The PHASE Act of 2025 is designed to make streets safer for people walking, biking, and otherwise getting around without a car. The bill gives two government agencies—NIST and the Department of Transportation—money and authority to study and fund improvements to pedestrian safety.

Here's what happens in practice: NIST will research new technologies and smart solutions that could make traffic signals and road signs work better, helping both drivers and pedestrians avoid accidents. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation will create a grant program that gives funding directly to cities, tribes, and local governments so they can actually build these safety improvements. This could mean installing smart crosswalks that alert drivers, creating wider buffer zones between cars and pedestrians, or upgrading traffic signals to be more effective.

The bill also requires the Department of Transportation to study physical barriers and other protective measures that could shield pedestrians and cyclists from traffic accidents. Overall, this is about taking money and research that currently exists and redirecting it toward making streets safer for people who aren't in cars—whether that's someone walking to work, a kid biking to school, or someone in a wheelchair crossing the street.

PHASE Act of 2025

Torres, Norma J.

Pedestrian Hazard, Awareness, and Safety Expansion Act of 2025 or the PHASE Act of 2025This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to&nbsp;conduct studies and award grants&nbsp;to improve road safety for pedestrians and vulnerable road users.Specifically, the bill directs NIST to transmit to DOT potential solutions to improve and enhance traffic control devices using innovative technologies in order to better equip vehicle operators (including bicycles) and protect pedestrians and vulnerable road users.&nbsp;In addition, DOT must establish a program to provide grants to cities, Indian tribes, and municipalities to implement infrastructure that improves pedestrian safety (e.g., innovative technology for crosswalks, expanded buffer zones, and upgraded highway traffic signals).DOT must also carry out a study on developing physical alternatives to better protect pedestrians and vulnerable road users from traffic incidents.