PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland's $600 million bicycle plan is a go. Thursday City Commissioners approved the plan and Mayor Sam Adams pledged to "kick-start" it with $20 million.
The 2030 Bicycle Plan will more than triple the existing bike routes over the next 20 years by adding another 680 miles. About half the new routes will be separated bikeways.
The other half will be bike boulevards, a network of low traffic, family friendly routes. The plan would also call increased bike parking and more bicycle education.
"It gives the city a guiding framework to make future decisions about bicycling in the city," said Jonathon Maus, publisher of BikePortland.org.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation estimates by 2030 a quarter of commuters will be using a bike to get in and out of downtown Portland.
And while some may question the hefty price-tag, The Bureau of Transportation says over 20 years, it's feasible.
"Transportation is expensive and when you think about a single signal at an intersection it costs about a quarter of a million dollars," said Roger Gellar. Gellar is Bicycle Coordinator for the city of Portland.
The city has formed a finance task force to come up with long term financing. And as for Mayor Adams $20 million kick-start? He says that money will come from savings within the Bureau of Environmental Services and the winding down of the Big Pipe Project. Adams says he present his funding plan to the council within the next 30 days.
The bike plan will get official approval with the rest of the city's transportation budget later this year
