In this email
- Safer outcomes on SW Capitol Highway
- Watch: How PBOT reorganized a street and improved safety
- Speed limit changes
- Partnering with community to support safer transit and pedestrian travel
- Ask a PBOT expert
- Free upcoming PBOT bike events
- Apply to the City Club of Portland's Vision Zero Study Committee
- Survey: Help make Oregon's roads safer
- Report e-scooter issues in minutes
- Free BIKETOWN for All bike helmets
- High Crash Network projects
- Access the latest deadly crash data
- Remember to say crash, not accident!
- Free Vision Zero materials and yard signs
- Personal safety community resources
- What we're reading
Safer outcomes on SW Capitol Highway
Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) recently evaluated its SW Capitol Highway Complete Streets Project, which aimed to improve safety for all travelers between SW Hidalgo and Huber streets—one of Portland's high-crash corridors. Substantially completed in 2019 with funding from the city's General Transportation Revenue and cannabis tax, the project included:
- Reorganizing vehicular travel lanes from four to two plus a center turn lane
- Adding protected bike lanes with parking and vertical posts
- Improving pedestrian crossings with median islands and lighting
- Lowering the speed limit from 35 to 30 mph
The results? Fewer crashes, less speeding, and better access to transit. Pedestrian and bike facilities are now safer and more comfortable.
More lighting improvements are due in winter 2025-26. PBOT will update the report again in 2026 and 2031 as more crash data becomes available.
Read the SW Capitol Highway Complete Streets Project Evaluation Report
Watch: How PBOT reorganized a street and improved safety
Why is Portland Bureau of Transportation converting motor vehicle travel lanes to other uses on some streets? It's a fair question—and one that we hear periodically. The short answer: to make streets safer for everyone, whether you're walking, biking, riding transit, or driving.
Take a look at how we redesigned NE 102nd Avenue and what happened next: fewer crashes, slower speeds, safer crossings, and little to no change in travel times.
Speed limit changes
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is updating speed limits citywide to set safe travel speeds. Why? Because speed is a top contributing factor to traffic deaths. Safe speeds lower the risk of crashes, and when crashes occur, safe speeds make it less likely that people are killed or seriously injured. We track speed limit changes online.
Recent changes
Locations where PBOT reduced the speed limit in the past three months:
35 to 30 mph
- SE 162nd Avenue from Stark Street to Powell Boulevard
- NE Holman Street/105th Avenue from Sandy Boulevard to Airport Way
30 to 25 mph
- SW Vermont Street from 30th to 52nd avenues
- SE 92nd Avenue from 91st Place to Stark Street
- NW Miller Road from Cornell to Thompson roads
- SW Stephenson Street from 35th Avenue to Boones Ferry Road
- NE Fremont Street from 102nd to 122nd avenues
25 to 20 mph
- Naito Parkway from NW Everett to SW Harrison streets
- NE 42nd Avenue from Prescott to Killingsworth streets
Upcoming changes
Locations where PBOT recently received approval from the Oregon Department of Transportation to reduce the speed limit in the past three months. PBOT will post new speed limit signs in the upcoming months:
45 to 40 mph
- SE McLoughlin Boulevard from Franklin to Harold streets
40 to 30 mph
- NE 138th Avenue from Marine Drive and Sandy Boulevard
35 to 30 mph
- N Basin Avenue from Going Street to end of the street
- N Schmeer Road from Interstate to Vancouver avenues
- N Whitaker Way from 122nd to 138th avenues
30 to 25 mph
- N Weidler Street from Ross to NE Grand avenues
- NE Weidler Street from 16th to 24th avenues
- N Broadway Street from Larabee to NE Grand avenues
- NE Broadway Street from 24th to 33rd avenues
- SW Stephenson Street from 35th Avenue to Boones Ferry Road
- Miller Road from NW Cornell to SW Barnes roads
- NE Killingsworth Street from 42nd Avenue to Lombard Street
- N Mississippi Avenue from Cook to Russell streets
Establish 25 mph speed limit
- NE 80th Avenue from Columbia Boulevard to Holman Street
- NE Holman Street from 80th Avenue to 82nd Avenue Frontage Road
- NE 82nd Avenue Frontage Road from Holman Street to 82nd Avenue
30 to 20 mph
- NE Weidler Street from Grand to 16th avenues
- NE Broadway Street from Grand to 24th avenues
25 to 20 mph
- N Russell Street from Interstate to Kerby avenues
- SE Belmont Street from Grand to 49th avenues
Learn more about speed limit changes in Portland
Partnering with community to support safer transit and pedestrian travel
As we shared in our May newsletter, our Vision Zero team partners with community organizations that serve people who are more vulnerable to traffic violence. One of those is the Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural Resource Center (EECRC), which supports Ethiopian, Eritrean, and African immigrants and refugees with services that promote self-sufficiency and long-term success.
