Yesterday, the BTA sent an action alert to our Portland members suggesting that they ask the Mayor and Commissioners to support biking and walking programs in the 2009-10 budget, and that they get ready to get involved over the next several months as the budget process moves forward.

It isn't obvious from a quick read of the Bureau of Transportation's budget request why we are concerned – so let us explain in more detail.

1. Investment in Bike Boulevards.

The budget request includes a package called "Bike Boulevards." It looks at first like $516,000 worth of investment in Bike Boulevards is committed. But if you read the small print, it clarifies that "The Bureau of Transportation is working to identify local, state or federal revenues to fund this project."

In other words, this project was partly (in fact, mostly) unfunded. Much of the funding that was fairly certain is matching funds from other Bureaus, and will not be available if PBOT can't find the funds to make the project go forward.

While it's encouraging to see Bike Boulevards named in the budget request, without a funding source identified there is no guarantee that the project can be paid for. We are lucky to have PBOT leadership and staff who are incredibly resourceful at finding money wherever they can to support biking and walking projects, but without dedicated revenue for this project, it may very well simply not happen.

For the purposes of comparison, take a look at "Economic Stimulus – Paving." Under "Revenues," a specific revenue source, "Charges for Services," is called out, and the Description below calls out permit and service fee increases as the source of that revenue.

This means that, if the permit and service fee increases are approved by Council (and we hope they are – we badly need more revenue for transportation, including paving our falling-apart roads), this project WILL happen. This is the degree of specificity we will find reassuring when it appears for Bike Boulevards as well.

And the good news is that PBOT leadership is well on their way to nailing down that revenue – this morning Bureau Director Sue Keil announced that $178,000 of that new meter, garage and permit revenue will be dedicated to Bike Boulevards in the budget request! That's about 2/3 of the revenue that project will need to go forward.

2. High-profile cycletrack.

Funding for Mayor Sam Adams' high-profile demonstration cycletrack has been uncertain (what's a cycletrack?). Yesterday afternoon, PBOT informed us that in fact they were going to try to fund the cycletrack out of the 2008-9 budget. And this morning, at an internal PBOT meeting (covered by BikePortland.org), Sue Keil announced that just enough money had been saved on other engineering projects that the cycletrack design and construction will be able to go forward soon.

We hear that the PBOT staff people who have been working hard to move that forward, along with the visionaries in Mayor Adams' office, are very happy to hear that good news today.

3. Safer Routes to Schools.

In the 2009-10 budget request, PBOT describes a Safer Routes to Schools program that is reduced over last year's program by about $200,000 worth of outreach and education for Portland's school kids and families.

PBOT managers have argued that this is a "transfer," not a "cut" in service, and that we should not be concerned about it – and that neither should you.

It is a $200,000 "transfer" in this way: In 2008-9, the traffic safety program (which includes Safer Routes) grew with extra funds from the city's General Fund. Because they knew that those General Funds would not be available this year, PBOT staff renegotiated the amount of traffic safety fine revenue that comes into the traffic safety program to make up the difference, about $200,000.

PBOT budget managers saw this as new revenue to the program, and as a result they have transferred out $200,000 of General Transportation Revenue (that is like PBOT's own little general fund) to offset the apparent increase in traffic fine revenue. But the increase in traffic fine revenue was intended to create a more stable environment for Safer Routes to School, Bike and Pedestrian Safety, and other safety programs.

So, it's pretty complicated, but what is simple is that the safety, education and physical activity services provided by Safer Routes will be reduced if the budget doesn't plug that $200,000 hole somehow. The BTA hears from our constituents that they value Safer Routes very highly, and that they attribute much of the exciting growth in family bicycling in Portland to the program's efforts. Our members do not want to see that program reduced.

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Budgets are complicated, and in a severe recession year like this one they are painful.

But if the City Council approves new meter, permit and garage revenue for 2009-10 and ongoing in future years, we do have an opportunity to ask the City of Portland to distribute that revenue to projects in a way that reflects our diverse needs and priorities.

We hear from you that bicycling infrastructure and safety are a top priority – but the city needs to hear from you too. If you haven't already, please call or email the Mayor and Commissioners (the budget is created by all of them, together) and tell how the PBOT budget can better reflect your priorities and your basic needs.

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