http://www.cityofmadison.com/comp/2009OpBud/2009opbud.htm
Skimming the Operating Budget's Traffic Engineering section I found this: "3. $30,000 to support bicycle programs. Funding is to be derived from a restructuring of the current bicycle registration and licensing program as determined by the Platinum Bicycle Committee. An increase of $30,000 associated with Bicycle Registration fees has been included in the City General Fund Revenues. The Platinum Bicycle Committee shall, by January 1, 2009, make recommendations regarding both the licensing and registration restructuring and expenditures in support of bicycle programs and infrastructure for approval by the Common Council." Does anybody know how the increased revenue is going to be collected? http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/trafficEngineering/documents/PlatinumAdopted040808sm.pdf The Platinum report is fairly general when it comes to funding sources. It refers to Appendix C of the Bicycle Transportation Plan for the Madison Urban Area & Dane County (2000): http://www.madisonareampo.org/Otheredoc_pdf/bikeplan00.pdf I am guessing this means that bicycle registration fees will be increasing. While I am all for bicyclists being charged their fair share for the infrastructure they use, I find it unsettling that at a time when gas tax revenues are down and the federal highway program gets an $8 billion boost from general revenues, users of alternative modes of transportation get their fees increased. If one were looking at transportation funding for 2009 from the perspective of the relative incentivization of each mode, one would have to conclude that the government wants to encourage driving and discourage alternative modes. Which brings up this study I found today: Do Motor Vehicle Users in the US Pay Their Way? http://pubs.its.ucdavis.edu/download_pdf.php?id=1139 The study indicates that US motor-vehicle users fall short of paying their own way for roads by a margin of 20-70 cents per gallon of gasoline. _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
