National Association of City Transportation Officials Inc

ACCELERATING CHANGE - NACTO CONDUCTS TARGETED AND INTENSIVE WORK WITH INDIVIDUAL CITIES OR REGIONS TO CATALYZE LOCAL CHANGE AND BUILD INTERNAL CAPACITY FOR CONSISTENT PROJECT DELIVERY. SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES BECOME NATIONAL CASE STUDIES, INSPIRING OTHER CITIES WITH INNOVATIVE RECIPES AND STRATEGIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES.WITH SUPPORT FROM BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES, NACTO LAUNCHED A SECOND ROUND OF STREETS FOR PANDEMIC RESPONSE AND RECOVERY GRANTS IN 2021. BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE 2021 PROGRAM, NACTO AGAIN OFFERED DIRECT AID TO CITIES WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO REIMAGINE STREETS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE HARMED BY COVID-19. THE 10 FUNDED PROJECTS WHICH FOCUSED ON TRAFFIC CALMING AND WAY FINDING, LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORT, AND COMMUNITY SERVICE PROVISION CENTERED LOCAL EXPERTISE IN PANDEMIC RESPONSE AND LEVERAGED CITY STAFF'S ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT PROJECTS IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY. THIS GRANT PROGRAM, NACTO'S FIRST, CONTRIBUTES TO A SHIFT IN THINKING ABOUT THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN DELIVERING EQUITABLE RAPID RESPONSE PROJECTS.AS A LEADING TRANSPORTATION PARTNER IN THE AMERICAN CITIES CLIMATE CHALLENGE (ACCC), NACTO CONTINUED ITS WORK ACCELERATING CLIMATE ACTION IN 25 OF AMERICA'S LARGEST CITIES. IN 2021, NACTO WORKED CLOSELY WITH ST. LOUIS, CINCINNATI, ST. PETERSBURG, SAN ANTONIO, AND WASHINGTON, DC ON IN-DEPTH WORKSHOPS DEVELOPED TO RESPOND TO EACH CITY'S NEEDS AND FOCUSED ON BUILDING INTERNAL CAPACITY BY CREATING A VENUE FOR DEPARTMENTS TO DISCUSS SHARED CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN DELIVERING MULTIMODAL PROJECTS. NACTO ALSO GREW ITS OFFICE HOURS PROGRAM, HOLDING DOZENS OF SESSIONS ON BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND TRANSIT PLANNING WITH CITIES SEEKING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

LEADING THE CONVERSATION AND ADVANCING A UNIFIED CITY VOICE - NACTO WORKS TO LEAD THE CONVERSATION ON CITY TRANSPORTATION AND ADVANCE A UNIFIED CITY VOICE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE, ADVOCATING FOR STATE AND FEDERAL ADOPTION OF STREET DESIGN GUIDANCE THAT SUPPORTS SAFE, SUSTAINABLE CITY STREETS; REGULATORY CHANGES THAT GIVE CITIES GREATER FLEXIBILITY TO INNOVATE; INCREASED FEDERAL RESEARCH ON TRANSPORTATION ISSUES; IMPROVED COORDINATION BETWEEN STATE AND LOCAL TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS; AND POLICIES THAT PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSIT, BICYCLING, AND WALKING AS INTEGRAL PARTS OF CITY TRANSPORTATION.NACTO CITIES ALSO COLLABORATE TO SHARE EXPERTISE ON LOCAL POLICY FOR SUSTAINABLE, PEOPLE-ORIENTED TRANSPORTATION, INCLUDING BEST PRACTICES AROUND IMPROVING PUBLIC TRANSIT SERVICE, MEETING VISION ZERO GOALS FOR SAFETY, REDUCING CLIMATE IMPACTS FROM TRANSPORTATION, DESIGNING ACCESSIBLE BIKEWAYS, ENCOURAGING SHARED MOBILITY, AND ADJUSTING CITY PRACTICES TO PURSUE RACIAL AND MOBILITY JUSTICE. BUILDING ON INROADS MADE IN 2020, NACTO FURTHER CEMENTED ITSELF AND US CITIES AS A FORCE FOR FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY REFORM. AS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS WORKED ON THE HISTORIC INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT (IIJA), NACTO SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHAMPION SAFETY, CLIMATE, AND EQUITY GOALS IN US TRANSPORTATION POLICY. THROUGH MONTHS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH CONGRESSIONAL AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, AND COORDINATION WITH PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, NACTO PRODUCED AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF ADVOCACY MATERIALS AND LEGISLATIVE WINS FOR OUR MEMBERS AND THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE.NACTO BROUGHT LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES TO THE FEDERAL LEVEL: WE OUTLINED OUR MEMBERS' PRIORITIES FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN'S FIRST 100 DAYS IN OFFICE, PRODUCED POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 2021 SURFACE TRANSPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION THAT CENTERED SAFETY, EQUITY, AND CLIMATE-ACTION, AND CREATED RESOURCES ON THE IIJA FOR OUR MEMBERS AND THE FIELD. WE PARTNERED WITH A NATIONAL COALITION OF ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS TO #SAVETRANSIT, HELPING SECURE $40 BILLION IN RELIEF FUNDING FOR TRANSIT IN THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.NACTO'S COORDINATED POLICY STRATEGY CONTRIBUTED TO MUCH-NEEDED LEGISLATIVE CHANGE. THE IIJA CREATES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS' WORTH OF GRANT PROGRAMS TO PAY FOR VISION ZERO IMPROVEMENTS, CONGESTION PRICING, AND LOCAL PROJECTS. IT ALSO INCLUDES LANGUAGE THAT AUTHORIZES CITIES TO USE NACTO DESIGN GUIDES WHEN BUILDING PROJECTS ON LOCALLY-CONTROLLED STREETS, GIVING THEM AUTONOMY TO BUILD IN CONTEXT-APPROPRIATE WAYS TO MEET LOCAL GOALS.NACTO FURTHER SUPPORTED ITS FEDERAL POLICY PROGRAM THROUGH THE RELEASE OF MAKING FEDERAL FUNDING WORK FOR CITIES. THIS POLICY BRIEF, DEVELOPED WITH TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA, OUTLINES THE CHALLENGES CITIES FACE USING FEDERAL FUNDS FOR LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, ALONG WITH SOLUTIONS TO FIX THEM.IN EARLY 2021, NACTO SEIZED AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE FEDERAL ROADWAY DESIGN STANDARDS WORK FOR CITIES AS WELL. IN THE SPRING, AFTER REVIEWING PROPOSED UPDATES TO THE MANUAL ON UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES (MUTCD), A REGULATORY DOCUMENT THAT REGULATES SIGNS, SIGNALS, AND MARKINGS ON US STREETS, NACTO LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO UPDATE THE MUTCD INTO A PROACTIVE, SAFETY-FIRST MANUAL. THROUGH LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGNS, MEDIA INTERVIEWS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF EGREGIOUS REGULATIONS, NACTO CREATED A NATIONAL STORY TO SHOWCASE THE FAILINGS OF THE MUTCD, WHICH FOR DECADES HAS PRIORITIZED THE EFFICIENT MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES OVER THE SAFETY OF PEOPLE. THROUGH THIS CAMPAIGN, THE PREVIOUSLY OBSCURE MUTCD RECEIVED NATIONAL ATTENTION. IN MAY, NACTO SUBMITTED 400 DETAILED COMMENTS OUTLINING HOW TO REFRAME THE MUTCD TO THE FEDERAL REGISTER AND, WORKING WITH PARTNERS, SOLICITED COMMENTS FROM CITIES, ADVOCATES, PRACTITIONERS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO FORMALLY REQUEST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REFRAME THE MUTCD. THE RESULT: OVER 25,000 INDIVIDUALS, AGENCIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS SUBMITTED COMMENTS. FOR DECADES, THE OUTMODED, AUTOCENTRIC STANDARDS IN THE MUTCD HAVE HARMED AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. NOW, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A CLEAR MANDATE TO UPDATE THE MANUAL TO BETTER REFLECT THE ASPIRATIONS OF WHAT STREETS CAN BE.THROUGHOUT 2021, NACTO RELEASED PUBLICATIONS THAT PROVIDE CITIES WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO DELIVER TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE. IN THE SPRING, NACTO PUBLISHED CITY LEADERSHIP IN A PANDEMIC, A PUBLICATION THAT CONDENSES OUR FINDINGS OF CITY AND TRANSIT AGENCY ACTIONS OVER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. IN JUNE, NACTO, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BLOOMBERG ASSOCIATES AND THE PEMBINA INSTITUTE, RELEASED PRIMED FOR PICKUP, WHICH OUTLINES STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE THE PRESSURES ON CITY STREETS CAUSED BY URBAN FREIGHT AND DELIVERIES.AS A NEW ADMINISTRATION IN WASHINGTON FOCUSED NATIONAL ATTENTION ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION, POLICYMAKERS AND THE NEWS MEDIA LOOKED TO NACTO FOR INSIGHTS ON THE MOST PRESSING NEEDS FOR CITY TRANSPORTATION TO ADDRESS THE COUNTRY'S SAFETY, CLIMATE, AND EQUITY CRISES. IN OVER 1,000 NEWS STORIES IN 2021, WE CONTINUED TO TELL THE STORY OF CITY TRANSPORTATION: WHERE WE ARE, WHAT WE NEED, AND THE STEPS WE NEED TO TAKE FOR MOBILITY TO BE SAFE, ACCESSIBLE, AND SUSTAINABLE FOR ALL.