning.

Opponents' View#

Possible concerns and uncertainties in the bill:

• The bill does not include a fiscal estimate. One concern is that the required studies, regulatory updates, and increased federal shares could raise federal and state administrative costs without a clear funding plan.
• The added documentation and reporting requirements for the MUTCD and the update process could slow down manual updates or create more paperwork for FHWA and the national committee.
• It is unclear exactly how the new definition of “consideration of all modes” will be applied in practice until FHWA issues its regulatory updates; this could create short-term uncertainty for project designers.
• The requirement that a State’s vulnerable road user fatality target “shall not exceed” the previous period’s total is vague in practice and may constrain how states set or report performance targets.
• The effectiveness of categorical design exceptions depends on how the list is written and updated; if the list is narrow or slow to change, some projects might still face lengthy exception processes.