37590

WHEREAS, Pursuant to ORS 810.010(3) the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the road authority for all highways, roads, streets and alleys, other than state highways, within the incorporated boundaries of the City of Portland, and 

WHEREAS, Pursuant to ORS 323.020(1) the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has jurisdiction and control over state highways which include a number of Portland arterials including Inner SE Powell Blvd, and

WHEREAS, ODOT has recently acknowledged that it is time to make changes on Inner Powell to ensure the safety or all users and that, “no change is off the table to keep our community safe”, and

WHEREAS, the City of Portland is a Vision Zero city and is committed to eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries on our streets, and

WHEREAS, School speed zones support safe speeds and safe travel adjacent to and near schools; and alert drivers to the presence of a school campus where vulnerable students walking, bicycling and taking transit to school, and

WHEREAS, School speed zones help address safety concerns in areas with high concentrations of especially vulnerable bicyclists and pedestrians and can lead to safer conditions for all travelers in the area, and

WHEREAS, Slower speeds provide more reaction time for all travelers and any crashes that do occur at slower speeds have less potential to cause serious injury or death, and

WHEREAS, Heavy freight traffic on SE 26^th Avenue requires further evaluation to ensure safety of all users.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Portland City Council directs PBOT to install and request ODOT to install a School Speed Zone adjacent to Cleveland High School, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Portland City Council requests that ODOT install School Speed Zones for any and all schools on state-owned arterials, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that PBOT shall undertake a study of freight classifications and routes that impact the volume of freight vehicles using SE 26^th Avenue, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that PBOT shall partner with the ODOT on further immediate safety improvements on SE Inner Powell and SE 26^th as well as additional safety improvements on State owned urban arterials per the ODOT’s Blueprint for Urban Design, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, PBOT shall partner with the ODOT in jointly developing a cost for transfer that achieves a state of good repair and safe SE Powell Boulevard from SE 9^th Avenue to the I-205 interchange following the model of the recent successful transfer of 82^nd Avenue from the State to the City.