In a recent City of Portland budget session, a noteworthy amendment emerged among the 126 proposed by the City Council.
This amendment earmarks $75,000 specifically for traffic safety projects in District 4, championed by City Councilor Mitch Green.
Green’s Chief of Staff, Maria Sipin, confirmed that the funds represent unspent resources from the councilor’s office budget.
Rather than rolling these funds over for traditional expenses like staffing, the councilor opted to allocate them for immediate, impactful pedestrian safety initiatives.
“Instead of carrying it over for staffing and other expenditures,” Sipin told BikePortland, “we wanted to hold it to do some quick, high-impact pedestrian safety projects.”
Typically, each council office is allocated approximately $1.3 million annually to cover a variety of costs, including security and staff salaries, but unspent funds cannot be carried over into the next fiscal year, which concludes on June 30.
Each office was presented with several options regarding these unspent funds: they could return the money to the General Fund available for any bureau, contribute it to District 1 for its district office construction, or re-appropriate it for Fiscal Year 2025-2056.
Ultimately, Green’s office selected the re-appropriation option.
Feedback from constituents in District 4 indicated a need for small traffic calming measures, quick crosswalk repainting, or sign repairs which, until this amendment, were met with slow responses from the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).
“Earmarking it for some kind of safety projects is aligned with what we’re trying to do,” Sipin added.
Green, a regular bicycle rider, has consistently advocated for safer streets since his candidacy.
During a traffic safety rally in November 2024, he shared a personal experience of nearly being struck by a car while en route to the event.
He pointed out the growing risks for non-drivers, stating, “Those who do not drive are increasingly exposed to the collateral damage of this arms race,” referencing the trend of larger vehicles on the road.
Green has also emphasized the connection between safer streets and encouraging walking and cycling as viable alternatives to driving.
The idea for this budget amendment was developed after discussions with PBOT, which subsequently approved the proposal, leading to its unanimous passage through the council with a 12-0 vote.
While $75,000 may not suffice for comprehensive street redesigns, it can significantly impact smaller, quick-build projects—an urgent necessity in light of the current crisis-level transportation budget.
For perspective, PBOT estimates the cost of large concrete planters used as modal filters at about $5,000 each.
Similarly, the agency cites the cost for a new crosswalk at approximately $3,000, and daylighting an intersection can be achieved for around $700-$800 in materials and labor.
In 2023, PBOT managed to stripe a bike lane over two blocks and executed 24 smaller “missing links” projects for roughly $300,000.
Looking ahead, Sipin noted that this initiative represents a pilot program, and while a crosswalk project is on the horizon, the definitive location for the funds’ allocation remains to be determined.
image source from：https://bikeportland.org/2025/05/27/portland-city-councilor-gave-up-75000-of-his-own-office-budget-for-safer-streets-394618
