$5 billion for inner city sidewalks

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WASHINGTON (AP) — With upcoming data showing traffic deaths soaring, the Biden administration is steering $5 billion in federal aid to cities and localities to address the growing crisis by slowing down cars, carving out bike paths and wider sidewalks and nudging commuters to public transit.

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Deaths also are disproportionately higher among nonwhite, lower-income people, who are more likely to take public transit and travel by foot or bike, as well as those in tribal and rural areas, where speeding can be common and seat belt use less frequent.

“We face a national crisis of fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways, and these tragedies are preventable — so as a nation we must work urgently and collaboratively to save lives,” Buttigieg said. He said the money “will help communities large and small take action to protect all Americans on our roads.”

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a big chunk of fatalities have been occurring for motorists who do not buckle up

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The latest U.S. guidance Monday invites cities and localities to sketch out safety plans in their applications for the federal grants, which are to be awarded late this year.

It cites examples of good projects as those that promise to transform a high-crash roadway, such as by adding rumble strips to slow cars or installing speed cameras, which the department says could provide more equitable enforcement than police traffic stops

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Kelley, who is Black, said communities can become vibrant and more connected by fostering walkable neighborhoods that allow the elderly who may not readily drive, such as his parents, to “age in place” near a younger generation, like his daughters, who increasingly “don’t want or need to drive” a car if there are other safe and affordable transportation options available.

“Everyone deserves to be able to walk, to bike, to take transit, and for that to be the safe and easy choice,” Kelley said.

Buttigieg stressed the urgency.

“I’m convinced that we can use this moment, this urgent and troubling moment, as a pivot point,” he said. “We are out to fund whatever is going to go most directly toward reducing crashes and saving lives so we can change the trajectory of road safety in this decade.”

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