The Trump administration removed an under-utilized Capital Bikeshare station within the White House security perimeter this week, according to a spokesperson for the District of Columbia’s transportation department.
The former station, which was located at 17th Street and State Place and only contained nine slots for bikes, was installed during the Obama administration in 2010, did not appear on any system map, and was not accessible to the public, the Washingtonian reported.
A grant program in the 2009 stimulus act called the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) act funded the construction of many of these Capital Bikeshare stations around D.C. The TIGER program also put new regulations in place that made cities implement protected bike lanes and cycling paths in D.C. and other parts of the country.
The Transportation Department under the Obama administration also issued a ruling that defined traffic as “people who move on roads” instead of just vehicles.
The Trump administration, however, proposed a budget in May that would cut funding for the TIGER program.
Some people opposed the Trump administration’s cuts to the program.
People for Bikes, a cycling advocacy group, protested the proposed budget cuts, saying they would be “a bad deal for bikes.”
Others thought the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding to the program was a good way to cut down on the national debt.
Jackson Richman, a D.C. resident, told Breitbart News that he thinks the administration should sign more budget cuts like this one to cut down on the national debt.
“I’d like to see this administration sign a budget bill that cuts out the extra spending that contributes, even though it’s a small fraction, to our $20 trillion debt,” Richman said.
Richman added that, if he worked at the White House, he would rather walk than ride a bike.
The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment about why the dock had been removed.