{"id":165,"date":"2026-07-21T13:07:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T13:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanatlasmedia.com\/?p=165"},"modified":"2026-07-21T13:07:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T13:07:22","slug":"big-brother-at-u-s-dot-bike-lanes-arent-just-dei-theyre-also-unsafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanatlasmedia.com\/?p=165","title":{"rendered":"‘Big Brother’ At U.S. DOT: Bike Lanes Aren’t Just ‘DEI,’ They’re Also Unsafe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bike lanes are unsafe. Speed cameras cause crashes. Safety redesigns cause congestion and injuries.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018The Vibes Were Impeccable\u2019: World Cup, Knicks Showed Promise of Livable Streets in New York City<\/a><\/p>\n

Or, as Big Brother said, freedom is slavery, war is peace, ignorance is strength.<\/p>\n

President Trump and federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have made it clear for more than a year that they object to bike lanes, automated enforcement cameras and other proven safety measures \u2014\u00a0with Duffy going so far as to say that bike lanes are just government \u201cDEI\u201d activism \u2014 but neither man went out of their way say that such safety measures were, in fact, unsafe. Until now.<\/p>\n

Sometime between June 30 and July 10, the Trump-run Federal Highway Administration changed its web page of \u201cProven Safety Countermeasures\u201d to eliminate safety strategies that, before President Trump\u2019s second term began, the agency had long supported, including protected bike lanes, speed cameras and road diets:<\/p>\n

The administration had previously criticized road diets \u2014 the removal of a lane of traffic to make room for bike lanes or pedestrian safety measures, or also to improve flow with turning bays \u2014 by claiming without evidence that they cause traffic congestion. The agency has also canceled grants for projects that it deemed hostile to cars.<\/p>\n

But the changes to the web page reflect the administration\u2019s new contention that safety measures are not merely annoying to drivers, but unsafe.<\/p>\n

Activists can\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBike lanes and road diets are still legitimate safety measures,\u201d said Ken McLeod, policy director at the League of American Bicyclists. \u201cAbsolutely nothing has changed about their effectiveness or the data that led them to be placed on the Proven Safety Countermeasures list in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

And until July, the FHWA certainly agreed. On the archived web page, the agency said protected bike lanes \u201ccan mitigate or prevent interactions, conflicts, and crashes between bicyclists and motor vehicles, and create a network of safer roadways for bicycling. \u2026 State and local agencies should consider installing bicycle lanes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bicycle lanes align with the Safe System Approach principle of recognizing human vulnerability \u2014 where separating users in space can enhance safety for all road users,\u201d added the web page (which, ironically, was illustrated with a protected bike lane in Washington, D.C. that the president sought to remove earlier this year).<\/p>\n

The agency said that creating separated bicycle lane to protect cyclists from car traffic \u201creduces crashes up to 53 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

And on road diets, the FHWA (at least until July) said they \u201ccan improve safety, calm traffic, provide better mobility and access for all road users, and enhance overall quality of life.\u201d The agency said conversions of roadways from four lanes to two (plus a turning bay) lead to:<\/p>\n