National Association of City Transportation Officials Inc

ACCELERATING CHANGE - NACTO CONDUCTS TARGETED AND INTENSIVE WORK WITH INDIVIDUAL CITIES OR REGIONS TO CATALYZE LOCAL CHANGE; SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS BECOME NATIONAL CASE STUDIES, INSPIRING OTHER CITIES WITH INNOVATIVE RECIPES AND STRATEGIES FOR TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES.FOR YEARS, NACTO'S CERTIFIED TRAININGS PROGRAM HAS PARTNERED WITH PRIVATE-SECTOR PRACTITIONERS TO EXPAND THE REACH OF NACTO DESIGN GUIDES TO MORE JURISDICTIONS AND GIVE PRACTITIONERS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO TRANSFORM THEIR STREETS. IN EARLY 2020, BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HIT, NACTO HOSTED A COMPLETE STREETS DESIGN TRAINING IN CINCINNATI, OHIO, WHICH FOCUSED ON PROMOTING EQUITY THROUGH MULTIMODAL STREET DESIGN. WITH IN-PERSON EVENTS ON PAUSE FOR MOST OF THE YEAR, NACTO FOCUSED ON RESTRUCTURING ITS TRAINING PROGRAM TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING THE HIGHEST QUALITY TRAININGS THAT REFLECT THE EVOLVING WORK OF NACTO CITIES AND THE CITY TRANSPORTATION FIELD. AS ONE OF THE LEADING TRANSPORTATION PARTNERS IN THE AMERICAN CITIES CLIMATE CHALLENGE, NACTO SUPPORTED INITIATIVES IN ACCC CITIES BY OFFERING WORKSHOPS, TECHNICAL AND POLICY GUIDANCE, AND, IN SIX CITIES, IN-DEPTH "ACCELERATOR" SUPPORT. IN 2020, NACTO HOSTED OVER 15 EVENTS THROUGH THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE, INCLUDING WEBINARS TO SUPPORT PLANNING AND PRACTICE, AND DIGITAL DESIGN CHARRETTES, WITH PEER AND HOST CITY PRACTITIONERS SHARING EXPERTISE AND DISCUSSING DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS TO ANSWER SPECIFIC PROJECT QUESTIONS. IN MARCH, WHEN NACTO POSTPONED ALL IN-PERSON EVENTS, THE ACCC TEAM QUICKLY FOUND NEW WAYS TO SUPPORT WORK IN ACCELERATOR CITIES REMOTELY. IN ATLANTA, DENVER, AND PHILADELPHIA, NACTO PIVOTED PLANNED VISITS INTO VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS AND CHARRETTES TO ADVANCE CRITICAL BIKEWAY PROJECTS, PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SAFETY AND TRANSIT PROJECTS, AND SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY AND DESIGN GUIDELINES. IN BOSTON, MINNEAPOLIS, AND SAN ANTONIO, NACTO HELD REGULAR MEETINGS WITH CITY STAFF, FACILITATING INTERDEPARTMENTAL DISCUSSIONS TO ALIGN PROJECT TEAMS ON GOALS AND TRADEOFFS, HOSTING DIGITAL DESIGN CHARRETTES ON ENHANCING AND EXPANDING BIKEWAYS, AND CONVENING INTERAGENCY DESIGN SESSIONS TO ADVANCE HIGH-PROFILE COMPLETE STREETS PROJECTS. DESPITE ENORMOUS CHALLENGES, ACCELERATOR CITIES APPLIED CLIMATE CHALLENGE AND PEER CITY SUPPORT OVER 2020 TO ADVANCE LANDMARK TRANSPORTATION ACTIONS.

