Moulton Reintroduces Building Safer Streets Act to Modernize Outdated Federal Road Design Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) reintroduced the Building Safer Streets Act, legislation to modernize the federal design standards that shape how roads are planned and built across the country. The legislation directs the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to update decades-old rules that have often prioritized vehicle speed over the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users. It also gives state and local engineers more flexibility to design streets that protect everyone who uses them.

More than 100 people die in traffic crashes in the United States every day, according to federal data, and pedestrian and cyclist deaths have risen even as overall vehicle miles traveled has leveled off. Safety advocates and engineers highlight outdated street design standards that protect car drivers more than they do pedestrians and cyclists as the main culprit for this continued growth.

The bill was originally introduced in response to the death of Sidney Mae Olson, a 5-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer in May 2023 while crossing a marked sidewalk on Elm Street, in Andover, Massachusetts, on her way to class with the "walk" signal showing.

"More than 100 people dying per day in traffic crashes is a symptom of a failing transportation system. It shows that our streets were not designed with the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users in mind," said Congressman Moulton. "The Building Safer Streets Act gives engineers the tools to build streets that protect everyone who uses them, not just those people behind the wheel of a car. We owe it to every victim and their family to fix what is broken before it costs another life."

In the years since, Sidney's parents, Eric Olson and Mary Beth Ellis, have become leading advocates for safer street design, founding the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund and helping launch a Massachusetts chapter of Families for Safe Streets.

The reintroduction comes at a moment when the risks facing everyone on Massachusetts streets remain top of mind: last month, a City of Boston transportation planner was struck and killed while cycling in Mission Hill. The case is a reminder of why modernizing street design standards for all road users remains an urgent priority.

The full bill text can be found here.

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