Safe System Weekly | January 24, 2025
by Russ Martin
Welcome to this week’s edition! This week’s news has been dominated by the transition to the new administration with a perhaps unexpected immediate impact on transportation.??
Executive Order Seems To Upend All Infrastructure Spending?
Among the new Executive Orders signed by the president was one that would have seemed to halt all spending under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which includes most federal transportation spending on existing programs for highways, bridges and other infrastructure. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) even temporarily paused financial processing.??
?? It’s normal for many things to temporarily pause and reset when a new presidential administration takes office. We should have expected this administration in particular to paint with a broad brush on issues such as electric vehicles, climate action, and even some discretionary transportation programs. In the interim, the White House has clarified for the FHWA, and financial processing has resumed. In part because there is so much bipartisan congressional investment in the implementation of the BIL, this author expects additional retooling of this executive policy is likely forthcoming.?
Congress Kicks Off Transportation Reauthorization?
It’s hard to believe that the BIL itself expires next year (September 30, 2026), but the new Congress is wasting little time deliberating the next multi-year law to reauthorize all major federal transportation programs. The Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held its first hearing on Wednesday. Included within reauthorization are policies and funding related to federal highway safety grant funding to states and localities from FHWA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and more.??
Sean Duffy on Track to Become Transportation Secretary?
The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved Sean Duffy’s nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), almost completely assuring agreement of the full Senate. During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Duffy notably discussed his own family’s traffic crash experience and remarked on the wider toll of traffic crashes in our communities.?
New Administrative Freezes Pending Regulations?
Another action of the new administration is to freeze all regulatory action until any proposals can be further reviewed. There are a number of safety-related federal rulemakings pending, and their, along with all other rulemakings, will now be paused.??
New U.S. DOT Speed Limit Setting Handbook?
FHWA released a new guide for how to choose non-statutory speed limits and best practices on related engineering studies.??
Automakers File Lawsuit, NHTSA Delays AEB Rule
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation?(AEB) sued the U.S. DOT to prevent NHTSA from implementing a rule to require Automated Emergency Braking on all new vehicles starting in 2029. The original equipment manufacturer group maintains support for AEB as an effective safety technology but argues that the standards and deadlines imposed are impractical. Then yesterday, NHTSA announced it is delaying the effective date of the rule to March 20, 2025.
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CS Helps Organize Safe Streets and Roads for All Public Workshop?
In support of our work for the New York Capital Region Vision Zero Program, CS is helping to host public workshops in Schenectady.??
CS Openings?
Check out current openings to join our team!?
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That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading!?
Send me any updates you'd like me to include next week at [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn.?
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