A bill proposing to yank $15 million in transit funding for things like regional bus routes, urban rent-a-bike stations and bike lanes won preliminary approval Tuesday despite strong opposition from Democrats in the Senate.

Sen. Tim Neville, R-Littleton, said that money is being “skimmed” from fees the state collects on things like vehicle registration, late registrations, car rentals and others. He said that when lawmakers imposed the new fees in the Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery Act of 2009 (FASTER), that money should have been limited to maintaining and constructing roads and bridges rather than transit programs.

“To take that money and skim that money from a depleted fund for roads and bridges for something that we already provide seems to me to be unconscionable, and it’s also against the constitution,” Neville said.

Senate Bill 11 passed the Senate on a voice vote Tuesday and will likely be considered on third and final reading this week.

But given the level of opposition from Democrats in the Senate, it will be unlikely to make it past the House, where Democrats hold a majority.

Sen. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, spoke against the bill Tuesday on the Senate floor, saying the transit funding provides a needed link for people who are dependent on public transit like the elderly, disabled and those who live in rural areas.

“It was a comprehensive plan, and it has done great things for the state of Colorado,” Todd said of FASTER.

The Bustang bus service that travels from Colorado Springs to Denver, Denver to Fort Collins and Denver to Glenwood Springs would be on the chopping block if the transit funding is pulled.

Neville was critical of the subsidies used to keep that bus service running and also said the B-Cycle program in Denver and heated bike racks in Avon need to be looked into as well.

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Contact Megan Schrader: 719-286-0644

Andy Cross