The rumors<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n In addition to a $17 million which could be redirected from the Safe Routes to School program<\/a>, the bill proposes to axe $8 million from the Community Paths program<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n We expected reallocation of Safe Routes funding, but the hit to Community Paths \u2014 a program funded in part by Oregon\u2019s $15 tax on new bicycles<\/a> \u2014 is a surprise.<\/p>\n Lawmakers unveiled their plans over the weekend. They\u2019re a mix of cuts and re-allocations hinted at in a presentation by ODOT staff<\/a> back in February. The proposal is outlined in the -3 \u201cdash 3\u201d amendments to Senate Bill 1601<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the breakdown of redirected funds according to Oregon Capitol Chronicle<\/a>:<\/p>\n The nonprofit Oregon Trails Coalition has issued an action alert<\/a>, urging its supporters to fight the proposed cuts to Safe Routes and Community Paths. \u201cThe 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\u2019s tax on bicycles from off-street paths to highway maintenance,\u201d reads a statement issued by the group a few minutes ago.<\/p>\n 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>. A possible vote on the measure could also take place at that same meeting.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Lawmakers will take and reallocate:<\/h4>\n
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