Two weeks ago Portland City Council unanimously adopted the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. If you missed it, check out some of the blog posts, media reports, and national coverage.
One important thing to remember about the plan is that it is aspirational. It contains a lot of great goals and a strong vision for the future, but it is not yet funded or incorporated into the upcoming Transportation System Plan. That means we have to continue to push to get the Portland Bicycle Plan built.
City estimates of the Portland Capital Budget for 2010/2011 indicate $7 million for bike and pedestrian projects. This number is much larger than the amount of bike/ped funding in last year’s budget, and the BTA applauds City Council for taking steps to change the way transportation dollars have traditionally been spent.
Unfortunately, $7 million is not enough.
At the current funding level, Portland will not be able to build out the Bike Plan for 2030 until 2097.
We should ask for more.
We should ask for more at the upcoming Community Budget Forums on March 1st, 3rd, and 6th.
Please attend a forum and encourage the City to invest in healthy vibrant communities and cleaner air and water. Money spent on bike projects is money saved on our public health and transportation costs. It also reduces air pollution and the amount we need to drive to get around by making bicycling safer and more convenient.
