Worldwide, motor vehicles kill or injure over 21 million people every year. Decades ago, many Europeans realized that car-dominated roadways were not just deadly, but bad for cities and the planet as well as humans. They began shifting to people-friendly mobility, meaning transportation systems that serve walking, cycling, and transit as well as cars. In addition to building safer streets, these cities found that people- friendly mobility improves health, quality of life, prosperity, governmental finances, climate action, and transportation options for those who cannot afford to own and maintain a car.
In recent decades, many US cities have recognized the insanity of dedicating most of our roadways to fast-moving motor vehicles when crashes kill over 42,000 Americans and injure many thousands more every year. Vision Zero is a strategy to create safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. It has been successful in Europe. Recently, over 60 US cities have joined the Vision Zero Network. A big part of the strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries requires cities to fund safer bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
Similarly, the Complete Streets Coalition advocates for safe, equitable, and accessible street designs by the reallocation of roadway space to serve walking, cycling, and transit as well as cars. In the last two decades, over 1,700 US communities have adopted Complete Street policies.
But this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has canceled previously-approved funding for shared-use trails and complete street projects. USDOT’s stated reasons for these clawbacks include the following: “…appears to reduce lane capacity and a road diet that is hostile to motor vehicles;” “… [counter’s] DOT’s priority of preserving or increasing roadway capacity for motor vehicles;” and “… could impede vehicle capacity and speed.”
The department seems determined to retain a car-dependent society and an oil-addicted economy despite rising traffic fatalities, climate-changing emissions, struggling city finances, a housing crisis, rising healthcare costs, and the fact that there are many Americans who have no access to a car.
The funding gap created by these federal grant clawbacks could be filled by state and local tax revenues. To help in this effort, this seems like a good time to remind people that, in addition to reducing traffic deaths and injuries, people-friendly mobility delivers many other benefits including climate action, economic development, housing, health, and traffic congestion relief.
Climate Action – Regardless of whether or not some people want to admit it, we are in a climate crisis. Many cities are using people-friendly mobility as part of their strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately become carbon neutral. To reach its goal of net zero emissions by 2030, London is aiming for 80 percent of all trips to be made by walking, cycling, or public transit. To reach its goal of a completely carbon-free transportation system, Seattle wants reliable public transportation, ride sharing, and active transportation strategies to make it safe, easy, and affordable for people to get where they need to go without relying on a car.
Economic Development – Remote work has emptied offices and sapped office-dependent businesses, causing reduced property values and declining tax revenue for already beleaguered cities. People-friendly mobility can attract creative-class businesses and support the transition of commercial areas into diverse neighborhoods where residents can reach everyday destinations by walking, biking, and transit.
Cities that build infrastructure for walking, cycling, and transit also make it possible for people in any neighborhood to get around easily without a car. On average, cars cost over $10,000 per year in payments, gas, repairs, insurance, and parking. Foregoing a car allows households to spend this money on local goods and services rather than paying for things imported from other places, like cars, oil, and auto insurance. One study found that people-friendly mobility creates a $1.1 billion green dividend for Portland.
Bike trails also increase the value of nearby properties. Tucson’s 131-mile loop trail was estimated to increase the tax base by $300 million, creating an additional $3 million in tax revenue for the metro area every year.
Housing – The US currently has a housing deficit of between four- and five-million units. Local governments are being pressured to allow sprawl as a necessary cure for the shortage when numerous opportunities to build housing exist within current city footprints. In addition to struggling shopping malls and office buildings that could be converted to housing, thousands of square miles within US cities are wasted in underused or completely unused surface parking lots. Parking lot conversions are already underway. But this trend can be accelerated if more households are able to get rid of one or more cars. Continuing progress on walking, biking, and transit can help accomplish this transition.
Health – Sedentary lifestyles have created a medical crisis in the United States. Half of all American adults do not get enough of the physical activity needed to help reduce and prevent chronic diseases. In 2018, less than a quarter of American adults met the guidelines from the Center for Disease Control for aerobic and muscle strengthening activity. Inadequate physical activity is associated with $177 billion in healthcare costs nationwide every year. These metrics will not improve if cities don’t continue building infrastructure that makes walking, cycling, and other forms of active transportation a safe option for people of all ages, abilities, and incomes.
Traffic Congestion – Pedestrians and cyclists need far less roadway space than cars. Consequently, switching from driving to walking and bicycling reduces congestion for all roadway users, including motorists. Reductions of traffic congestion benefit cities as a whole. A study found that traffic congestion in the UK cost 20 billion pounds due to wasted time, pollution, and various health problems including respiratory diseases and stress-related illness.
In short, USDOT is clawing back funding in a misguided effort to prioritize cars over people. But local governments can promote the continued growth of people-friendly transportation networks by reminding voters that people-friendly mobility saves lives and also treats many other ills that cities face today.
Notes
Mann, Ted. 2025. Trump Cancels Grants for pedestrian Safety, Bike Lanes. Governing. Accessed at https://www.governing.com/transportation/trump-cancels-grants-for-pedestrian-safety-bike-lanes#:~:text=The%20administration%20is%20taking%20aim,notices%20sent%20to%20local%20governments.
Pruetz, Rick. 2021. Prosperity Comes in Cycles: Bikeways and the Virtuous Cycle. Hermosa Beach. Arje Press.
Smart Growth America. 2025. The Best Complete Street Policies 2025. Accessed at Best Complete Streets Policies Report 2025 – Smart Growth America.
Steuteville, Robert. 2024. Complete streets: What went wrong? Congress for the New Urbanism. Accessed at Complete streets: What went wrong? | CNU.
Vision Zero. 2025. Vision Zero Network. Vision Zero. Accessed at Vision Zero Network.
Wilson, Kea. 2025.Advocates: Congress Must Stop Trump From Illegally Holding Back Sustainable Transportation Funds. Streetsblog. Accessed at https://usa.streetsblog.org/2025/09/26/advocates-congress-must-stop-trump-from-illegally-holding-back-sustainable-transportation-bucks.
