Roland,

You just stated that infrastructure for “cars are going from 67% to 65% of the budget” and have previously mentioned that you are just doing your job. Working in Sam’s office for the City of Portland makes you a public servant which means you are supposed to represent taxpayers including motor vehicle owners, not just freeloading bicyclists. With a clear majority of the public using motor vehicles, 80 to 90 percent, they are obviously under represented at only 65 percent of the budget.

Furthermore, what you failed to mention is of the money in PDOT’s budget that comes directly from taxes on mode users (not other sources such as Urban Renewal etc), be it from the Fed, a pass through from Metro, from the State or locally, it comes almost entirely comes from taxes on motor vehicle users. Therefore what you call whining is actually taxation without representation on your part, possibly to the degree of discrimination towards motorists.

Sam's Town Hall Power Point presentations emphasized the tax fairness principal of "user pays". That is the direct opposite of motorists being taxed to subsidize other modes of transport, such as for bicycle infrastructure. Therefore, if bicyclists are not directly taxed, it is nothing more than a shell game that is all political doubletalk and propaganda.