At the start of July, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent letters out to every U.S. state. In each letter was a plea to remove any politically charged displays and artwork from roadways, leaning heavily on LGBTQ murals and rainbow crosswalks.
In the letter, while acknowledging that traffic fatality estimates have been downward trending since 2023, decreasing 3.8 percent that year and further down in 2024 to 39,345 deaths, Duffy stated that he intends to push for even less.
His first step as the Trump appointed director to appoint openly gay Pete Buttigieg is to ask each governor is to ask each governor to comply with the Federal Highway Administration’s initiative titled “Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies,” or “SAFE ROADS.”
“The SAFE ROADS national initiative will focus on the non-freeway arterials within your state, including safety and operation at intersections and along segments, consistent and recognizable traffic control devices including crosswalk and intersection markings, and orderly use of the right-of-way that is kept free from distractions,” Duffy wrote.
Each state leader addressed, including District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón, have 60 days to identify needed safety improvements and “to develop a list of arterial segments, including intersections, with the highest safety, operational, or compliance concerns” to be addressed by the end of the next fiscal year.
Duffy specifically addressed what kind of distractions he was referring to in separate statements speaking on the letters. In a statement given on July 1, Duffy pointed toward any type of political messaging and artwork, most likely murals, as a key issue.
“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Duffy stated. “Far too many Americans die each year to traffic fatalities to take our eye off the ball. USDOT stands ready to help communities across the country make their roads safer and easier to navigate.”
On a post from X (Twitter), Duffy pointed directly at LGBTQ+ cultural displays as part of the clean-up.
“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” he wrote.
“Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of [DOT] roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It’s that simple.”