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Newsletter
PBOT's Vision Zero March 2026 newsletter.
Published
Updated
Traffic deaths decline for a second consecutive year in 2025
Thirty-nine people lost their lives in traffic crashes in Portland in 2025. Each death represents a person lost and families, friends, and communities forever changed.
The newly released Portland 2025 Deadly Traffic Crash Report analyzes trends to understand the circumstances and factors behind each loss of life from traffic crashes.
Traffic deaths declined for the second consecutive year — a 38% decrease from the average of the previous four years and a steep drop from the record 69 deaths in 2023, marking the lowest yearly total since 2018.
Significant improvement in East Portland
The decline was even more pronounced in East Portland, where traffic deaths fell 56% over the same period. For the first time since 2018, East Portland recorded fewer than 20 traffic deaths — 11 in total.
While the trend is encouraging, the City of Portland remains committed to Vision Zero, working across bureaus and with partners like the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) to reduce high-risk behaviors such as speeding and impaired driving and make streets safer for everyone.
Portland makes progress on Vision Zero
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) updates the public on the city's Vision Zero work annually — what work we've done and what areas need more attention — through the annual Vision Zero Action Plan Progress Report.
A few notable takeaways for 2025 from the report:
- Following state guidelines, the speed limit was reduced on 22 miles of streets in Portland, including SE 92nd Avenue, NE Fremont Street, N Mississippi Avenue, N Russell Street, and SW Vermont Street.
- PBOT and PPB worked with a new vendor to upgrade 25 of the existing speed and intersection safety cameras.
- PBOT completed an expansion of "no turn on red" traffic safety signage in the Northwest Pedestrian District upgrading 15 intersections.
- PBOT broke ground on multiple major projects along the High Crash Network, including Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements, NE 60th Avenue and Halsey Street Area Improvement, NE Broadway Pave & Paint, NE Halsey Safety and Access to Transit, and Safer Outer Stark (Phase III).
- PBOT released the SW Capitol Highway Complete Streets and NW and SW Broadway Bike Improvements project evaluation reports as well as updates to the SE Hawthorne Boulevard and the Outer Division Safety project evaluation reports with the most recent crash data.
Vision Zero Action Plan Addendum 2026-27
The Vision Zero Action Plan Addendum 2026-27 serves as PBOT's roadmap to implement Vision Zero and will be in place until the Portland City Council adopts an updated citywide Vision Zero Action Plan.
The addendum is an extension of the Portland Vision Zero Action Plan Update 2023-25, updating only the actions and performance measures. Most were carried over from the previous action plan, with edits, while others were removed or added.
Read the Portland 2025 Deadly Traffic Crash Report
Survey: Help us improve this newsletter
We want to make sure the Vision Zero newsletter is clear, helpful, and relevant to you. Please take a brief, anonymous survey (about two minutes) to share what information you find most valuable and what you'd like to see more of.
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: Why are you reducing the speed limit on SE César E. Chávez Boulevard? It's a major through street in a big city — not a village footpath. Stop trying to set policy!
Answer: Setting safe speed limits is one part of our Vision Zero strategy to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in Portland. The Vision Zero team's work is grounded in the Safe System approach, which recognizes two important realities: crashes will happen, and human bodies are vulnerable. Safe travel speeds reduce the likelihood of crashes and, when crashes do occur, significantly reduce the risk of death or serious injury.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) works in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to set speed limits. ODOT considers crash history, traffic volumes, road design, surrounding land use, and observed travel speeds.
PBOT requested the recent speed limit change on SE César E. Chávez Boulevard from Sandy to Holgate boulevards as an emergency order due to a history of deadly crashes on that corridor. ODOT is currently evaluating whether to approve that as a permanent change.
In addition, PBOT is improving safety on SE César E. Chávez Boulevard from Lafayette Court to Schiller Street with federal funds. We are currently gathering community feedback. Participate in the online open house and survey now through Monday, March 23.
Learn more about the SE César E. Chávez Boulevard from Lafayette Court to Schiller Street project
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.
45 to 40 mph
- SE McLoughlin Boulevard from Franklin Street to city boundary
30 to 25 mph
- César E. Chávez Boulevard from NE Sandy to SE Holgate boulevards
Upcoming changes
Locations where PBOT recently received approval from the Oregon Department of Transportation to reduce the speed limit. PBOT will post new speed limit signs in the upcoming months.