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 AND MEET LOCAL CHALLENGES; INCREASED FEDERAL RESEARCH ON URBAN 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.IN ADDITION TO THIS WORK AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL, 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 GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND CLIMATE IMPACTS FROM TRANSPORTATION, INTEGRATING GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE INTO MULTI-MODAL STREET DESIGN, DESIGNING BIKEWAYS THAT ARE INVITING FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES, ENCOURAGING SHARED MOBILITY TO REDUCE SINGLE-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE TRIPS, AND ADJUSTING CITY PRACTICES TO PURSUE RACIAL AND MOBILITY JUSTICE AND BETTER REFLECT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITIES CITIES SEEK TO SERVE. NACTO CITIES ARE MEETING 21ST CENTURY TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES WITH INNOVATIVE POLICY APPROACHES, AND BY SHARING LESSONS LEARNED AND PUBLISHING NATIONAL GUIDANCE AND PRACTITIONERS' PAPERS, NACTO CITIES ARE RAISING THE STATE OF THE PRACTICE.NACTO JOINED THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES (NCUTCD) IN JANUARY 2020, WHICH ADVISES THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION (FHWA) ON THE CONTENT OF THE MUTCD, A MANUAL OF CODIFIED ROADWAY MARKING AND SIGNAGE STANDARDS. NACTO WAS ALLOCATED THREE VOTING SEATS ON THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE, MARKING THE FIRST TIME IN FIFTY YEARS THAT CITIES HAVE HAD A FORMAL VOICE AND PROVIDING BALANCE AND A CITY-FOCUSED PERSPECTIVE ALONGSIDE REPRESENTATIVES OF AASHTO, ITE, APBP, AND INDUSTRY GROUPS. AS FHWA PREPARES A NEW EDITION OF THE MUTCD, THE PARTICIPATION OF EXPERIENCED CITY ENGINEERS IN THE U.S. NATIONAL STANDARDS DIALOGUE IS TIMELY: BEST PRACTICES FROM CITIES CAN BE CODIFIED INTO FEDERAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND SPREAD TO MORE PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, FASTER.NACTO RELEASED CITY LIMITS IN JULY 2020, A RESOURCE DETAILING PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR SETTING SAFE SPEED LIMITS ON URBAN STREETS. DEVELOPED OVER TWO YEARS WITH A STEERING COMMITTEE OF NACTO MEMBERS, CITY LIMITS OUTLINES HOW TO USE A CONTEXT-SENSITIVE, SAFE SYSTEMS APPROACH TO SET SPEED LIMITS ON URBAN STREETS, MARKING A DEPARTURE FROM LEGACY SPEED LIMIT SETTING METHODS THAT OFTEN RESULT IN UNSAFE SPEEDS FOR URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. IN AUGUST 2020, NACTO-GDCI RELEASED THE PUBLICATION, DESIGNING STREETS FOR KIDS. AS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE GLOBAL STREET DESIGN GUIDE, THIS GUIDE BUILDS ON THE APPROACH OF PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST, FOCUSING ON THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF CHILDREN AND CAREGIVERS USING URBAN STREETS AS PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS, AND TRANSIT USERS. THE GUIDE INCLUDES NUMEROUS CASE STUDIES OF PROJECTS, PROGRAMS, AND POLICIES FROM CITIES AROUND THE WORLD, AND DISCUSSES DIFFERENT STREET DESIGN STRATEGIES TO MAKE STREETS SAFER AND MORE PLAYFUL.ALSO IN AUGUST, NACTO RELEASED THE LATEST EDITION OF ITS NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL SNAPSHOT OF THE STATE OF SHARED MICRO MOBILITY. THE SNAPSHOT FOUND THAT RIDERSHIP CONTINUED TO GROW OVER 2019: 136 MILLION TRIPS WERE TAKEN ON SHARED BIKES AND SCOOTERS ACROSS THE U.S., A 60% INCREASE FROM 2018. THE SUSTAINED POPULARITY OF DOCKLESS SCOOTERS WAS EVIDENT, AS THE NUMBER OF CITIES WITH DOCKLESS MOBILITY PROGRAMS GREW TWO-FOLD. RELEASED DURING THE SUMMER, THE SNAPSHOT ALSO EXPLORED EARLY TRENDS IN BIKE SHARE USE DURING COVID-19 AND NOTED HOW SYSTEMS SUCCESSFULLY RETOOLED THEIR OPERATIONS TO RESPOND TO THE NEED FOR TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS TO HOSPITALS AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SERVICES.IN NOVEMBER, NACTO WAS PLEASED TO WORK WITH THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION'S TRANSITION TEAM TO PRESENT A SERIES OF FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. NACTO STAFF AND MEMBER CITIES OUTLINED ACTIONS THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND EACH AGENCY UNDER THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COULD TAKE TO IMPROVE CITY TRANSPORTATION SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND EQUITYWITH AND WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL ACTION. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE ALSO DEEPLY INFORMED BY CITY NEEDS AMIDST THE PANDEMIC AND THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IT PRECIPITATED.IN ORDER TO ADVANCE A VISION FOR SAFE, SUSTAINABLE CITY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND DISSEMINATE NATIONAL RESOURCES AND PUBLICATIONS, NACTO'S WORK INCLUDES A STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVE. IN 2020, NACTO LEVERAGED ITS WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND PRESS OUTREACH TO PROVIDE CLEAR, ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION TO PRACTITIONERS, COMMUNITIES, ADVOCACY GROUPS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WORKING TOWARDS A SHARED VISION FOR BETTER URBAN TRANSPORTATION.THROUGHOUT 2020, CITY LEADERS, TRANSIT AGENCIES, COMMUNITY ADVOCATES, AND THE MEDIA LOOKED TO NACTO AS AN AUTHORITATIVE NATIONAL VOICE ON CITY TRANSPORTATION. AS COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE SHELTERED IN PLACE, AND STREETS TOOK ON PROFOUND NEW IMPORTANCE, NACTO HELPED DISSEMINATE INFORMATION BETWEEN CITIES, TO THE PUBLIC, AND THROUGH THE MEDIA, INCLUDING THROUGH A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER DURING THE CRUCIAL FIRST MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC.NACTO ALSO PARTNERS WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO ADVANCE A COMMON VISION FOR VIBRANT CITIES, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL, ALLIANCE FOR A JUST SOCIETY, THE INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS, THE ASSOCIATION OF BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PROFESSIONALS, THE VISION ZERO NETWORK, THE NATIONAL COMPLETE STREETS COALITION, AND THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION, AMONG MANY OTHERS.