On December 12, The Street Trust hosted a press conference with other bicycle advocacy groups to discuss safety, funding and Oregon’s declining bike-friendly status. Policy Director Ken McLeod from the League of American Bicyclists announced that Oregon has dropped from #2 to #3 in their 2024 Bicycle Friendly State rankings, behind Massachusetts and Washington, which ranks #1.
This is mainly due to 12 cycling fatalities and 85 walkers’ deaths as of Dec. 5, according to The Street Trust. Between 2009 and 2022, there was a 76% increase in bicyclist deaths nationwide, according to the League of American Bicyclists. The Street Trust and other groups are especially concerned as the Oregon State Legislature heads into a long session to decide on the 2025-27 budget Governor Tina Kotek presented in December. With an increasing number of bicycle commuters, an investment in safe roadways could save lives.
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, or ODOT, website, “ODOT has enough funding to keep state highway maintenance levels roughly stable until the middle of 2025. After that, in the absence of additional revenue or revenue reform, Oregonians will see a rapid decline in the safety, quality, and reliability of their transportation system.”
ODOT Public Information Officer Anna Howe spoke to Street Roots about the upcoming budget.
“What we are working on with the Governor and Legislature is not only structure but to increase our budget to improve safety across the system,” Howe said.
“Oregon is heading into a major discussion in the 2025 long Legislative session about the future of transportation funding.”
— Sarah Iannarone, executive director of
The Street Trust
Governor Tina Kotek proposes that the Legislature provide $7.298 billion, which is $1.75 billion over the current budget of $7.296.25 billion for ODOT for 2025-27. The Governor’s recommended budget will cover a gap of $354 million and beyond to improve maintenance, preservation and safety programs.
Sarah Iannarone, the executive director of The Street Trust, shared her concerns at the press conference. “Oregon is heading into a major discussion in the 2025 long Legislative session about the future of transportation funding,” Iannarone said.
The Street Trust works in the Portland area and increasingly across the state to provide transportation options for underserved communities and freedom from the high cost of transportation, Iannarone said. Budget shortfalls present a significant challenge.
Josh Goldfarb with Eugene’s Shift Community Cycles spoke at the press conference about safety concerns.
“People want to feel safe riding their bikes and increasing infrastructure will allow all people to be able to access transportation, have increased livability, and also have a healthier community,” Goldfarb said. “It really boils down to an investment that our community needs.”
Room for improvement
Harth Huffman has been commuting by bicycle since 1997. He has noticed improvements on the Springwater Corridor and riverfront bike paths. Many bike lanes, dedicated bicycle turn areas, and signals at intersections have been added. The street blockades in some areas have cut down on traffic significantly, especially during rush hours, Huffman said.
Huffman has seen the impact of funding over time on streets that have undergone significant changes to support cyclists.
“Foster Road is a great example,” Huffman said. “It used to be suicidal to commute on Foster, but once the renovations were complete, it now feels very safe and seems to have enhanced the entire area from SE 50th to past I-205.”
Iannarone spoke to Street Roots about what is needed to continue keeping vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians safe.
First, reducing the speed on roadways would make a difference. Automated traffic enforcement, such as speed cams, could help.
“We want the use of automated traffic enforcement to help local jurisdictions enforce traffic laws without disproportionately affecting low-income communities, people of color and marginalized groups,” Iannarone said.
Another effective solution would be to separate the right of way between modes like freight trucks and bodies on bikes. Creating a physical separation and hardening the separation between modes works so people can move safely at the pace they need to go, Iannarone said. For example, the south waterfront has streets for cars and wide areas for bikes and walkers.
The transportation system is looking to address the rise in fatalities for bikes and pedestrians with a number of programs aimed at identifying problem areas and using that data to make improvements. ODOT will need more funding to improve areas where fatal crashes occur. This is included in the governor’s budget priorities, Howe said. High-problem areas will be at the top of the list to address.
“One thing we know we can do for bike safety is to create more miles of dedicated bike lanes and upgrade what we have,” Howe said. “The challenge in maintaining roads trickles down to bike lanes and painting them and having rapid flashing beacons for walking and biking. We need to finish our walking and biking network, so there are sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of roads. Additionally we need to better maintain what we have.”
Huffman sees that the Springwater Trail is a useful resource for Portland cyclists and residents. He sees the same commuters regularly and enjoys the sense of community there.
“I wish we had a similar option for north/south riding, but there is nothing like that available except on the waterfront trail,” Huffman said.
More upkeep would make bicycle travel safer.
