Yes, America, your roads are even more racist than ever.
Per Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the planning and design of transportation infrastructure can perpetuate or exacerbate racial and economic inequalities.
The argument he made back in 2021 is that roads are racist due to their location. For example, in many cities, highways were built through predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, dividing communities and displacing residents. As a result, argue the leftists, these neighborhoods suffered from disinvestment, reduced economic opportunities, and increased pollution. Additionally, the debate contends that transportation infrastructure contributes to disparities in access to jobs, education, and services despite the public transportation systems that grant full access to these opportunities.
But wait, there’s more.
A group of 27 Democrats recently sent a letter to Buttigieg outlining the “racist traffic enforcement” that is apparently running rampant, unbeknownst to most.
“On our nation’s roads and highways, Black motorists have experienced disproportionate scrutiny and excessive force under the guise of traffic enforcement,” per the letter. “As Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), we urge you to condemn the status quo of traffic enforcement and develop reforms to reduce racial inequities in traffic stops.”
The letter insists that the cesspool of legislation known as the “Infrastructure and Jobs Act” fund this movement, focusing largely on eliminating alleged financial barriers to vehicle registration and upgrading traffic lights.
Somehow, in this increasingly dystopian landscape, outdated traffic lights and DMV policies lead police to stop people of color more frequently.
But hang on to your seatbelts, because there’s even more evidence of racist roads, according to Buttigieg. Road fatalities appear to target black and brown Americans, rural residents, and even Native Americans in greater numbers than whites. In fact, for Buttigieg, these statistics are equal to those found in gun violence.
“It’s something that deserves more attention, which is why I’m working to bring more attention to it. We have a crisis when it comes to roadway fatalities in America. We lose about 40,000 people every year. It’s a level that is comparable to gun violence. And we see a lot of racial disparities. Black and Brown Americans, tribal citizens, and rural residents are much more likely to lose their lives whether it’s in a car or as a pedestrian being hit by a car,” Buttigieg proudly claimed, probably to the chagrin of anti-gun leftists.
There are holes in this logic big enough to drive trucks through, provided the truckers aren’t being unfairly targeted by the racist roads they are driving on.
Rural America’s demographics heavily lean toward a white population within small towns and farming communities. Unless there is an entire population of country dwellers regularly experiencing road rage at tractors, tractor vs car fatalities are likely very low. Putting crosswalks in areas that don’t even have sidewalks is probably not necessary, and most pedestrians can outrun a speeding John Deere, even on a bad day.
Meanwhile, cities and urban areas lean heavily toward a black and brown demographic. By Buttigieg’s logic, these areas don’t have crosswalks. A simple trip to the city reveals plentiful crosswalks, pedestrian traffic signals, and other safety measures. Unless Buttigieg is suggesting that city dwellers are speeding up to deliberately hit pedestrians, this logic is once again flawed.
Buttigieg also claims an affinity for Native Americans, or as he calls them, “tribal citizens,” and their pedestrian plight. The Native Americans have endured much suffering at the hands of the government, but pedestrian safety is probably not at the top of their list.
In short, Buttigieg is trying to be relevant, especially after his notable absence throughout the entire supply-chain disruption issues that plagued ports across America in 2022 and his equally notable absence in East Palestine, Ohio.
Fear not, your taxpayer dollars are going to a great cause. In 2022, Buttigieg ramped up his racial road equity efforts by throwing $1 billion of your tax dollars at the problem, which fell short of the $20 billion President Joe Biden expected to spend on it.
Thankfully, the leftover funds can be applied to creating cow crosswalks, coming soon to a field or pasture near you.
