Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter on Tuesday to governors in all 50 states and the mayor of Washington, DC, calling on them to remove political messages from crosswalks, including rainbow-painted designs that symbolize the LGBTQ community.
“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Duffy said in a statement, according to The Daily Signal. “Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections, and crosswalks are kept free of distractions.”
Duffy cited a rise in traffic fatalities, noting that an estimated 39,345 individuals died in traffic incidents last year, with more than half of those deaths occurring at intersections. The Transportation Department, he said, “stands ready to help communities across the country make their roads safer and easier to navigate.”
The letter urged states to participate in the Federal Highway Administration’s newly launched SAFE ROADS initiative, which stands for “Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies.” The program is designed to improve safety and consistency on non-freeway arterial roads, particularly at intersections, by eliminating distractions.
“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,” the letter stated.
The transportation secretary gave governors 60 days to compile a list of arterial road segments and intersections with the highest safety or compliance concerns.
Rainbow crosswalks have become increasingly common in cities across the US as expressions of LGBTQ support, but they have also sparked controversy. Critics argue that political messages do not belong on public roadways, and safety officials have warned for over a decade that decorative crosswalks may present hazards.
In 2011, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) ruled that crosswalk art is “contrary to the goal of increased safety and most likely could be a contributing factor to a false sense of security for both motorists and pedestrians.” The administration found that such designs make the standard white crosswalk lines harder to distinguish.
In 2019, the FHWA urged a city in Iowa to remove its rainbow crosswalk over safety concerns, but the city declined to comply. At the time, the agency warned, “Crosswalk art has a potential to compromise pedestrian and motorist safety by interfering with, detracting from, or obscuring official traffic control devices. The art can also encourage road users, especially bicycles and pedestrians, to directly participate in the design, loiter in the street, or give reason to not vacate the street in an expedient or predictable manner.”
