Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Streetsblog USA

Anthony Foxx Challenges Mayors to Protect Pedestrians and Cyclists

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx wants mayors to step up bike and pedestrian safety efforts. Photo: Building America's Future
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx speaking at the U.S. Conference of Mayors yesterday. Photo: Building America's Future
false

With pedestrian and cyclist deaths accounting for a rising share of U.S. traffic fatalities and Congress not exactly raring to take action, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is issuing a direct challenge to America's mayors to improve street safety. Yesterday Foxx unveiled the "Mayor's Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets" at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Transportation Committee meeting in Washington.

Overall traffic deaths are on a downward trend in the U.S., but the reduction in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities is not keeping pace with improvements for car occupants. Pedestrians and bicyclists now account for 17 percent of all traffic fatalities in the U.S., and most of these deaths are in urban areas, Foxx noted.

Back in September, Foxx told the Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike/Pro-Place conference in Pittsburgh that U.S. DOT is "putting together the most comprehensive, forward-leaning initiative U.S. DOT has ever put forward on bike/ped issues." The Mayor's Challenge fleshes out that initiative to some extent.

Foxx wants mayors to implement seven key recommendations from U.S. DOT. In March, mayors and local leaders will convene at DOT headquarters to discuss how to put the recommendations into practice. Participating cities will implement the strategies in the following year, with assistance from U.S. DOT.

U.S. DOT's recommendations urge a "complete streets" approach to design, better collection of data on walking and biking, and the incorporation of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure when cities resurface or rebuild streets.

In addition, U.S. DOT calls for "designs that are appropriate to the context of the street." The agency lists the NACTO Street Design Guide as a resource for designing streets "appropriate to the context." The NACTO manual includes guidelines for designs like protected bike lanes that are highly effective at improving safety but relatively new to American cities.

However, U.S. DOT makes no distinction between the NACTO guide and other engineering manuals that don't include such effective designs. The materials released so far don't exactly call out for a new generation of safer street designs.

Cities can join the challenge by filling out this form [PDF], or emailing pedbikesafety@dot.gov.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

L.A. City New Bikeway Mileage Fell to Five Year Low in Fiscal Year 23-24

Streetsblog's annual round-up of the good, the bad, and all the meh in between - for the city's underwhelming 22.5 lane-miles of new and improved bike facilities

October 2, 2024

Duarte Renews E-Bus Contract with Foothill Transit

City staff is satisfied with the service, which provides 25,000 rides a year

October 2, 2024

New Bike and Bus Lanes on Townsend Avenue and Avenue 51

A mile of new bus and bike lanes represents a worthwhile modest step toward safer, more multimodal streets. The hillside project includes uphill bike lanes and downhill sharrows.

October 1, 2024
See all posts