This summer, we teamed up with Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) SmartTrips program to provide transit safety education to EECRC community members enrolled in PBOT’s Transportation Wallet program. SmartTrips offers tools and tips for getting around by walking, biking, and public transit. The Transportation Wallet helps people meet basic transportation needs, regardless of income. The goal of this effort was to promote transit use, as well as improve pedestrian safety, a key part of our Vision Zero work.
Over two sessions, participants learned how to plan a transit trip and move through the transportation system safely. They used their new skills on a field trip that included a scavenger hunt, a visit to the Belmont Firehouse Museum, and a picnic in Laurelhurst Park. The group included elders and people who recently immigrated, all of whom will continue using TriMet as part of the Transportation Wallet program.
This work was made possible with funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro, and the Federal Transit Administration. Special thanks to TriMet for their support.
Learn more about how we’re making streets safe through Vision Zero
Ask a PBOT expert
Our Vision Zero inbox is filled with thoughtful questions from community members about traffic safety—and our team strives to provide equally thoughtful answers. These exchanges often spark meaningful conversations, and we believe they deserve a bigger audience! That’s why we’re sharing some of these questions and answers in our newsletter, edited for clarity and brevity, to highlight insights and ideas that benefit us all.
Question: How do you reduce driving speeds without enforcement?
Answer: Great question! While enforcement is an important part of our Safe System approach, we also use many tools to reduce driving speeds. Here are some of the ways we do that:
- Set safer speed limits. In 2024, we reduced speed limits on 23 miles of streets.
- Redesign streets. We reorganize roadway configurations to encourage slower, safer driving.
- Adjust traffic signals. On our High Crash Network, we update signal timing where feasible to help calm traffic.
- Use "rest in red" technology. Portland Bureau of Transportation is testing "rest in red" at a limited number of intersections with a history of speed-related crashes, signals default to red at night so drivers must slow down as they approach.
- Transform wide, fast streets. Each year, we improve some of our highest-crash streets to make them safer for everyone.
- Measure our impact. We track how redesigns on the High Crash Network affect speeding and top-end speeds (more than 10 mph over the limit).
- Educate the public. We host events and share tips to help Portlanders make safe travel choices.
Together, these strategies—along with enforcement—create multiple layers of safety to help reduce speeds, prevent crashes, and save lives.
Learn more about how we're making streets safe through Vision Zero
Free upcoming PBOT bike events
Reducing driving is core to our Vision Zero work
We can eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in Portland by significantly changing the design of our most deadly streets to slow drivers—as well as making it easier for people to get around without a car. Less driving makes our streets safer. Below are several free events the Portland Bureau of Transportation created to help make biking more desirable and easier to incorporate into your daily routines!
New to Portland Ride: Northeast Portland
Wednesday, July 23
Are you new to town or new to cycling in Portland? Want to explore some of the best low-stress bike routes in the Roseway, Cully, and Concordia neighborhoods? Join the New to Portland Ride: Northeast Portland on Tuesday, July 23 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. starting at Wellington Park (NE 66th Avenue and Manson Street). This is a 7.3-mile, moderate-pace (8-10 mph), no drop ride which ends near the start point for optional beverage and conversation. Come with questions about getting around by bike!
Learn more about the New to Portland Ride: Northeast Portland
East Portland Sunday Parkways
Sunday, July 27
Come celebrate car-free streets at East Portland Sunday Parkways, presented by Kaiser Permanente, on Sunday, July 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The route will stop along the way at Gateway Discovery, Ventura, and Lincoln parks—as well as Parklane Park, back on the East Portland route this year! As a beloved Portland tradition since 2008, enjoy a welcoming environment for active living, community connection, and civic pride on Portland’s largest public space—its streets!
Learn more about East Portland Sunday Parkways
Basic Bike Maintenance Education
Tuesday, August 5
Basic Bike Maintenance Education at Arleta Triangle Square (SE 72nd Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard) is your opportunity to learn about bike maintenance and get some hands-on experience doing basic repairs. On Tuesday, August 5 from 4 to 6 p.m., you'll learn how to do some simple adjustments and practice flat repair. Bring your bike—but it's not required. Come with questions about issues you might have!
Learn more about Bike Maintenance Education
City Bike Bus
Wednesday, August 13
Commute to downtown with the City Bike Bus on Wednesday, August 13! Community members are invited to join one of nine unique bike bus routes on your ride to downtown before meeting at Salmon Street Springs (SW Naito Parkway and Salmon Street) at 8:15 a.m. for a group photo, coffee, and treats. A bike bus is a group of students—but in this case, adults—biking to school—but in this case, downtown—together.