“Unfortunately, I notice that bike lanes are not maintained as well as they used to be,” Huffman said. “I never see street cleaners anymore. In the late fall, people rake their leaves into the street and they just sit there in the bike lanes and degrade. It’s definitely a slippery hazard.”
Funding for maintenance will benefit all travel modes. One example is filling potholes so drivers don’t need to cross into the bike lane to avoid them.
“A focus on infrastructure to protect vulnerable road users benefits us all,” Iannarone said. “At the end of the day, everyone wants to arrive home safe. An estimate of about 25-30% of people don’t drive. We want to make sure everyone is safe and has equitable access to the system.”
State transportation budget priorities
“The Legislature has named transportation funding as one of their top priorities in the session that starts in January and ends in the summer,” Howe said. “This will be a bit of a marathon to see if we can solve these issues, but we feel pretty confident going into 2025. We are excited about the Governor’s budget and hope the Legislature will address it.”
State Representative Susan McLain serves as Co-Chair of the Joint Transportation Committee and Co-Chair of the I-5 Interstate Bridge Committee. This year, she will participate in the Legislative decision-making process for the transportation budget.
“The upcoming 2025 legislative session presents a crucial opportunity to address the pressing need for safe and accessible transportation options for all Oregon businesses, communities, and families,” McLain said. “The Joint Committee on Transportation has gone on the 12-stop ‘Statewide Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour’ to hear from local jurisdictions and community members about their transit needs and potential funding solutions. During the 2025 legislative session, we will consider a significant transportation plan to ensure ODOT can provide the fundamental safety and maintenance Oregonians deserve. We will continue to tackle this challenge in a bipartisan fashion, using a statewide approach led by local perspectives we heard during our tour stops.”
The State Highway Fund gathers funding from gas tax receipts and fees on vehicles and freight haulers to distribute it to transportation agencies throughout Oregon, according to ODOT.
“While this structure has supported the state’s transportation system for a long time, the State Highway Fund as it is today won’t be able to support the maintenance, operation, and safety of our system, and of ODOT, into the future,” according to ODOT. This challenge is primarily because of declining gas revenue, high inflation and restrictions on available funding.
Many drivers are using electric vehicles now and relying less on gas. Although this is good for decreasing carbon emissions, it brings lower tax revenues and less money for transportation overall, according to ODOT.
ODOT also confirms that inflation has made transportation system maintenance and projects more expensive. Materials and staffing for services have gone up in cost. Oregon’s gas tax and vehicle and freight hauler fees are not tied to inflation. The same amount can be used to purchase fewer materials and services yearly.
The legislature will need to keep ODOT in operation and provide transportation infrastructure through 2025.
Cyclists of all ages
Lindsay Huber, who leads statewide Safe Routes to School, or SRTS, programs for The Street Trust, did share some celebratory news on Dec. 12. With over 200 public K-8 schools joining in, Oregon led the nation in participation for Walk & Roll to School Day in 2024, showcasing community participation in encouraging children to walk and bike safely to school.
“This shows the potential of what we can achieve when we invest in programs like Safe Routes to School,” Huber said. She is concerned about maintaining and growing programs that keep students safe with continued funding.
The program provides free resources and digital toolkits in English and Spanish. Parent volunteers and school staff carry out the Walk & Roll activities in October each year, providing students with stickers, prizes and incentives to walk or roll to school.
In 2024, there were 45 Walk & Roll to School events in Multnomah County and 210 events across the state. Students ride bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller skates, and other creative wheel transportation to get to and from school. Many students commute together in bike buses and walk buses with adult supervision. This involves a group of students meeting at a designated spot with a planned route to school and biking or walking together. The number of adults in charge varies depending on the age of the children.
In September, ODOT and Metro joined together for the Get There Car Free Challenge. This program encourages people to walk, bike and take public transport to work, reducing carbon emissions and raising awareness about alternative ways to commute.
Every year, the Portland Bureau of Transportation conducts a Bicycle Count. The average number of cyclists counted at 204 sites in Portland increased by 4.8% from 2022 to 2023, going from 21,378 to 22,397 people on bikes sharing the roads with drivers, pedestrians and other commuters.
“Safety for all modes of transportation in Oregon is our number one priority,” McLain said. “The legislature is working to prioritize the funding necessary to ensure that all users have a safe way to get where they need to go, including bicyclists. In addition, people sharing our roadways and pathways must be knowledgeable of the rules and conscientious users. As our multimodal infrastructure further develops, the state, local jurisdictions, and safety advocates will continue to work together to provide opportunities for education and training.”
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This article appears in January 1, 2025.