Crosswalk guidelines for Portland

Overview

Information here includes broad guidelines for installing marked crosswalks and other pedestrian improvements where there are no existing signals.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) tailors each crosswalk's design to its location. In general, streets may need extra elements to meet safety standards when they have more travel lanes, higher speeds, or more vehicle, pedestrian, and/or bike traffic. All proposed improvements are reviewed by an engineer.

PBOT crosswalk guidelines help engineers:

• Determine when a crosswalk could benefit from safety upgrades
• Select safety improvements based on site-specific conditions

PBOT determines where to put marked crosswalks and how they should be designed based on local and national best practices. Below is a general, simplified explanation of PBOT's process. Common questions about crosswalks can be found here. For more about Portland traffic counts, visit our interactive map here.

Steps of evaluation

Step 1: Evaluate a site to determine if crosswalk enhancements would improve safety

PBOT generally marks or enhances crosswalks where there are traffic signals or where both of the following conditions are met:

• Average daily traffic of more than 4,000 vehicles per day 
• More than 20 crossings per hour of pedestrians or people biking

The required minimum of people crossing may vary if the location is:

• Within 300 feet of an existing marked crosswalk 
• Within a pedestrian district
• Near a transit stop
• In a school zone (no minimum average daily traffic required)
• Where most people crossing are children, seniors, or pedestrians with disabilities

Step 2. Evaluate site context and determine safety improvements

Engineers may select safety improvements at a crosswalk depending on various factors such as:

• Visibility
• Average daily traffic
• Number of lanes
• Roadway speeds
• Number of people crossing
• Accessibility for people with disabilities

Design guidelines

PBOT engineers design crosswalk improvements using PBOT Capitol Project Delivery Design Guidelines.  

Examples:

• For roads with one traffic lane in each direction and lower speeds, PBOT will generally improve crossings by adding crosswalk markings and high-visibility signs.
• For roads with multiple lanes and speeds above 35mph, PBOT will generally improve crossings with safety improvements such as median islands, curb extensions, and/or pedestrian beacons or other signals.