Contact: Lynn Peterson, Transportation Advocate, 1000 Friends of Oregon, 503 497-1000,
Catherine Ciarlo, Executive Director, Bicycle Transportation Alliance, 503 226-0676

A report released today finds that transit is getting a smaller share of federal money as states pour funds into building highways that are unlikely to solve traffic congestion. The analysis by the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) finds that in the last two years, the portion of federal spending on new roads grew 21 percent while spending on other transportation modes fell by 19 percent. This occurred as federal transportation funding reached a record level of $33 billion in one year.

"Changing Direction : Federal Transportation Spending in the 1990s" was released today by the Surface Transportation Policy Project. The study performed a first-ever comprehensive analysis of the more than 360,000 federally funded transportation projects undertaken in the 1990s. The report categorizes states according to their spending patterns.

Oregon was ranked "Middle of the Road." This ranking is due in large part to the successful efforts made by communities around the state in the early 1990s to support projects that offered alternatives to the automobile, including increased bus service, light rail, sidewalk improvements and bike lanes. While the State of Oregon out-performed many other states in maintenance of our roads and transit investment, changes for the better have stalled in recent years.

"Between threats from the legislature to ‘earmark’ federal funds for roads only, an increasing number of costly roadway widening projects, and a proposed $600 million road-building effort as part of the gas tax package on the May ballot, the trend toward funding alternatives has been set-aside for short-term gains," says Lynn Peterson, transportation advocate for 1000 Friends of Oregon. "The latest research shows that road building does not provide congestion relief for our citizens. Enabling people to get around without driving everywhere is more important for healthy communities and citizens."

The report finds that Oregon continues to spend most of its "flexible" federal transportation dollars on roads, even though federal law has made it possible for communities to tailor that spending to any local transportation need. Only 15.2% of this money went toward funding buses, trains, bikeways, or sidewalks, even though polls and surveys show citizens want a greater investment in transportation options. A survey conducted in 1999 by the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund showed that 48% of Oregon voters preferred "offering more transit and putting jobs near housing" as a response to congestion while only 37% think that building more roads is the answer.

"People want more choices, not just more roads. This report shows how the state is on the brink of cutting that trend short by focusing too much attention on road building rather th

an the type of projects that may help people to actually escape congestion," says Catherine Ciarlo, Executive Director for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.