On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took a decisive stand by sending a powerful letter to every governor in the United States, including the mayor of Washington, D.C., and the governor of Puerto Rico. His message was clear: political messages, particularly in the form of rainbow-colored crosswalks recognizing the LGBTQ community, must be stripped from our roadways.
“Roads exist for safety, not for political statements or distracting artwork,” Duffy asserted. He has called upon state leaders to prioritize public safety by keeping roadways, intersections, and crosswalks free from distractions. With an alarming 39,345 traffic fatalities reported in 2024, more than half occurring at intersections, the urgency for action is undeniable.
To address these issues, Duffy announced the SAFE ROADS initiative, aimed at enhancing safety along non-freeway arterials across the nation. This plan will focus on maintaining consistent and recognizable traffic control devices and ensuring orderly and distraction-free use of roadways.
Duffy has given state governors a strict 60-day deadline to compile a list of arterial segments and intersections where safety and operational concerns exist, which must be addressed by the end of Fiscal Year 2026.
The rise of rainbow crosswalks across cities such as San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Chicago represents a troubling trend that prioritizes political expression over public safety. Crosswalks are designated as high-visibility markings in uniform traffic standards, and any deviation from established guidelines compromises safety.
The 2023 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Devices explicitly states that crosswalk markings must be white, categorizing colored pavement as ambiguous and potentially hazardous. In 2011, the Federal Highway Administration clarified that artwork in crosswalks reduces the effectiveness of safety measures and may even create a false sense of security for both drivers and pedestrians.
It’s time to put safety first and remove distractions from our roadways. The commitment to safeguarding American lives is not just a priority; it is a responsibility.
