#us dot

Eric Berger at The Guardian:

The Trump administration’s plans to stymie and defund bike lane plans in the US, on the unusual basis that they are DEI tools, will hurt efforts to improve roadway safety, non-motorized transportation advocates say. The transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, posted on X this month that he had redirected $1.73bn allocated for “Biden-era DEI pet projects” to “America’s actual backbone: ROADS, BRIDGES, AND SHIPPING PORTS”.

Duffy did not explain how the transportation department would determine which bike lanes support diversity, equity and inclusion. The administration also recently removed bike lanes and speed cameras from the Federal Highway Administration’s list of proven safety countermeasures.

The moves appear to be, at least in part, volleys from the administration in its ongoing culture war but will also ensure that federal roadway projects remain focused on cars, even though Americans have started using bikes more in recent years. “For this administration to come in and say, ‘Yes, I know the agency said yes to you last year, but now we are going to pull it back,’ creates a huge amount of uncertainty for cities and towns and communities that have invested in planning and identifying safety concerns or areas for economic growth,” said Caron Whitaker, deputy executive director for the League of American Bicyclists. “It slows the safety improvements … It reduces those improvements to quality of life.”

Under Joe Biden, the transportation department awarded billions of dollars in grants through its Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (Raise) program to projects that “modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports and intermodal transportation”, a 2022 announcement stated. The department, for example, awarded $11.4m to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a trail that would “provide a physical separation between bicyclists and cars” and “improve accessibility for an underserved community by connecting to existing bicycle infrastructure and transportation alternatives”.

Fairfield, Alabama, was slated to receive $11.7m for a 3.8-mile project that aimed to improve roadway safety by creating separated bicycle and pedestrian facilities and implementing intersection and crossing enhancement. The Trump administration canceled both grants last year and described such projects as “hostile to motor vehicles”, Politico reported.

On 7 July, Duffy announced the $1.73bn funding shift. “Remember when Biden and Boot-edge-edge used YOUR MONEY for DEI bike lanes and climate change? THAT’S OVER,” Duffy wrote, referring to his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg.

What Carriers Need to Know in 2026.

anyways it'd be cool if Pete Butti did something drastic like actually punish Delta AND have them pay everyone impacted A TON. (Pete Butti is the head of the US DOT, the Dept of Transportation)

like it really could happen since he's angling for VP pick under Kamala Harris. like give every person flying who got fuct over on Delta $5000. make Delta write a check, none of this "save your receipts, maybe you'll get reimbursed" crap.

(also they should promptly reimburse all the Delta front line employees who are working under very stressful conditions)

Ralph Nader’s Grandniece Died in Ethiopian Plane Crash; Now He Is Urging Boycott of Boeing Jet.  

Calls are growing for the United States to ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes in the wake of a devastating plane crash in Ethiopia Sunday that left 157 people dead. It is the aircraft model’s second fatal crash in the past five months. An Indonesian flight of the same plane type crashed last October, killing 189 people. In response, two-thirds of the 737 MAX 8s have been pulled from service. At least 41 countries across the globe, from China to Turkey to India, have grounded their fleets of the aircraft until a thorough safety review is conducted. Despite international outcry, the United States and Canada are continuing business as usual. We speak with Ralph Nader, longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and former presidential candidate. His great-niece, Samya Stumo, died on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Nader wrote an open letter to Boeing titled “Passengers First, Ground the 737 MAX 8 Now!” And we speak with William McGee, aviation journalist for Consumer Reports. He is the author of “Attention All Passengers: The Airlines’ Dangerous Descent.”