Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Earl Blumenauer

Blumenauer: Don’t Let American Streets Remain Unsafe Routes to School

Yesterday the House debated the GOP leadership's oil drilling-with-a-side-of-highways bill, which may or may not survive the House floor.

false

A lot of folks are upset about this proposal, which would eliminate dedicated federal funding for transit, biking, and walking, open up some of the country's environmental treasures to oil drilling and delay infrastructure insolvency for all of two years.

Leave it to Oregon's Earl Blumenauer to really let 'em have it. The Hill reports that Blumenauer delivered an impassioned speech accompanied by this sign that really hits home.

Some highlights below:

This is a wildly popular program, costing a fraction of a percent of the transportation budget, and it's had a huge impact nationally on our children because it deals with real consequences for them.

Doesn't it make sense to do something about the congestion, the injury, the death and the obesity?

So why are my Republican friends advancing a transportation bill attacking Safe Routes to School, stripping it out, making it an unsafe route to school? Well, it's a fitting metaphor for perhaps the worst transportation bill in history.

Well said, sir.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

VIDEO: Reckless Driver Kills Cyclist, Injures Four Others in Harlem Crash That Shows Need For Speed Caps

The 8 p.m. crash comes just a few days after Mayor Mamdani was criticized by the pro-car right for announcing that speed-limit reductions in school zones would be in effect all day, not just during school hours.

March 20, 2026

Mamdani’s Regulatory War on Delivery Apps Under Threat Amid Budget Crunch

Mamdani's budget slashes funding for the agency responsible for enacting his plans to regulate delivery apps.

March 20, 2026

FLIP THE SWITCH: Brooklyn Panel Asks DOT To Take Over Parking Enforcement From NYPD

Remember, the Department of Transportation handed out parking tickets until a government reorganization by Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1996.

March 20, 2026

Fact Check: No, Mamdani Is Not Letting Bike Scofflaws ‘Off the Hook’

For the sake of the ill-informed, we break down the myths and facts surrounding Mamdani's new policy.

March 20, 2026

Friday’s Headlines: Nice on Ninth Edition

The city is doing the right thing on Ninth Avenue. Plus other news.

March 20, 2026
See all posts