ever was one.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
If you were concerned that budget cuts might jeopardize Sunday Parkways this year, you can now take a sigh of relief. With the announcement this morning of dates and routes for five Sunday Parkways events, it’s clear that the Bureau of Transportation feels confident they will enough funding to hold the events.
And Mayor Hales even sings the praises of the events in a statement released this morning:
“Sunday Parkways events are a great opportunity to get to know your neighborhood and your city. Nancy and I have attended them. As family-friendly events go, these can’t be beat,” said Portland Mayor Charlie Hales.
Here are the dates and routes:
May 12 in East Portland
June 23 in Northeast Portland
July 28 in North Portland
August 25 in Southeast Portland
September 29 in Southwest Portland (route is TBD)
The five Sunday Parkways events cost about $500,000 for PBOT to put on. The majority of funds is raised from donations and private sponsorships. Last year the City funded Sunday Parkways to the tune of $120,000. In years past, Council has threatened to cut funding for the program completely on the grounds that is is not a “core service.” PBOT argues that it is and they maintained the $120,000 budget request in their current budget that now sits on Mayor Hales’ desk.
According to sources at PBOT, Hales never hesitated when the request was in front of him. He promised to support Sunday Parkways during his campaign and it appears he has kept that promise.
Learn more about Sunday Parkways 2013 on PBOT’s website.