Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
At an event on Sept. 25 in Braintree, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced the award of $12.4 million in federal traffic safety funding to promote safer roads across Massachusetts.
The funds came through three grant programs: Municipal Road Safety, State Agency Traffic Safety, and Underserved Communities Traffic Safety, which was introduced this year. The programs use funding awarded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and managed and administered in Massachusetts by the Office of Grants and Research.
“As individual communities work to address their unique traffic safety concerns, these programs provide resources and support that will ensure they have the tools they need to protect road users,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a prepared statement.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said, “No one agency or approach can resolve these issues, but the combination of prevention, enforcement, education and outreach initiatives funded through these grants will ensure safer roads for all in Massachusetts.”
Funds awarded to municipal police departments through the Municipal Road Safety Grant Program will help departments afford initiatives such as conducting traffic safety enforcement, bicyclist and pedestrian safety enforcement, non-enforcement activities such as trainings or community events, and purchasing traffic safety equipment or safety items to distribute in the community, such as bike helmets. This year, OGR awarded $5.64 million to 191 departments, a record number of recipients for the program.
The Underserved Communities Traffic Safety Grant Program will deliver $282,379 to support outreach and educational programs directed toward low-income communities, and specifically Environmental Justice populations. This marks the first time that the Office of Grants and Research has offered a traffic safety grant program strictly for nonprofit organizations, which will provide programs focused on improving pedestrian safety, programming for teen drivers, impaired driving prevention, distracted driving awareness, and other areas of need.
Six state agencies will receive grants totaling $6.5 million through the State Agency Traffic Safety Grant Program. Funding will support projects including training, educational and outreach programs, enforcement and crash prevention efforts.