Among transportation groups, the Street Trust is really plugging it for "record funding for cycling, walking, and public transit." Locally, it is also significant for an earmark on the Center Street Bridge.
A decade of support, via Street Trust |
However, the transit piece is not $5 billion worth. It's not anywhere close to the majority of the funding. It's going to raise a little over $100 million a year, to be distributed statewide, and if the package is still intended for 10 years, that's 20% of the total. That appears to be how the Street Trust lands on their "$1.07 billion." Crucially the tax will be paid by employees, not employers, also. It's not the most equitable - but it's something, it's true. How far that will really go statewide is not something transit advocates have addressed directly. I worry that it won't be enough. It looks "big," but how big is it really? The Street Trust's focus on the multi-year totals statewide may not express in a meaningful way the actual effectiveness of those funding levels in a community - what is the ground-level meaning of things? What will we actually see on the street?
Bike Tax, EV Rebate Staff Infographic |
Still, the most important element for here is something else.
Earmarks are back in the bill, and Region 2, our region, will get just over $200 million. One of the projects specifically called out for part of that sum is:
- OR 22, Center Street Bridge seismic retrofit in City of Salem
Back in 2014, not even five years ago, except among bridge critics there was very little connection made between our Center and Marion Street bridges and the problem of seismic retrofits. There were two parallel and independent conversations going on, one about the Salem River Crossing, the other about the big earthquake, and the connections between them mostly not made.
From 2014 |
Also from 2014 |
Councilor Andersen at the January OTC meeting advocating for the seismic retrofit - via N3B |
Back to the bill, here's some of the material:
- Nearly 300 pages of the bill itself, HB 2017-10.
- A 9 page executive summary.
- A 32 page outline.
- Charts! Colors! A handy infographic.
- At the Register-Guard, "Oregon governor, lawmakers come out with watered-down transportation tax-and-spending package."
- At the Portland Tribune, "Lawmakers cut $4 billion from transportation package" and "Lawmakers could vote today on smaller transportation funding bill."
- At the Oregonian, "Lawmakers to finally vote on massive road-fixes bill after 2 years of talks."
- At the Street Trust, "Legislature Releases Newest Version of Transportation Package Bill," saying "While this revised bill is certainly promising, the transportation package still fails to address a number of key issues."
- Hot off the press! At the Register-Guard, "Oregon House passes $3.8 billion transportation tax and spending bill."
- At the Oregonian, "$5.3 billion transportation upgrades plan passes Oregon House."
- At the Portland Tribune, "House passes $5.3 billion transportation package."
- Via Twitter, BikePortland points out that eBikes are taxed like motor vehicles - but are not eligible for the EV rebate, so that's another whammy.
Concerns about equity in the "Tesla Tax" |
- The SJ again has a misleading headline in print (but not online) as if all $5 billion was for transit.
- At Transportation for America, "Oregon’s legislature just approved a transportation package that goes big for transit." They highlight short-comings in the cost-benefit analysis part, saying that too many projects were exempted from its analysis and that it was a largely empty commitment. That section especially is worth reading.
- At BikePortland, "It’s official: Oregon now has a $15 bike tax" and "7 interesting nuggets buried inside Oregon’s new transportation bill."
- At Streetsblog, "Caving to Resentment Politics, Oregon Enacts a Bike Tax."
From every member's breakdown |
- $60 million for the Center St Bridge seismic
- $4.1 million/year in new funding for the City
- $9.3 million/year in new funding for Cherriots
- And a baffling note about $1.2 million/year for biking and walking statewide - that's not very much, and doesn't seem like anything worth bragging about.
3 comments:
Every chart of active transportation funding that doesn't include the context of total funding undermines our voice.
See the final chart here: http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/protected-bike-lanes-do-not-cost-1-million-per-mile
That P4B post is great. Thanks for pointing it out.
(Edit: Several updated links and bits of comment.)
Wow! 9.2 million for Cherriots! Wonder what that will get us. They estimated 5 million a year for weekend and evening service...
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