In June, Oregon became the first state to pass a bike tax, charging a flat $15 for every two-wheeler costlier than $200 with 26-inch diameter wheels or larger. Now, Santa Cruz Bicycles is pushing back with an initiative dubbed the Oregon Trail Tax, donating $15 to trail construction in the state for every taxed bike they sell. The funds will be distributed equally among three local trail-building organizations, the Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA), the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA), and Team Dirt. The program, named for the popular Oregon Trail computer game, started on September 1. The tax officially goes into effect on October 5, when Santa Cruz will send $1000 each organization’s way. They will continue with monthly donations until the end of the year.

Cyclists, mountain bikers, bike commuters, and people who love to shop in usually sales tax-free Oregon were, understandably, bummed out about the new tax. The funds collected will go to ConnectOregon, a transportation initiative that broadly covers air, rail, marine, pedestrian, and bike infrastructure in Oregon, and will be set aside specifically for bike and pedestrian path projects. Despite the state touting the tax as a way to help bikers help themselves by funding new bike infrastructure, many Oregonians see the tax as punitive, specifically targeting a healthful, environmentally friendly form of transportation that places less burden on state or local governments than other forms of transit.

“The whole thing seemed like a bad deal for Oregon cyclists in general and mountain bikers in particular. It doesn’t look like any of the money collected from the sale of mountain bikes will actually benefit mountain bikers, so we thought we’d try and do something to ease the pain of our northern neighbors,” said Santa Cruz Bicycles CEO Joe Graney. The company, based in Santa Cruz, California, is known for their innovative, hard-charging mountain bikes. After talking to Oregon bike advocates skeptical that the money would genuinely find its way to bike-path projects, and confident that the mountain biking community would gain nothing from the proposed tax, Santa Cruz decided to step in. The initiative is a lighthearted, constructive way to speak out against what Santa Cruz calls a “bullshit” policy decision.

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Despite Oregon being a hub for all types of biking—Portland has the highest percentage of bike commuters of any major U.S. city, Oregon is home to one of the longest bikepacking trails in the country—the state has become increasingly unfriendly to cyclists in recent years. A law passed in 2015 made it a punishable offense to ride outside of an available bike lane, a move cyclists saw as blind to the state or safety of existing bike lanes and inconsiderate of cyclist safety. The new bike tax adds to the perceived animosity.

Photo by Zach Disner

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