Duffy Redirects $1.73 Billion From Bike Lane Grants to Roads as Safety Critics Push Back
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 30
Duffy Redirects $1.73 Billion From Bike Lane Grants to Roads as Safety Critics Push Back
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 30
Summary
$1.73 billion in transportation funding was shifted this month from what Sean Duffy called “Biden-era DEI pet projects” to roads, bridges and shipping ports, with bike-lane grants a central target.
The administration has not explained how it defines a “DEI” bike lane, but it has already canceled projects including Albuquerque’s $11.4 million trail and Fairfield’s $11.7 million, and removed bike lanes from a federal safety countermeasures list.
Advocates say the pullback will delay local planning and make roads less safe, citing studies that found protected bike lanes cut top vehicle speeds 28% and collisions 53%.
The clash comes as bike use and public support have risen: 75% of U.S. adults backed local bike lanes in a 2025 YouGov survey, and New York’s Citi Bike logged more than 5 million rides in August 2025.
Albuquerque has sued over its canceled grant, arguing the lost project matters as New Mexico recorded 14 cyclist deaths in 2025—the highest toll in two decades.