Portland Sees One Traffic Death Every Five Days So Far in 2023
Portland Sees One Traffic Death Every Five Days So Far in 2023
On January 25th, Portland recorded its fifth traffic fatality of the year, more than seventy percent of the statewide total.
Day 25, five fatal crashes in Portland in 2023. On January 25th, The Street Trust was saddened and concerned, but not surprised to hear that a pedestrian was struck and killed the night before, where Foster Road crosses SE Powell Boulevard. The crash occurred around 10pm, before closing time of popular nearby restaurants, when someone would reasonably assume it’s safe to grab a late bite.
Unfortunately, the majority of important streets with essential services in outer Southeast Portland are high crash corridors. The same is true in other parts of the city where more low-income and people of color reside. Our most vulnerable residents are paying for government failure to create safe streets with their lives.
Over the past two years, The Street Trust has called for emergency action to address safety issues on Powell Blvd, including transferring ownership of the ODOT-owned road to local control.
“Unfortunately, ODOT simply doesn’t have the funding available to immediately upgrade and transfer, or transfer and fund local improvements, for every road that is suitable for transfer.”
ODOT. Making Powell Boulevard Safer for All: Path to Jurisdictional Transfer, 2022. Click to download.
The public does not need to wait for a jurisdictional transfer to see upgrades on Inner Powell. It’s time to call on ODOT to make updates based on their own recommendations and Blueprint for Urban Design–both issued over three years ago in 2019.
Bookmark it!
📚Oregon’s official traffic fatalities record
📚Bike Portland Traffic Fatality Tracker
Word on the Street
A digest of top transportation stories and industry word soup.
Hi-Vis
(adjective): short for high-visibility; easy to see in all conditions, because of being a very bright color.
Did you know that about 50 percent of traffic deaths occur after dark, despite just 25 percent of driving occurring then? In a more staggering statistic, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 77% of 2020 pedestrian deaths occurred at night, following a trend of annual increases (+14%) since 2014.
Are you surprised by these statistics? Let us know why or why not in the comments!
On the streets of Portland, local drivers are reporting (KGW) (Nextdoor) that they’re having a really hard time seeing pedestrians when they drive at night, with some arguing the cause is what pedestrians are wearing (or not wearing). Namely, dark clothing versus hi-vis clothing.
We’re with PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera who said “Sounds like victim blaming to me.” But we’re not here to point the finger back at drivers either.
😴 Imagine a future where everybody looks out for each other and keeps each other safe, where we share a commitment to be more predictable, visible, and aware 😴 That’s where we’d like to be.
Still, many people find empowerment in proactively taking their safety into their own hands, and it’s certainly not bad advice for non-drivers to wear hi-vis clothing or use illumination gear when using streets after dark.
So, if you’d like to and can afford it, here’s a rundown of your options and a guide to the best headlamps to get you started.
EV
(noun): short for electric vehicle; any vehicle that uses an electric motor to move.
A December 2022 article in the Environment Section of OregonLive began “Electrify your life in 2023 to fight climate change,” and went on to recommend Oregonians buy a new or used electric vehicle in the New Year.
Meanwhile, popular national publications like USA Today, Outside Magazine, and PEW extolled e-bikes as the cheaper, more sustainable solution.
For our part, we dubbed 2023 “The Year of the E-Bike”(which might need updating to “The Year of the Rabbit on an E-Bike”).
Our take on EVs and climate change is more of a “Yes, AND” response. Yes, we need a combination of electrification AND Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) reduction to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
All of us depend upon professional drivers, service trucks, and freight trains to one extent or another, so we’re happy to see investment in electrification technology–like Daimler’s Supertruck project. BUT we’d be happier to see it paired with comparable investment to make walking, biking, and taking transit a safer and more accessible option for everyday transport.
In our last issue, we shared that Denver’s successful e-bike rebate pilot is creating buzz [-Zzzzzhhhap!⚡] around the nation as one of the next big ideas that will transform transportation. We’re excited to follow up on this story with some good news out of Nashville. Next month, the Nashville city council will consider dedicating one million dollars of American Rescue Plan funding to help residents buy e-bikes.
If approved, people earning below 80% of the area median income will qualify for a rebate between $300 to $1,400, depending on their specific income.
#YourStreets
A spotlight on community creations, leadership, and fun in the streets.
Anouksha Gardner
This week, we’re putting the spotlight on one of our in-house transportation leaders, Anouksha Gardner, who recently took on an extracurricular leadership role as a commissioner of the Beaverton Committee for Community Involvement.
Here, she tells us about her work and what motivates her to serve:
I first had the opportunity to become a civic leader by participating in the Washington County Civic Leaders Program in 2021. I learned that community members have many things they want to say to their government, but often don’t know how to be heard. When I started in my current role as a Strategic Partnerships Manager of The Street Trust, the first thing I did was to connect with community-based organizations to conduct listening sessions, to hear about their transportation needs and wants. The Beaverton Committee for Community Involvement (BCCI) develops recommendations for community-informed decision making, and presents them to the City Council, the Planning Commission, and planning staff. Serving on the BCCI is a way for me to pursue my passion of amplifying community voices, and to give back to the place where I live.
Are you or someone you know a leader or emerging transportation leader? Nominate them (or yourself!) for a spotlight in #OurStreets by emailing us at communications@thestreettrust.org.
What Can I Do?
If you can do one thing this month to reclaim streets for people, do this.
Celebrate Transit Equity Day
Saturday, February 4, all day
Ride Portland public transit, including buses, MAX, Streetcar, WES and LIFT; to celebrate and honor the iconic Rosa Parks and her contributions to the civil rights movement. Fare is free!
Join Us for a Group Night Ride
Saturday, February 11, 5-8PM
Kick off the 2023 WeBike season with snacks and non-alcoholic drinks at The Street Trust HUB at Lloyd Center (directions here) and then ride a five-mile loop with us to some of the Portland Winter Lights Festival eastside displays.
Show Your Love for Public Transit
Saturday, February 18, all day
The I <3 Transit 5K is a challenge to our community to set a single-day trip record of 5,000 miles traveled on public transportation, while fundraising to support champions for walking, rolling, bicycling, and riding transit who want to run for office in Oregon.
Footnote: Never want to miss an opportunity from The Street Trust? Subscribe to TST Action Alerts and never miss our job and volunteer positions, RFPs and event announcements.
Thanks for reading #OurStreets!
I also would like to point out the ever since Portland shifted to the LED street lights, it's harder to see at night. They did not purchase the correct wavelengths of color to use as the current street lights are very blue and reflect heavily. Dark rainy streets look even darker. Just look up into one of the new street lights and your eyes feel it.