Learn more about the City Bike Bus
Apply to the City Club of Portland's Vision Zero Study Committee
The City Club of Portland is currently recruiting participants for their upcoming Vision Zero Study Committee. The committee will study the effectiveness of current strategies and evidence-based alternatives that could help Portland move closer to its safety goals.
Members from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. No special expertise is required for research studies. The success of the City Club of Portland's studies is due to the critical thinking and engagement of participants willing to learn and have open dialogues.
Apply to join City Club of Portland's Vision Zero Study Committee
Survey: Help make Oregon's roads safer
Have you ever seen someone speed through a school zone? Text behind the wheel? Drift into another lane while driving impaired or distracted? Maybe you’ve had a close call as a pedestrian or bicyclist. The Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT) Transportation Safety Office is working to change dangerous driving behaviors like these and needs your help.
Take a short survey (about 10 minutes) by Sunday, August 3 to shape ODOT's future safety campaigns and education efforts.
Transportation Safety Action Plan update
In addition to hearing from the public, ODOT is updating their Transportation Safety Action Plan. This update is an opportunity to guide decisions and investments to reduce crashes and eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on Oregon’s roads. If you work in transportation, take the transportation professional survey by Sunday, August. 31.
Take ODOT's public opinion survey now
Report e-scooter issues in minutes
Have you seen a scooter not locked to a bike rack or blocking a sidewalk? Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) e-scooter reporting form makes it easy to report problems—like poorly parked or damaged scooters—anywhere in Portland. It takes about five minutes to complete, and your report goes directly to PBOT and the scooter companies (Lime and Lyft) to help resolve the issue.
Free BIKETOWN for All bike helmets
Did you know BIKETOWN for All members get free helmets? BIKETOWN for All offers affordable, accessible, and fun bike-share transportation for everyone, regardless of income. Individuals 16 and older who qualify for or receive any of the following are eligible:
- Pell Grants (Portland campuses only)
- Oregon Trail Card (Electronic Benefit Transfer card)
- Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program
- Affordable housing residents
- Unemployment assistance
- Oregon Health Plan (Oregon Medicaid)
- TriMet Honored Citizen (qualifying income)
Pick up your free helmet at Adaptive BIKETOWN (1945 SE Water Ave.) during seasonal hours or the Portland Building (1120 SW Fifth Ave.). Call 311 ahead of time to arrange for you to pick up at the Portland Building.
High Crash Network projects
Portland Bureau of Transportation prioritizes safety investments on our highest crash streets and intersections in areas with higher proportions of people of color and people living with lower incomes. In recent years, 67% of traffic deaths occurred on the High Crash Network. We track recently completed and currently under construction High Crash Network projects online.
Learn more about High Crash Network projects
Access the latest deadly crash data
Our Vision Zero dashboard provides an overview of traffic safety improvements from the past five to 10 years—as well as data relating to our performance measures. Staff update the dashboard regularly. Preliminary deadly crash data is updated monthly, while other data is updated quarterly or annually, based on availability.
Learn more about the Vision Zero dashboard
Remember to say crash, not accident!
We want to change the way we talk about crashes and remind each other that they are predictable and preventable. A Vision Zero approach refuses to accept the idea that crashes are inevitable. That's why we're saying crash, not accident! Will you join us?
Learn more about why we say crash, not accident
Free Vision Zero materials and yard signs
Help educate the people in your community about Vision Zero, Portland's commitment to eliminate serious and fatal traffic injuries. Order and receive reflective stickers and pins, brochures, and fliers in the mail or pick-up a yard sign at the Portland Building (1120 SW Fifth Ave.). Materials are available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Lao, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Learn more about how to get free Vision Zero materials
Personal safety community resources
We want to help create a transportation system that allows all people to feel safe getting where they need to go. We put together free, accessible personal safety resources for community members, including how to report a non-urgent traffic safety concern, report bias and hate, participate in a self-defense workshop, and more.
Learn more about personal safety community resources
What we're reading
- Study shows protected bike lanes increase bicycle commuting (UNM News)
- US cities got better for biking: 2025 report (Smart Cities Dive)
- ‘Event-based’ data could enhance traffic management efforts and road safety (Route Fifty)
- How much safer do active safety systems make cars, really? (Car and Driver)
- NHTSA’s five-star assessment program needs an overhaul, automakers and vehicle safety groups tell Congress (Repairer Driven News)
- Poor mental health, police cuts fueled pandemic spike in impaired-driving deaths (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Washington State’s new shared streets law could set an example for pedestrian-friendly design nationwide (State Smart Transportation Initiative)
- NHTSA announces traffic fatalities decreased in the first quarter of 2025 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Parts of this document were drafted with the support of ChatGPT. The content was edited and fact-checked by city staff.