Why drive 20 mph? It can save a life.

"20 is plenty" slows speeds and save lives

"20 is plenty" is Portland's reminder that slowing down saves lives. By driving 20 mph on residential streets, you can help protect neighbors and make our communities safer for everyone. 

Speeding is a leading cause of deadly crashes in Portland. In 2025, 41% of traffic deaths involved speeding. Driving 20 mph is one of the easiest ways to help keep your neighbors safe. Lower speeds reduce the chance of a crash. If a crash happens, slower speeds make it less likely that someone will be seriously injured or killed. 

A pedestrian hit at 20 mph is four times more likely to survive than one hit at 40 mph. That's why "20 is plenty" on Portland's residential streets. Slower speeds protect everyone — people driving and people walking, biking, and rolling. 

View full size image of Three speedometer graphics showing 20mph, 30mph, and 40mph and the likelihood of serious injury or death for pedestrians struck at these speeds.

Portland's residential 20 mph streets

About 70% of Portland streets are residential. People use these streets to walk to school, visit parks, and move around their neighborhoods. Many residential streets are narrow and may not have bike lanes or marked crosswalks. Driving 20 mph gives everyone more time to react and stay safe.

Improvements to slow neighborhood streets

Speed limits aren't the only way we slow down residential streets. Speed bumps (also known as speed cushions) are one of Portland's most widely used tools to reduce vehicle speeds, and they're effective on local streets. Speed bumps encourage safer driving speeds, making streets more comfortable for people walking, biking, and rolling. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) uses speed bumps when data shows more than 15% of people driving are traveling more than 5 mph over the speed limit.

As part of the Safe System approach, PBOT also uses tools such as narrower street widths, curb extensions, and street trees to encourage safer driving speeds.

Residential streets are for neighborhood use

Local streets are how many Portlanders travel to destinations like schools and parks. They also provide access for people to deliver goods and services to homes. People driving need to respect the intended purposes of neighborhood streets. To support this, PBOT installs traffic diverters at specific locations to prevent cut-through traffic on local streets. 

Use residential streets for:

• Accessing local destinations such as schools and parks
• Delivering goods and services to homes

Don't use residential streets for:

• Traveling to far-away destinations 
• Replacing arterials or collector streets
• Cutting through traffic 

Our streets are safer and work better for everyone when we all use them correctly. 

How Portland got to 20 mph

• In 2017, Oregon passed House Bill 2682. This new law allowed the City of Portland to lower residential speed limits from 25 to 20 mph.
• In 2018, the Portland City Council approved this change.
• In 2019, PBOT completed the switch to 20 mph speed limits, doubling residential speed limit signs citywide.

"20 is plenty" is part of Vision Zero, Portland's goal to eliminated traffic deaths and serious injuries. 

Remind your neighbors that "20 is plenty"

Help keep our neighborhood streets safe. "20 is plenty" yard signs are free for Portlanders.

Pick up a yard sign today at the Portland Building front desk (1120 SW Fifth Ave.) during business hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Limit to one per household. 

Interested in a bulk request? Fill out a Vision Zero pledge sheet and email visionzero@portlandoregon.gov. 

Signs are 24" by 18" and include optional wire H-stakes.