Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $800 million in grant awards for the Safe Streets and Roads for All national grant program.
The $2.4 million portion awarded to Metro will be used to enhance crash data analysis and identify a list of quick-build pedestrian safety projects.
In the application, Metro staff focused on the Metro Council's policy leadership for the 2018 Regional Transportation Safety Strategy and reaching the goal of zero deaths and life-threatening injuries on roadways by 2035.
"This grant, focused on reducing traffic fatalities, will help us address pedestrian safety in greater Portland – a major concern in many of our communities, but especially in those with a history of less public investment focused on protecting people walking to work, school, the store or the bus," Metro’s planning deputy director Margi Bradway said. "Metro is excited for the opportunities this will create to move our transportation system closer to Vision Zero."
Half of the grant will go directly to Washington County, Tigard, Multnomah County and the cities of East Multnomah County to develop comprehensive safety action plans, building their capacity to implement effective safety projects.
"Building a safe transportation system for everyone is a regional priority," Councilor Juan Carlos González said. "These funds help us deliver on that vision, especially for historically excluded communities where folks face tremendous gaps in their network. We will continue to seek opportunities for reducing accidents and pedestrian deaths in collaboration with communities across the region."