It's no secret that PBOT faces historic budget cuts. But there's a big part of the conversation that hasn't really gotten the attention it deserves: With gas tax and other motor vehicle-related revenues (like parking meters and registration fees) decreasing, more people choosing bikes and electric cars, and federal funding as unstable as ever, we need to figure out a new revenue stream.

Unfortunately, this discussion is hampered by politics. Raising the cost of using our transportation system is always makes for prickly politics, but especially in the current economic climate, elected officials around the region are loathe to propose new revenue streams. At the outset of this year's budget talks at PBOT, Mayor Sam Adams — a man who pushed a major "street fee" initiative a few years ago — told his bureau director that he did not want to hear any ideas about new revenue. All talks about how to find more money, Adams said, were off the table.
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PBOT's SmartTrips program is
among the cuts.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The City of Portland's Transportation Options Division — the group behind such popular programs as Sunday Parkways and SmartTrips — no longer exists as a stand-alone section of PBOT. The consolidation of Options into a new "Active Transportation" group within PBOT's org chart — and the $350,000 cut that comes with it — is just one of the steps being taken to tighten operations and cut over $15 million in their ongoing discretionary budget.

Sunday Parkways and Neighborhood Greenways are also slated for significant cuts and 27 current PBOT employees will lose their jobs (most of the positions are labor/maintenance workers). (more...)

Sunday Parkways is not a core
city service says Saltzman.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman has fired the first shot across the bow in what is likely just a preview of what's to come in bruising fight over next year's budget.

On the agenda at the City Council meeting this morning was a two-year $248,500 contract expense for local company Good Sport Promotion to manage the hundreds of volunteers it takes to put on PBOT's Sunday Parkways events. According to Beth Slovic at The Oregonian, Saltzman spoke out in opposition to the contract — and funding for the event in general — at the council meeting. (more...)

With budget cuts to bike lane
cleaning, you might want to
carry a broom.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has unveiled a list of proposed cuts intended to slash their discretionary budget by $15-16 million. The unprecedented cuts — which amount to about 20% of $70 million in discretionary revenue — comes as PBOT grapples with how continue providing services while revenue sources have failed to keep pace with demands and commitments made in previous years are now coming due.
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Map shows PBOT's new "streets of
citywide significance".
- Download PDF-

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has released an update on their 2012-2013 budget situation. As we suspected, a major shrinking of their budget has resulted in a restructuring of how the bureau will prioritize spending. In other big news, PBOT Director Tom Miller has unveiled a set of "organizational evolutions" that will change the face of the bureau. (more...)

Maintenance workers say potholes will
get worse, and people on bikes will
pay the price.
(Photo: Heather Andews)

With massive cuts coming from the Bureau of Transportation, there's one group that is ready to stand up and defend their piece of the pie: maintenance workers. And people who bike should support them, says organizer Erica Askin.

According to a statement released by Laborer's Local 483, PBOT maintenance workers and their community supporters will pack into City Hall this morning to "demonstrate opposition to the proposed $16.2 million in cuts to the Bureau’s ongoing budget."

Askin, who plans to represent the workers with testimony at the City Council meeting this morning, met with PBOT staff yesterday. According to a union spokesperson, Askin brought up two key reasons for protecting the maintenance budget: emergency vehicle access and "cyclists depend on the roads too." (more...)

Adams says sidewalk spending
commitment is rock-solid.
(Photo © J. Maus)

A story in The Oregonian published Friday (and an irresponsible Tweet by BikePortland) might have you thinking that Mayor Sam Adams — grappling with a tight budget at the Bureau of Transportation — has broken a promise to invest in sidewalks in East and Southwest Portland.

"Cracks have appeared in Portland Mayor Sam Adams' pledge to build new sidewalks" is the opening line in The Oregonian story. In a Tweet about that story, I wrote "Mayor Adams backed off promise to build sidewalks due to budget." "Not true at all," Adams replied, "but I agree that is the impression the article falsely conveys."

With historic cuts coming to PBOT, many in the community are watching Adams' spending decisions — especially those that impact biking and walking — very closely.

What follows is more context behind Adams' decision and how a local walking advocacy group is taking the news. (more...)

Severe cuts will force us
to make bold decisions on how
we prioritize funding.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation made an historic announcement on Monday. In order to balance their budget, the agency needs to make $16 million in ongoing cuts. Not one-time cuts to patch a lean year, but ongoing and permanent into the foreseeable future.

This is a very big deal that is likely to fundamentally change how PBOT does business (read that sentence again). It's also an opportunity to consider a complete restructuring of how the bureau goes about its business, where funding should be cut, and what expenditures should be prioritized. (more...)

PBOT Director Tom Miller says
"tough decisions" lie ahead
for his agency.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has projected $16 million in cuts to balance their 2012-2013 fiscal year budget.

As we reported earlier this month, the cuts are necessary due to a variety of local, regional, and national issues and Portland Mayor Sam Adams is asking all bureaus to do their parts to weather the storm.

