Governing reports that the Trump administration is clawing back previously awarded grants for street safety, pedestrian trail and bike lines on the theory that these grants should have been for cars. At the time I write this, it is unclear to me whether this includes any local grants such as the South Bethlehem greenway extension or bike lanes along W Broad Street. I will find out.
Here's at least a partial list of some of the grants that have been annulled:
- A $1.2 million grant in San Diego County to reduce the road width to accommodate bike lanes has been pulled because it is "hostile" to cars.
- A similar grant in Fairfield, Ala., was pulled for precisely the same reason.
- Ditto in Boston.
- An $11.5 million grant for a rail trail in Albuquerque is under review.
Contrary to the myth urged by Trump's sophists, infrastructure for bike lanes or pedestrian safety have little to do with ideology and have as much support in areas that support Trump. Many of the cyclists I know are Trump supporters.
I also question the legality of withdrawing a grant that has been approved by Congress, especially if the municipality has detrimentally relied in it.
I guess if people want to walk, they should do it on one of his golf courses.
59 comments:
This menace won't stop until he destroys everything except the wealth of the wealthy. And then they can habitate their marble palaces behind tall gated walls, beyond which the scorched earth will haunt them from sea to sea.
But he didn't say that bikers are monsters or that their wives and kids are better off without them
Who cares, these places are not our problem. Feel free to take down this blog and repost if the Lehigh Valley residents suffer from President Trump's actions.
Bernie, This is your second post after the major local event of the conversations with Tom Giovanni and Tara Zrinski about the NORCO Executive race airing on WFMZ’s Business Matters. Do you comment on the content of these events? Do you plan to?
Scott Janney
Big Government Bernie Tax the hell out of people on everything especially what you want.
With the new mayor in New York city they should get a lot of bike lanes.
Cool. Help organize a lawsuit. I’m sure Mayor Bicycle in Allentown would be enthusiastic about any and all legal action aimed at the Evil Orange menace.
It is time the federal government focuses on its constitutional duties, not things like bike lanes and other issues best left to local government.
We're $37 trillion in debt and you want to keep slopping at your pet project trough and leave the tab for our grandchildren. That speaks volumes about you.
You should see the shit they’re doing up in Massachusetts. Actually installing traffic islands to separate lanes for bikes. The bad traffic in those areas is now worse. I’m all for more bike friendly roads but taking away car lanes? These roads are already traffic choked. What do you do in the winter? It’s not very well thought out.
Why should my tax dollars pay for bike lanes in these cities? If they want bike lanes let them pay for them themselves.
We have a do-nothing congress and we have be a do nothing congressman. Congress approved these funds but our congressman won’t act to defend them. Sure, it’s illegal but that’s Trump’s way— throw it to the courts.
Of course Trumps hates bike lanes and sidewalks. If it’s not a golf cart path to his resort, he sees it as wasted pavement…
Its whining time again
There is a 2nd question that needs to be asked with spending cuts - Are you willing to borrow to pay this bill? We're operating at trillions in annual deficits (and that's bipartisan, neither party can control themselves), and we have almost $37 trillion in debt and climbing.
So please always ask the second question - are you willing to borrow to pay this? Because that's the reality. At some point we have to say no.
I'm comfortable with eliminating all funding for this nonsense. Huzzah!
Is it true Bernie what us to spend money from taxes on trails.
Bernie you are always looking for a handout for your hobbies.
I love the bike lanes on MLK Blvd. In Allentown. They are practical, safe and popular. I am one of the people who use them coming and going five days a week.
Pray God we survive the administration of this vile, evil, man.
Bikes lanes are nice, but they are wants not needs. We have a budget deficit. If localities want bike lanes, let their residents pay for them through local taxes.
And Israel gets billions of US dollars every year, American first my ass!
The loss of the Broad Street plan is one of my big concerns. The street is very broad, with ample room for lanes for auto traffic (there really isn’t a lot along most of it), bikes, and parking. The street will be more attractive.
The Greenway extension is key and critical, and shamefully late. The railroad sold unusable land on which it pays property taxes and will have eminent domain rights to reclaim if they ever did need it. Mayor Donchez said to me that the purchase would be complete before he left office. $900,000. And the railroad’s foundation’s stated purpose is for sustainability and thriving communities. Sheesh. https://norfolksouthern.mediaroom.com/Nonprofits-Apply-for-up-to-50,000-in-grants-from-Norfolk-Southern
But you already said yes. That is the problem. Here's a third question. Do you condone an administration that pulls back funds that have already been awarded? Apart from legality, isn't there something inherently unethical about that?
When you break your word and refuse to fund what was promised, doesn't that speak volumes about you?
Thank you BOH for reminding us how utterly dangerous this fascist fraud of a President is.
Yes, I plan to cover it. But I decide what I write about, not you or anyone else. I am criticizing Trump for what is essentially an overreach of exec authority. Since you criticize McClure for the exact same thing, I am sure you'd agree he should not divert money that has already been awarded. Where's the money, Donald?
I think it says we value the kids' future more than your wasteful present. Better to revisit these decisions than continue down a road that harms our kids, who are already unable to buy homes, etc. If we were flush with money, I'd say build the bike lanes. We're not flush with money. Do you spend money you don't have?
Would you prefer the money is sent to Israel?
Bike lanes are a waste of money. They are little used in the best of times, and even less during periods of high heat, rain, and hardly at all during periods of snow, ice and prolonged cold.
