Safety & Active Transportation
Access, Mobility & Safety Committee
Our Mission
Kentuckians for Better Transportation is the voice to educate and advocate for a safe and sustainable multi-modal transportation network that provides mobility across the Commonwealth for economic growth and improved quality of life.
In exploring concepts such as Safe Systems Approach, Americans With Disabilities Act, BikeWalkKY, Complete Streets and many others supported by USDOT, we will serve as a conduit to our members, KYTC, State Legislators for education and advocacy of the individual transportation user.
Vision Zero
In recent years, the U.S. has experienced an epidemic of roadway injuries and fatalities, especially when compared with rates in other high-income nations. One strategy U.S. policymakers have utilized to combat the problem is the introduction of Vision Zero plans affirming a commitment to implement actions to reach zero traffic-related deaths.
We encourage you to learn more about The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Safe Streets & Roads for All (SS4A) program funds local, regional and Tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. This includes planning efforts, demonstration projects and implementation of Vision Zero and Safe System work. Learn about Vision Zero Network’s ideas to leverage SS4A funding.
See more opportunities from USDOT about possible federal grant funding.
Safety
Recent national traffic safety data shows encouraging progress compared to the sharp spike in fatalities seen during and immediately following the pandemic, but roadway safety remains one of the nation’s most pressing transportation challenges. According to preliminary estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 39,345 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2024 — marking a continued decline from the post-pandemic peak recorded in 2021. Even with this improvement, annual fatalities remain significantly higher than pre-2020 levels.
Traffic deaths surged nationwide during the pandemic era due to a combination of factors including excessive speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, lower seatbelt usage, and riskier driving behavior. While overall crash fatalities have gradually declined since 2022, serious concerns remain surrounding pedestrian safety, impaired driving, speeding, and crashes on rural roadways.
In response, both federal and state transportation policy have increasingly prioritized a “Safe System Approach” — a strategy focused on designing roads and transportation networks that anticipate human mistakes while reducing the likelihood of severe injuries and fatalities. This approach emphasizes safer roadway design, speed management, improved intersection safety, enhanced visibility, better data analysis, and infrastructure investments that protect all roadway users.
The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, significantly expanded transportation safety funding nationwide. One of the most impactful programs created through the legislation is the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, which provides billions in competitive grant funding to help local communities develop and implement strategies aimed at reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries.
The law also strengthened support for Complete Streets policies, expanded funding for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), and accelerated updates to national roadway design guidance and traffic control standards. These investments reflect a growing recognition that safety must remain the foundation of transportation planning across every mode and every community.
For Kentucky and communities across the country, the challenge moving forward is clear: maintaining mobility and economic growth while creating transportation systems that are safer, smarter, and more resilient for everyone who uses them.
Access
There are widely supported methods to this approach for inclusive public access and safety in our transportation network, specifically putting the person, rather than a vehicle as the focused perspective. One such method that thoroughly captures this approach is Complete Streets.
“Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe use and support mobility for all users. Those include people of all ages and abilities, regardless of whether they are travelling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation riders. The concept of Complete Streets encompasses many approaches to planning, designing, and operating roadways and rights of way with all users in mind to make the transportation network safer and more efficient. Complete Street policies are set at the state, regional, and local levels and are frequently supported by roadway design guidelines.”
Active Transportation and Micromobility
Active transportation is (mostly) human-powered mobility, such as biking or walking. Active transportation directly replaces motor vehicle miles traveled. In doing so this mode is effective at conserving fuel, , reducing vehicle emissions, bridging the first- and last-mile gap, and improving individual and public health. Bicycles, electric bikes, wheelchairs, scooters, and even walking are all considered active transportation.
Micromobility refers to fleets of fully or partially human-powered vehicles including manual bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters that individuals can access for short-term use. Micromobility options fill a gap in needs for single segment or one-way trips, allowing users to avoid the costs of purchasing, maintaining, and storing a bike. These solutions also present another way to close first-and-last-mile gaps by providing a more affordable, accessible, and equitable way for individuals to get to and from public transit options.