In a statement issued today, PBOT said they've gotten even lower than expected gas tax receipt projections from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). State gas tax revenues are PBOT's single largest source of funding and they've been dwindling as people decide to drive less and drive more fuel-efficient cars.
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Budget cuts could force hard decisions
on popular programs like Sunday Parkways.
(Photo © J. Maus)

As reported last week by The Oregonian, the City of Portland faces steep cuts in its 2012-2013 budget.

"As a result of global, national, and local factors that may impact the City and the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook," reads a memo sent to all agency directors from City Council last week, "we are asking bureaus... to prepare significant program cuts for FY 2012-2013."

While a more detailed analysis of the revenue forecast isn't expected until December, the writing is on the wall — cuts will have to be made. The big question for is, where? (more...)

Bike traffic on NE Wheeler Avenue
near the Rose Quarter.
(Photo © J. Maus).

The City of Portland is moving forward with a slate of projects that will have a huge impact on the quality of our bikeway network. Tomorrow, City Council is expected to approve a $214,900 contract with Alta Planning + Design to begin the public outreach and design process on five projects in North and Northeast Portland.
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PBOT might have to look elsewhere
to pay for five Sunday Parkways this year.
(Photo © J. Maus)

[Hat tip to the Willamette Week]

The City's Financial Planning Division is recommending that the Bureau of Transportation scale back their planned five Sunday Parkways to just three, the same number held last year.

According to the City's budget office, the five events planned this year will cost a total of $475,000. PBOT put in a budget request in hopes that $217,000 of that amount could be paid through the City's General Fund. (more...)

Strategy session prior to a
budget hearing in 2007.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Tonight in Northwest Portland the City will hold its first of three Budget Hearings. To coincide with these hearings, the City has launched an online survey to find out how citizens feel about spending priorities.

With the recent passage of the 2030 Bike Plan, there has been a lot of headlines and discussion about transportation funding. These hearings are an excellent opportunity to tell Mayor Adams and City Council members what their priorities should be. (more...)

Estimated distribution of how PBOT wants to spend $14 million in new state revenue. (Figures are in millions.)
(Graph: BikePortland/Source info: PBOT)

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A freshly paved Naito Parkway
came with new bike lanes.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation submitted their proposed 2010-2011 budget to City Hall today and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance is not happy with it. Michelle Poyourow, advocacy director of the BTA and member of the PBOT Budget Advisory Committee, was the 13-member committee's sole no vote on the budget proposal.

"Our interest is for the City to make strategic transportation investments, not the ones we've made in the past which have resulted in the current problems we have. We want strategic investments for the future we are aiming for... Where people can be active, and not use fossil fuels."
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Bikes and business in peaceful coexistence.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Today, the Bicycle Business League and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance delivered a letter to Portland Mayor Sam Adams in support of the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 signed by 127 local businesses.

The list includes many usual suspects (bike companies and bike teams), but also some major corporations such as wind power company Vestas, insurance company The Standard, Walsh Construction, Adidas, Tazo Tea, the law firm of Ater Wynne LLP, ad giant Wieden + Kennedy, and others (full list pasted below). (more...)

A fund to help pay for more
bike boulevards will be
doubled in the coming year.
(Photo © J. Maus)

With budget season heating up it's time to delve into what the Bureau of Transportation has in mind for bikes in the coming fiscal year.

Last year the budget was created in what Mayor Adams referred to as a "very difficult environment." One proposal (that thankfully did not come to pass) was to trim the city's spending on Safe Routes to School by 40%.

Things are much different this year. (more...)

PBOT is looking into a new cycle
track on N. Williams as part of $7
million in bike projects next year.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is fleshing out a list of bicycle projects worth an estimated $7 million they hope to roll out between July 2010 and June 2011 (FY 2011). That amount -- a mix of local and federal sources -- is a substantial increase compared to previous years.

The list (download PDF here) includes $2.5 million in revenue from state and local sources and $4.57 million from federal sources. PBOT's Mark Lear had a draft of the list at the City's Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting last week and he's sent us an updated version.
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Commissioners Fish and Fritz and
Mayor Adams listen to testimony at
the budget hearing last night.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Given the City's budget woes and the fact that our Mayor is currently being investigated by the State Attorney General and has been embroiled with an unending stream of negative media attention, you'd think Portlanders would line up for a chance to find fault with him and his budget.

However, at last night's community budget hearing, it was just the opposite.

Another reporter I chatted with likened it to a "love-in". One person after another -- representing interests ranging from the arts, homeless services, seniors and biking -- expressed gratitude and offered their thanks to Adams and his Council colleagues (only Saltzman wasn't present) for their work on the budget. (more...)

Bike advocates huddled with the
BTA's Scott Bricker before testifying
at the 2007 hearing.
(Photo © J. Maus)

With the prospects of bike funding looking grim Salem, the residents of Portland have a chance to set a different tone.

Tonight (5/21) in Southeast Portland the Mayor and City Commissioners will listen to testimony about the Mayor's proposed budget prior to their vote to adopt it on May 27th.

At stake for people who care about bikes as transportation is $4.7 million dollars in funding for bike projects and programs. Here is a list of bike-related line items in the budget. (more...)