The previous administration was a farce, and I voted for the current President to claw back at every bit of wasteful spending that could be found. That is why we have elections, and the people made their choice.
I have no issue with them pulling funding for the bike lanes, and hope they find more wasteful spending that has no reason to be done at the federal level.
This federal money would be better spent in the NATO/Biden/Harris proxy war against Russia.
So Border Walls and Keystone Pipeline can have their funds taken away?
Trump is a buffon and proved it once again at the UN he’s made our country a laughing stock
Here we go again Bernie blaming Trump for not paying for his sports. Trump is doing a great job with our money nothing like you democrats.
Broad Street is not especially wide and it is a significant artery.
That moniker could stick! Big Government Bernie. I like it.
Trump ran on clawing back wasteful spending. He won all 7 swing states and the popular vote running on that issue. If you feel that it’s an overreach of executive power file a lawsuit. I’m sure there’s one already.
Boston bike lanes are hazardous to all
Bernie you are always trying to put our President down, but the truth is Trump did everything that Biden did not do or couldn.t do.
Bernie, Anon 831 here. Yes I find it unethical, also disingenuous as it paints Republicans as the party of fiscal restraint, which they clearly are not.
But I do believe my question stands and needs to be part of every discussion on spending initiatives. We cannot keep spending as if there's no tomorrow.
Who wants to bet that Trump can't ride a bike?
The region need more bike lanes; that way Zrinksi can go green and bike to the labor breakfast she attended this morning to "connect with members of various labor unions" because campaigning is what the county controller should be doing during the work day. She even boasted about it on her campaign Facebook page and posted a picure with MccLure. The county exec shouldn't condone skipping work to campaign but I guess he does.
Was there ever a bigger disappointment than Bob as mayor?
Talk about Bike Lanes just look at the scam the members of Easton City Government pulled with the bike lane going up the steep College Avenue from the downtown area. Nobody in their right mind is going to ride a bike up that hill. The only reason for this bike lane is to shove it up the ass of downtown parkers. After Lafayette College bought the homes on that hill and demolished them the city let the students park their cars on that hill during
construction on the college campus .When that ended the city put up "no parking" signs but that didnt work so they made a bike lane up the hill. The Easton city administrators and city council members want all the people visiting, living and working downtown to keep their cars downtown so that the brown-shirted thugs from the parking authority can issue lots of overtime parking tickets. Has anybody really looked around the downtown area lately?
Sure, lots of glitzy buildings going up but lots and lots of empty store fronts. Gee, I wonder why?
Restore funding for pediatric cancer research, too.
Where is the money Donald?
Broad Street Grant is a perfect clawback candidate as there is plenty of space now for bike riders & parking. Currently this street is very safe because it has expensive left turn lanes to insure thru traffic.
Presume the new plan will eliminate most left turn lanes. Total waste of public funding. Those that think automobile traffic will be reduced in favor of bicycles is naive & pushing a flawed agenda.
Public infrastructure is very much a federal problem.
11:39, You seem to have not noticed that Trump now supports Ukraine.
You mean like this guy?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-EahgmNmMsM&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD
So you're now saying Trump isn't a Putin puppet? Democrats and foreign policy are like nursery school kids attempting calculus. Lol.
I loved it when our own Scranton Joe went bicycling around.
That was awesome.
Next will be congestion tolls like new york city Congestion caused by bike lanes
Trump is basically a NAZI.
What do you expect?
https://fortune.com/2025/09/24/black-swan-author-nassim-taleb-tariffs-immigration-bike-lanes-economy/
Some good points made by someone that understands economics better than I. It does make sense that the money for bike lanes is not an economic driver for investment?
There goes the radical left, calling Trump a Nazi. Even the liberal Bill Maher has said Trump is not a Nazi and these nuts should STFU. And then when people like Charlie Kirk are shot is because of people like this idiot who called Trump a Nazi. This will go only so far before all hell breaks out. Biden went after conservatives to arrest and silence them. Was he called a Nazi? That’s the difference between the two parties. Charlie dies, there’s prayers. Floyd dies cities burns. Pathetic
So many haters on here, Bernie. Just ignore them. They're angry people with lots of time on their hands who like being angry and watching Fox News so they can grow even more angry and hateful. Fox News is distracting them, as billionaires buy up our media outlets, our courts, our voting system, and paying effective taxes rates in the low single digits. Fox News tells them to be hateful and scared, tells them we have no money although we're the richest nation in the history of planet Earth, tells them to worry about Trump's safety on the UN escalator (lmao so sad), and the haters are so brainwashed, it's all they can do to come on here and be angry about nothing. I feel sorry for them wasting their lives away.
What do you expect from neo-Nazis and racists?
I take driving very seriously. I admire those who can bike to work, etc. but I fear for them when I see them on the street. Cars pass them, they pass cars, and if they keep up speed and stay in lane cars pass them haphazardly and dangerously as if they weren't there. They have the right to use the road. They are environmentally friendly and more people would bike if they felt it was safe. If the money was earmarked for bike lanes it was because it was needed, it was promised and should not be taken back. Of course, cyclists are not buying gas, and lf there were more cyclists oil companies would make less money. Hmmm.
So much truth! Fox News is a factory of fear. That's why the orange man baby put a bunch of Fox News talking heads in his cabinet. MAGA screams: "We're scared of cities, gay people, black people and immigrants. We used to laugh at libtards, but oh no, now they scare us too! Let us live huddled inside our gated little Christian white communities where everyone owns a private arsenal to protect our scared little families!" Lame and weak.
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