Real men don’t bike: How cars became the symbol of American manhood

August 26, 2026

The Trump administration, particularly through Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is promoting traditional masculinity through car culture by hosting events like the first-ever IndyCar race on Washington D.C. streets and eliminating funding for bicycle infrastructure. This represents a deliberate backlash against the Biden administration's climate-focused transportation policies that promoted alternative transportation modes and electric vehicles. Scholars connect this shift to "petro-masculinity," linking fossil fuel-based car culture to traditional gender roles and a nostalgic vision of male breadwinners in auto and coal industries.

Who is affected

Low-income communities of color where bike infrastructure is lacking and bike fatalities are disproportionately higher
Women, children, elderly people, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities who benefit from safe cycling infrastructure
Pedestrians and cyclists (deaths increased 75% and 87% respectively since 2009-2010)
Communities with grants canceled for street safety, pedestrian and bike infrastructure projects
Boston residents whose street intersection safety project was halted
City planners who lost access to safety data about crashes involving cars, bicycles and pedestrians

What action is being taken

The Department of Transportation is reviewing grants "whose primary purpose is bicycle infrastructure"
The DOT is canceling grants for street safety, pedestrian and bike infrastructure
The department is halting multiple ongoing projects for "being hostile to vehicles"
The DOT has taken down safety data about crashes involving cars, bicycles and pedestrians
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is widening bike lanes, announcing plans for new bike boulevards, and prioritizing improving pedestrian walkways

Why it matters

This policy shift represents a significant intersection of gender politics, climate policy, and public safety. The deliberate rollback of bike and pedestrian infrastructure threatens the safety of vulnerable road users at a time when pedestrian and cyclist deaths are already rising dramatically due to larger vehicle sizes. By framing sustainable transportation as "DEI" spending and redirecting funds to car-centric infrastructure, the administration is making a cultural and political statement about traditional gender roles while potentially concentrating transportation dollars in whiter, suburban communities. The removal of critical safety data undermines evidence-based urban planning, and the rhetoric around "freedom" through cars ignores that not everyone can afford vehicles, making this also an equity issue that affects access to transportation for lower-income Americans.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The 19th