Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Improvement Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7462 To provide for nationwide, on-the-ground road safety assessments focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 1, 2020 Mr. LYNCH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To provide for nationwide, on-the-ground road safety assessments focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pedestrian and Bicy- 4 clist Safety Improvement Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. NATIONWIDE ROAD SAFETY ASSESSMENT. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 7 shall, every 2 years, conduct nationwide, on-the-ground 8 road safety assessments focused on pedestrian and bicycle 9 safety in each State. 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:29 Jul 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7462.IH H7462 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7462 IH (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The assessments required 1 under subsection (a) shall be conducted— 2 (1) by Department of Transportation field of- 3 fices from the Federal Highway Administration, the 4 National Highway Transportation Safety Adminis- 5 tration, the Federal Transit Administration, and the 6 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; and 7 (2) in consultation with— 8 (A) State and local agencies with jurisdic- 9 tion over pedestrian and bicycle safety; 10 (B) pedestrian safety and bicycle safety 11 advocacy organizations; and 12 (C) other relevant pedestrian and bicycle 13 safety stakeholders. 14 (c) PURPOSES.—The purpose of the assessments 15 under this section is to— 16 (1) identify and examine specific locations with 17 documented or perceived problems with pedestrian 18 and bicycle safety and access; 19 (2) examine barriers to providing safe pedes- 20 trian and bicycle access to transportation infrastruc- 21 ture; and 22 (3) develop and issue recommendations de- 23 signed to effectively address specific safety and ac- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:29 Jul 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7462.IH H7462 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7462 IH cess issues and enhance pedestrian and bicycle safe- 1 ty in high-risk areas. 2 (d) REPORT ON STATE ASSESSMENTS.—Upon com- 3 pletion of the assessment of a State, the Secretary shall 4 issue, and make available to the public, a report con- 5 taining the assessment that includes— 6 (1) a list of locations that have been assessed 7 as presenting a danger to pedestrians or bicyclists; 8 and 9 (2) recommendations to enhance pedestrian and 10 bicycle safety in those locations. 11 (e) REPORT ON NATIONWIDE PROGRAM.—Upon com- 12 pletion of the biannual assessment nationwide required 13 under this section, the Secretary shall issue, and make 14 available to the public, a report that covers assessments 15 for all jurisdictions and also present it to the congressional 16 transportation committees. 17 (f) NATIONAL PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE SAFETY 18 DATABASE.—The Secretary, in order to enhance pedes- 19 trian and bicycle safety and improve information sharing 20 on pedestrian and bicycle safety challenges between the 21 Federal Government and State and local governments, 22 shall maintain a national pedestrian and bicycle safety 23 database that includes— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Jul 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7462.IH H7462 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7462 IH (1) a list of high-risk intersections, roads, and 1 highways with a documented history of pedestrian or 2 bicycle accidents or fatalities and details regarding 3 those incidents; and 4 (2) information on corrective measures that 5 have been implemented at the State, local, or Fed- 6 eral level to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety 7 at those high-risk areas, including details on the na- 8 ture and date of corrective action. 9 (g) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 10 ‘‘State’’ means each of the States, the District of Colum- 11 bia, and Puerto Rico. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:29 Jul 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7462.IH H7462 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS