How will Trump change the future of cycling?

PLUS: free bike trip lodging, Seoul bike messengers, and the Northern Tier bike route

Author

Sam Westby
January 02, 2025

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—Sam Westby @samcwestby

This is a weekly newsletter about bike trips, urban cycling, and a love for two-wheeled transit. The more time you spend on a bike, the better. I share new editions every Thursday, gearing you up for the ride ahead.

Here’s what we have today.

  • 🌍ROUTE: The Northern Tier

  • ❓QUESTION: How will Trump affect the future of cycling?

  • 🎥 WATCH: From Scratch, the Only Bike Messengers in Seoul

  • 💡TIP: Free lodging on bike trips

  • 🚲 ARCHIVES: The First Gymnacyclidium (1869)

  • 📰 NEWS: Stats for the Nerds

ROUTE ON MY RADAR

The Northern Tier

Here’s what you’d be getting yourself into.

Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) routes have tons of insider info. My dad and I used some segments on our U.S. Tour in 2023. You’ll get info like “call the Mayor at this phone number in this town and she’ll unlock the bathrooms at the town park for you when you camp there.” It’s worth the $120 for an ACA route if you’re riding across the U.S.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

How will Trump affect the future of cycling?

Let’s follow the money. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) controls loads of it. How much money? Who makes the decisions? How do they use it?

Under Obama in 2009, Congress passed a law that gives the DOT $1.5 billion / year in “discretionary funds” (called 3 names over the years — TIGER/BUILD/RAISE). They’ve funded bridge replacements, highway improvements, streetcar extensions, and bicycle/pedestrian networks.

Some notable examples (there are hundreds):

  • The Phoenix Grand Canal Path

  • The Atlanta BeltLine Corridor Trail

  • Houston’s bike network

  • Miami Trail/Everglades Restoration

The leader of the DOT gets the final say for this money, and the leader is (drumroll please) the Secretary of Transportation.

Under Biden, Secretary Buttigieg has prioritized public transit and bicycle / pedestrian projects (about 40% of his funds). Congress also passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act in 2021 to keep the grant program going until 2026.

Trump called on Sean Duffy to be his Secretary of Transportation. Let’s look at how Duffy may use these funds.

The MTV star turned House Representative turned Fox News host:

  • Has said the climate is changing because of the sun, not human causes

  • Has said many anti-electric vehicle comments

  • Does not have experience with transportation policy

  • Huuuuuge Trump guy

Why would Trump pick Duffy? It could be because he’s a blank slate and a staunch supporter. He’ll follow Trump’s playbook.

That playbook is Project 2025. What does Project 2025 to say about transportation?

  • “Vision Zero” programs (for zero deaths on streets) cause car congestion and should be abolished.

  • Car usage should be prioritized over every other form of transportation.

  • Bicycling, walking, and transit projects are not in the federal interest.

  • End the $1.5B discretionary fund program. The money should go to state DOTs.

We can expect Duffy to use his 2 years of discretionary funds on car-centric projects, not bicycle / pedestrian or transit projects. Don’t get me wrong, our highways and bridges need a lot of work. It stinks that it becomes an “either-or” scenario, not “both-and”. We can also expect resistance to a new infrastructure bill when the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act expires in 2026.

If you read this newsletter, you probably like to bike. Don’t let this news stop you from riding. Cycling has gotten so much better since I’ve been around (1997!) and will continue to improve in the decades to come. Change is slow.

Keep reading:

BIKE TRIP TIP

Find Free Lodging on Bike Trips

A screenshot of Warm Showers host locations in Kansas

After a long day riding in the rain and wind, there’s no better feeling than eating dinner, showering, and sleeping in a bed — for free. If you’re traveling by bike, you can get this experience all over the world.

Warm Showers is a platform exclusively for bike travelers. There are hosts, and all you have to do is send them a message a few days in advance. If they have space, then you have a place to sleep.

It costs $30 to join and is worth it. Nearly every bike tourist I know has stayed with a Warm Showers host at least once.

Some people spend over half of the nights on their trips with Warm Showers hosts! It’s reciprocal, so if you’ve been hosted, then you should also host.

Check it out at warmshowers.org.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

From Scratch, the Only Bike Messengers in Seoul

Follow along with bike messenger Eui Ho Kim as he talks about pioneering a bike messenger business in Seoul, Korea. Formerly a bike messenger in Tokyo, it was a stark change moving to Seoul.

Watch on YouTube

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The First Gymnacyclidium for Ladies and Gentlemen (1869)

A place with 8000 square feet (743 m2 ) for riding and seats for 1,500 people! Only in New York, New York.

Fun fact, the Greek root “gymnos” (also in the word gymnasium) means “naked”. That’s because the Ancient Greeks trained in the nude.

  • 27.5 miles (44 km). The length of the Joe Louis Greenway. Once complete, it will connect 23 Detroit communities. (detroitgreenways.org)

  • $500,000. Birmingham’s 2025 budget for “traffic calming”. Slower vehicle speeds mean safer streets. (birminghamal.gov)

  • $25,402. The money raised in a 12-hour bike-a-thon for the Omaha non-profit bike share program. (givebutter.com)

  • 6%. The percent of Los Angeles residents that live near a protected bike lane. (itdp.org)

  • 51%. The percentage of Bogotá, Colombia residents who live near a protected bike lane. About 7% of all trips there are made by bicycle. (itdp.org)

A Note From Sam

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