Mayor Tom Potter's office has released his draft budget, which includes many of the good things BTA members care about.

But the Mayor cut an essential item – the Platinum Bike Master Plan Update.

The Portland Office of Transportation has already started the conversation with Portland residents about how, when, where and why they want to bike. But turning all that public input and preference into a set of priorities, policies and designs takes people power, i.e. money. The $150,000 $100,000 [the full project cost is $150,000 - but $50,000 was funded in 2006 - I regret the error] left out of the Mayor's budget would go towarded PDOT staff and consultants who would execute the plan update. Without this funding, the PDOT staff who are currently occupied with their day-to-day responsibilities won't be able to cull enough minutes from their day to plan for the future.

And the lack of a plan hampers efforts to come up with new, creative solutions to some of Portland's transportation problems. For example, diverters, which keep car drivers from using Bike Boulevards as long-distance cut-through streets (think about the one at SE 20th and Ankeny, or SE 20th and Harrison, or on NE Tillamook) aren't in the current Bicycle Master Plan…so we can't get more of them built! And there could be some great opporunities to leverage funds and access between the Bureau of Environmental Services's Green Streets (which soak up and filter rainwater instead of sending it into the sewer) and Bicycle Boulevards…but that's not in the plan!

Our ability to respond creatively and make new partnerships is hampered because our city is working with an outdated plan.

So please contact the Mayor's office TODAY and ask him to restore $150,000 $100,000 in funding to make sure the Platinum Bike Master Plan Update can be completed.

Also, the money will be put back into the budget only if one of the commissioners (possibly the Mayor himself, or Commissioner Sam Adams) proposes it as an amendment, and the others vote to support it. So please contact one of these commissioners and ask them to propose or support that amendment:

Commissioner Erik Sten
Commissioner Dan Saltzman
Commissioner Randy Leonard

Thank you! With your help, we can make Portland a better place for bikes!

(To find out what new initiatives the Mayor did fund, go here. The Office of Transportation summary is on page 23, but the document doesn't have page numbers so look about 2/3 of the way down.)

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