NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS INC

LEADING THE CONVERSATION- 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.THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, NACTO WORKED TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS OF THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT (IIJA). IN PART BECAUSE OF NACTO ADVOCACY, THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION PROVIDED URGENTLY-NEEDED FUNDING THROUGH ITS SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL (SS4A) PROGRAM TO STEM THE TRAFFIC SAFETY CRISIS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WORKING DIRECTLY WITH CITIES TO DESIGN THE PROGRAM SO THAT IT WILL MAXIMIZE THE NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED ON LOCAL STREETS. IN DECEMBER, THE ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED $817M OF FUNDING THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, INCLUDING OVER $340M TO NACTO MEMBER CITIES.ANOTHER FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM THAT NACTO HELPED SHAPE, THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES PROGRAM, AWARDED $185 MILLION TO CITIES ACROSS THE U.S. TO FUND PROJECTS THAT QUITE LITERALLY RECONNECT NEIGHBORHOODS PREVIOUSLY DIVIDED BY TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENSURE RESIDENTS CAN MORE EASILY OPPORTUNITY. AND $2.2 BILLION IN RAISE GRANTS WILL FUND OVER 150 GROUNDBREAKING LOCAL TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVES NATIONWIDE, RANGING FROM THE TRANSFORMATION OF AN UNSAFE STREET INTO A VIBRANT, MULTIMODAL CORRIDOR IN FORT WORTH, TX TO A REGIONAL BIKEWAY AND BUS RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDOR CONNECTING BOULDER AND LONGMONT, COLORADO.NACTO CONTINUED ITS PUSH TO ENSURE THE VEHICLES ON OUR ROADS ARE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. AFTER NACTO AND THOUSANDS OF CONCERNED RESIDENTS, SAFETY EXPERTS, CITIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS CALLED ON USDOT LAST YEAR TO REFORM THE NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) TO ACCOUNT FOR THE SAFETY OF PEOPLE TRAVELING OUTSIDE OF VEHICLES, THE AGENCY PROPOSED THE ADDITION OF AN OPTIONAL PEDESTRIAN CRASHWORTHINESS TEST. WHILE THIS PROPOSAL WAS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, IT STILL LET AUTOMAKERS OFF THE HOOK FOR DESIGNING DANGEROUS VEHICLES. SO NACTO ACTIVATED CITY LEADERS, SAFETY EXPERTS AND ADVOCATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO DEMAND MORE AND PUSH THE ISSUE INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT, WITH NATIONAL NEWS STORIES COVERING THIS EFFORT. FINALLY, AND MOST IMPACTFULLY, NACTO YEARS-LONG ADVOCACY EFFORT BORE FRUIT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, AS USDOT UNVEILED ITS LATEST MANUAL ON UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES (MUTCD), WHICH HAS OUTSIZED INFLUENCE ON HOW NEARLY ALL STREETS ARE DESIGNED ACROSS THE U.S. WHILE THE NEW EDITION DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERY NECESSARY REFORM TO CREATE COMPREHENSIVELY SAFE STREETS, IT MOVES US CLOSER TO NACTO'S GOAL OF A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT IS SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, AND EQUITABLE. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE STEADFAST LEADERSHIP OF NACTO MEMBER CITIES, OUR ADVOCACY PARTNERS, AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE U.S.

BUILDING THE MOVEMENT - NACTO CONVENES A NETWORK OF LEADING CITIES AND TRANSIT AGENCIES, PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN TRANSPORTATION POLICY AND URBAN DESIGN, FORGING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PEER CITIES, AND EMPOWERING THE INDIVIDUALS WHO COMPRISE THE PROGRESSIVE LOCAL TRANSPORTATION MOVEMENT.NACTO EMPOWERS CITY STAFF TO BETTER ACHIEVE THEIR CITIES' GOALS FOR TRANSPORTATION THROUGH A NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES. NACTO PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGULAR PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING VIA CONVENINGS, TARGETED WORKSHOPS, AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. NACTO'S SIGNATURE EVENT, THE ANNUAL DESIGNING CITIES CONFERENCE, IS THE PREMIER TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE IN THE US, SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON LEADERSHIP IN SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION PRACTICE. AT 2023'S NACTO DESIGNING CITIES CONFERENCE, 1,200 TRANSPORTATION PLANNERS, ENGINEERS, AND OTHER PRACTITIONERS MET IN DENVER, COLORADO. OVER FOUR DAYS IN MAY, NACTO PROVIDED PROGRAMMING TO STAFF FROM OVER 200 CITIES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, AS WELL AS THEIR PARTNERS IN THE CIVIC COMMUNITY AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR. WORKSHOPS, PEER SESSIONS, AND WALKSHOPS PROVIDED PRACTITIONERS WITH PRACTICAL, ACTIONABLE SKILLS AND INSIGHTS THEY CAN APPLY TO THEIR OWN PROJECTS. AT "MEET THE CITIES," CITY STAFF LEARNED FROM EACH OTHER ABOUT WHAT WORKSAND WHAT DOESN'TON INNOVATIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. WE ALSO HEARD FROM NOTABLE LEADERS, INCLUDING SHAILEN BHATT, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, AND JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD. IN 2023, NACTO AND THE BETTER BIKE SHARE PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED THE THIRD COHORT OF THE TRANSPORTATION JUSTICE FELLOWSHIP, WHICH OFFERS EIGHT FELLOWS AN EIGHT-MONTH CURRICULUM DESIGNED TO DEVELOP THEIR INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES TO CREATE A MORE JUST AND EQUITABLE MOBILITY FIELD. NACTO FACILITATES SKILLS-BUILDING SESSIONS, ONE-ON-ONE COACHING, SPECIAL TRAINER VISITS AND STRUCTURED COLLABORATION, AND FELLOWS RECEIVE DEEP SUPPORT AS THEY WORK ON TANGIBLE WAYS TO IMPROVE MOBILITY FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. BY CREATING COMMUNITY, FELLOWS WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO TACKLE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES FACING OUR COUNTRY TODAY.NACTO HOSTS PEER NETWORKS ON A RANGE OF TOPICS, INCLUDING NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY, BIKEWAY DESIGN, BIKE SHARE AND MICROMOBILITY, EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY, EQUITY, AND TRANSIT. NACTO DEDICATES SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES TO SUPPORTING, TRAINING, AND NURTURING THESE NETWORKS OF CITY STAFFWHETHER THROUGH IN-PERSON EVENTS OR VIRTUAL FORUMS. THIS YEAR, WE ADDED TWO NEW PEERS NETWORKSOUR IIJA CITY COORDINATORS PEER NETWORK TO ENSURE CITIES ARE WELL-PREPARED TO ACCESS AND USE FUNDING FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT, AS WELL AS OUR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE (AV) WORKING GROUP, CREATED AS AV COMPANIES DEPLOY THOUSANDS OF DRIVERLESS CARS ON CITY STREETS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN THE LAST DECADE, NACTO HAS GROWN FROM A COUPLE DOZEN CITY TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS TO 100 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. NEW MEMBERS IN 2023 INCLUDE DALLAS, TX; CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA; KINGSTON, NY; NORWALK, CT; UKIAH, CA; GREENVILLE, SC; BOZEMAN, MT, AND BEVERLY HILLS, CA.