There was a comment made about the numbers being low compared with certain expensive projects like the Hawthorne Bridge.

First, regarding that project in particular: the improvements made to the Hawthorne Bridge benefit pedestrians as well as bicyclists, and the entire project cost can't be attributed solely to cyclists.

Regarding these projects in general - large capital projects are typically amortized over a long period, sometimes as long as 20 years. A 5 million dollar project over 20 years is $250,000 per year. I'd be curious to hear from Paul what the amortization period is for those large projects.

Regarding bicycle improvements in general, a few points:

In Portland, as in most cities, carpooling is practically non-existant. One person, one car is the norm. A 14' lane can handle one car, versus 3-4 bicycles abreast. Every fewer car is less emissions, less noise, less wear and tear on the streets (lowering road replacement costs), and less traffic. Local cycling statistics show that the number of cyclists in Portland has risen with the number of dedicated bike lane miles in the city's bicycle network.

A bicycle on a road with bike lanes creates little or no delay for automobiles. 80% of all bicycle accidents occur on sidewalks and driveways - bicycles are proven to be much safer on the streets.

I find it strange that many of the same people who are so irritated at a bicycle interrupting their turn into a driveway or parking lot are only briefly annoyed by a slow or cautious driver doing the same. Within the city, many bicyclists are easily able to keep up with or even pass automobile traffic on downhill or level ground. Like it or not, bicycles are legal vehicles and are permitted by state law to use the same roadways as motorized vehicles. The bicycle improvements the city has constructed allow cars and bikes to share the road with a minimum of interference with each other.

A final note: Portland has been named the best bicycling city in the US. It's also been voted the best city in the US for walking. Pedestrian improvements frequently exceed bicycling expenditures, but I don't hear the anti-bike individuals complaining about that expense. Nor do I hear them complaining about the massive amount of money spent making transportation ADA-accessible. ADA also benefits only a small portion of the population, but it's not politically correct to talk about that.