The rumors BikePortland reported on back in January have unfortunately turned out to be true. In the final week of the session, the Oregon Legislature is considering a cut to Safe Routes to School funding in order to balance their budget and save the Oregon Department of Transportation from mass layoffs.
In addition to a $17 million which could be redirected from the Safe Routes to School program, the bill proposes to axe $8 million from the Community Paths program. These funds are not currently obligated to any projects or grants and it would only be a one-time re-allocation. The thinking among Democratic lawmakers is that these and other budget balancing steps are necessary to buy time until a full transportation package could be considered in 2027.
We expected reallocation of Safe Routes funding, but the hit to Community Paths — a program funded in part by Oregon’s $15 tax on new bicycles — is a surprise.
Lawmakers unveiled their plans over the weekend. They’re a mix of cuts and re-allocations hinted at in a presentation by ODOT staff back in February. The proposal is outlined in the -3 “dash 3” amendments to Senate Bill 1601.
Here’s the breakdown of redirected funds according to Oregon Capitol Chronicle:
Lawmakers will take and reallocate:
- $5 million from the student driver training program
- $6 million from Oregon Highway 58 enhancements and expansions that have since wound down due to environmental issues and lack of local support
- $8 million from the Community Paths program for building and maintaining multi-use public paths
- $17 million from Safe Routes to Schools grant program
- $20 million from the Transportation Operating Fund, or the “lawnmower” fund, which is funded by non-road gas tax funds
- $35 million in dedicated revenue for bridge projects, seismic improvements, preservation of highways, culvert projects and safety projects
- $42 million from the Connect Oregon program, which provides grants for marine, aviation and rail projects
- $85 million of federal funds that can be tied to projects that don’t need a match from the State Highway Fund, freeing up those local dollars
The nonprofit Oregon Trails Coalition has issued an action alert, urging its supporters to fight the proposed cuts to Safe Routes and Community Paths. “The proposal cuts funding from the only state sources of funding for multi-use paths in order to backfill highway maintenance needs, including redirecting funds from our state’s tax on bicycles from off-street paths to highway maintenance,” reads a statement issued by the group a few minutes ago.
The public will have a chance to weigh in on this proposal at a meeting of the Joint Subcommittee on Capital Construction tomorrow (Tuesday, March 3rd). A possible vote on the measure could also take place at that same meeting.