Trump administration says it will limit funds for speed cameras [View all]

Source: Washington Post

February 2, 2026 at 11:14 a.m. EST


The Trump administration is restricting cities from using road safety grants for automated cameras that enforce speed limits or other traffic laws, part of a shift away from safety measures that might slow or otherwise inconvenience car travel. The letters to city officials went out in December, saying that “for consistency with Administration priorities,” traffic cameras outside of school or work zones will not be approved under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program.

The program was created by the 2021 infrastructure law and funds projects aimed at eliminating traffic deaths. “This Administration will not allow critical safety dollars to subsidize the purchase of speed cameras so governments can pursue unfair revenue schemes,” U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman Nathaniel Sizemore said in a statement.

Proposals to extend sidewalk curbs farther into a roadway are also barred, although the number of exceptions is greater: transit stops, roundabouts, school zones, on-street parking and curb extensions that don’t take away lanes of traffic, according to the letters from the U.S. Department of Transportation. As with other administration grants, the language also says any “equity analysis” is disqualifying.

The cities had been awarded grants but did not yet have a signed agreement with the White House for their implementation. Until that happens, funds can be clawed back. The Trump administration has previously said grants that include “reducing lane capacity for vehicles” with bike lanes or pedestrian infrastructure are “hostile” to cars and “counter to DOT’s priority of preserving or increasing roadway capacity for motor vehicles.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2026/02/02/speed-cameras-road-safety-grants/