In case you haven’t heard, pay it forward has a whole new meaning in Oregon.
In response to the ‘bike tax’ recently implemented under Oregon House Bill 2017, Santa Cruz Bicycles will be matching the $15 per bike excise tax customers pay with an equal donation to three Oregonian trail building organizations–the Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA), the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA), and Team Dirt. That’s right, when you buy a new Santa Cruz or Juliana bicycle between September 1st and December 31st, the manufacturer will make a donation to support trails in Oregon!
You can read the official release from Santa Cruz here.
The taxes collected by the State of Oregon will be used in ODOT’s Connect Oregon program and targeted for bicycle or pedestrian projects such as sidewalks, stairs or other paved infrastructure. While NWTA wholeheartedly supports the expansion of multi-modal infrastructure, we are ecstatic to be supported by Santa Cruz in stewarding, maintaining and expanding the sustainable recreation opportunities for off-road cyclists in Oregon.
The state’s bike tax is projected to generate roughly $1.2 million over the next year. In terms of on-the-ground infrastructure, that’s five miles of paved bikes lanes…or over 60 miles of sustainably built, bike optimized soft surface trail. In other words, a trail system over three times the size of Sandy Ridge!
We at NWTA are humbled by Santa Cruz’s commitment to mountain bike stewardship and thank them for their generous support!