In Transit newsletter: Are bicycle lanes a partisan political issue?

Last week, federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pledged on X not to spend money on what he termed "DEI bike lanes" and other "Biden-era DEI pet projects" as he announced a series of grants totaling $1.7 billion for roads, bridges and shipping ports.

This comes as his agency has said it wants to focus on "projects that promote vehicular travel" and as it eliminated speed limit reductions, bike lanes and other pedestrian safety measures from its list of "proven" safety practices last week, referring to them as "social initiatives" that increase congestion. 

I'm not sure what could make bike lanes "DEI," but are they really the heavily partisan issue Duffy seems to think they are? Based on my experiences on Long Island, I’m not so sure.

A few months ago, I reported on a community push to build a recreational path along a road in East Atlantic Beach where a cyclist was hit and killed. There, the dividing lines seemed less political than geographical. Neighborhood residents I talked to supported the project, but some commuters who pass through the area raised objections around traffic. The project would have removed one lane of traffic to slow down vehicles and provide space for the bicycle and walking path.

Letters to the editor in Newsday also make clear that it’s hardly only liberals who get around on two wheels.

And Vision Zero, a worldwide movement aimed at eliminating traffic deaths, has supporters from both sides of the local political aisle.

While New York City initiated Vision Zero over a decade ago under Democratic leadership, Brookhaven developed Long Island’s first Vision Zero action plan last year under Republican leadership. Based on a careful study of crashes, it includes plans for bike lanes, sidewalks, roundabouts, speed limit reductions, brush clearance for visibility and many other measures.

(In case you missed our Dangerous Roads series story where we traveled to Maryland to look at a suburban Vision Zero initiative, you can find it here.)

What do you think? Do Long Islanders fall neatly into political camps when it comes to building facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians? Or are the dividing lines blurry? Share your thoughts with me, Alfonso and the rest of the team at transit@newsday.com

Transportation news

• The Long Island Rail Road opened a new "Yaphank- Brookhaven National Lab" station last weekend, replacing the scarcely used original Yaphank station, which sat in the same location for 142 years. Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said the MTA is studying the possibility of adding a second track between Ronkonkoma and Riverhead and electrifying the branch.

• Rep. Nick LaLota has said he'll withhold earmarks for roads from East Hampton and any other municipality that limits local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Wondering what earmarks are, and how they are used for roads and other projects on Long Island? Read about it here.

• The Port Authority said an overhaul of its airport websites means travelers can now access "purpose-built artificial intelligence" information.

Travel watch

• Be prepared for major disruptions to LIRR service this weekend: Trains on the Hempstead and Oyster Bay branches won't run, while Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma branch trains will only run between Hicksville and points east from Friday night through early Monday morning due to signal work.

• It's peak repaving season, and parts of the Long Island Expressway (Exits 43A to Exit 40) and Sunrise Highway (Exits 53 to 51) will be shut down at night over the next few weeks for maintenance work.

By Peter Gill

peter.gill@newsday.com