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Monday, May 7, 2007

Politics Bike Master Plan Saved

Posted by Scott Moore on Mon, May 7 at 11:10 AM

Due to “an increase in business license receipts,” it looks like $100,000 worth of funding has been restored to the Bike Master Plan.

In a memo that just hit commissioners’ offices, the mayor has announced that there is an additional $2 million in the budget. Based on what commissioners’ chiefs of staff decided were the funding priorities during a meeting last Wednesday afternoon, here is a partial list of what is being funded:

Wordstock: $100,000 (Commissioner Erik Sten)
School/Family/Housing Initiative: $30,000 (Sten)
24/7 T Support for Fire: $70,000 (Sten)
Platinum Bike Master Plan: $100,000 (Commissioner Sam Adams)
ArtsPartners: $100,000 (Adams)
Burnside/Couch Enhancement Planning: $500,000 (Adams)

“The timing of this good news fits well with budget approval on May 16,” Potter wrote. It also fits well with the timing of the growing two-wheeled coup against Potter that has been brewing around the city, particularly at BikePortland.org.

Here’s a pdf of Potter’s memo.

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Comments

Half a mil for a "cutlet" recipe.

Posted by Dave Lister | May 7, 2007 1:34 PM

Great to see that you value the moving speed bumps more that having support for fire and school/family/housing.

I suggest that all the cyclists that are happy to benefit from this finally step up and help pay for this. A nice little cyclers license for all peddle pushers over the age of 16 would be a good start. $10 a year for you to help pay for the roads you use and street signs you ignore seems fair.

Posted by I Make Ghost Bikes | May 7, 2007 1:36 PM

Funny, "I Make Ghost Bikes," whatever validity your idea may have had is utterly shot by how funny you think bicyclists' deaths are.

But, since you've brought it up (and I'm pretty sure I've heard you or someone like you saying this before on our site), here's the same standard reply: The fact that we're on bikes--instead of a line of single-occupancy vehicles in front of you during rush hour--means we're not tearing up the asphalt, not leading to clogged arterials, not creating a demand for yet MORE expensive roadway expansion, and helping keep the streets clear for freight traffic.

Not only do cycling-related city expenditures make up a microscopic portion of the city's transportation money, cyclists are helping auto-related maintenance expenditures stretch farther. Which part of that has turned you into an anti-bike homicidal maniac?

Posted by Scott Moore | May 7, 2007 2:15 PM

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