In Washington, D.C., cyclists recently protested along 15th Street. Their opposition came after plans to remove bike lanes were announced. This follows a broader campaign against certain road safety measures by the Department of Transportation.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized “DEI bike lanes” in a post earlier this month. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has removed bike lanes and other safety practices from its “Proven Safety Countermeasures” list. This list previously included strategies shown to reduce crashes and save lives.
“We should be making decisions about safety based on evidence,” said Stephanie Pollack, former acting administrator of the FHWA.
Under Pollack, the Proven Safety Countermeasures program was expanded in 2021. It included 28 strategies, but recently five were removed, including bike lanes and speed cameras.
The FHWA has not announced or explained the reduction of this list. An FHWA spokesperson stated that the DOT aims to reverse policies that decreased lane capacity and caused congestion.
Opposition to bike lanes is not new. The Trump administration tried to remove bike lanes from the National Mall and redirected funds from projects considered “hostile” to cars. Details on when FHWA removed these strategies are unclear, but advocates noticed changes last week after the DOT issued $1.7 billion in grants without funds for bike or pedestrian projects.
Transportation Secretary Duffy claimed Biden’s administration used funds for projects unrelated to essential roadwork. Critics argue that the government has acknowledged bike lanes’ safety benefits. Recent changes saw five safety strategies stripped from the FHWA’s site.
Though the Proven Safety Countermeasures list does not directly direct funding, it influences decisions at state and local levels. “It’s really going to put lifesaving projects at risk,” said Josh Naramore, a policy expert at the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
Safety advocates express concerns over the difficulty in advocating for measures like speed cameras. Evidence shows speed cameras can reduce urban crashes significantly. Similarly, adding bike lanes has been shown to substantially decrease crash rates.
“‘Proven’ is basically backed by sound research, research that we have confidence in,” said former FHWA employee Michael Griffith.
Despite a decline in road fatalities since 2021, U.S. roads remain less safe than those in countries like Canada. More than 36,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, and pedestrian deaths, though declining, remain high.
Pollack stressed, “These measures are crucial tools for officials to ensure roadway safety. They must be credible to be effective.”
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