40 to 35 mph
- N Columbia Boulevard from Portsmouth Avenue to Upland Drive
- NE Sandy Boulevard from 124th Place to 200' east of 165th Avenue
40 to 30 mph
- 138th Avenue to Marine Drive and Sandy Boulevard
35 to 30 mph
- N Whitaker Way from 122nd to 138th avenues
- SW Bertha Boulevard from Barbur Boulevard to Chestnut Drive
30 to 25 mph
- NE Killingsworth Street from 42nd Avenue to Lombard Street
- N Mississippi Avenue from Cook to Russell streets
- SE Division Street from Third to 52nd avenues
- SE Thorburn Street and Gilham Avenue to Washington Street and I-205
Establish 25 mph speed limit
- NE Holman Street from 80th Avenue to 82nd Avenue Frontage Road
- NE 82nd Avenue Frontage Road from Holman Street to 82nd Avenue
25 to 20 mph
- SE Belmont Street from Grand to 49th avenues
- S Corbett Avenue from Grover to Hamilton streets
Learn more about speed limit changes in Portland
Safe Ride Home: St. Patrick's Day Weekend 2026
The City of Portland wants you to get home safely from your St. Patrick's Day celebrations. We are providing a limited number of coupons for discounted rides in a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to help you get home safe after celebrating. Rides must start in Portland between the hours of 6 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. on Friday March 13 through Tuesday March 17.
Up to $10 off Lyft and Uber rides
To get up to $10 off Lyft and Uber rides, download a Lyft or Uber coupon.
Up to $20 off taxi rides
Visit Kells Portland Irish Festival on the waterfront and Paddy's St. Patrick's Day Festival Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 17 and ask an employee for a paper taxi coupon good for up to $20 off one ride.
Learn more about Safe Ride Home Saint Patrick's Day Weekend 2026
High Crash Network safety 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 2024, 71% 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 safety projects
Volunteer with PBOT: Become a Transportation Ambassador!
Are you interested in learning about transportation justice and helping all people experience safety and joy while traveling? Do you care about creating vibrant communities where all members can thrive? Are you a high school or college student looking towards a transportation, city planning, or community engagement career? Do you like having fun and connecting with new and interesting people? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then the Portland Bureau of Transportation wants you as a Transportation Ambassador! To join, complete the short application by Friday, April 17. Questions? Email ambassadors@portlandoregon.gov.
Help keep Portlanders connected, active, and safe
Transportation Ambassadors are volunteers who share information about transportation resources at public events to keep Portlanders connected, active, and safe. They also get together socially to discuss how they can improve the program — and to just have fun!
Transportation Ambassadors support a variety of community and transportation focused programs such as BIKETOWN, Safe Routes to School, Sunday Parkways, Portland By Cycle, neighborhood greenways, and SmartTrips. In 2025, Ambassadors volunteered for close to 300 hours of their time. Ambassadors also gather a few times a year for social events, like walks, interesting tours, or to get dinner.
Learn more about becoming a Transportation Ambassador
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. Materials are available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Lao, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Return of "20 is plenty" yard signs!
You loved them, and now they're back! Come get your "20 is plenty" yard sign at the Portland Building (1120 SW Fifth Ave.) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
20 mph speed limit supports safety
Most residential streets in Portland are narrow, have few marked crosswalks, and no bike lanes. Given the neighborhood use and lack of protection for people walking, using mobility devices, and biking, it is important that people drive slowly on residential streets.
Slower speeds lower the risk of crashes. When crashes occur, slower speeds make it less likely that people are killed or seriously injured. A pedestrian struck by a person driving 20 mph is four times more likely to survive than a pedestrian struck at 40 mph.
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
- The best tactics for tackling speeders (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Study: Most of America's paint-only bike paths are on our deadliest roads (Streetsblog)
- Vision Zero in 2025 shows progress: Lessons to learn (Vision Zero Network)
- Three theories about why U.S. car crash deaths are plummeting (Streetsblog)
- Perception has limits: Or why 60 feet is a normal street width (ProFound City Insights)
- The U.S. is counting traffic deaths wrong (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Fatal hit-and-run crashes reach record high, AAA Foundation study finds (AAA)
- Traffic fatalities are going down. What happens next matters. (Planetizen)
Parts of this document were edited with the support of ChatGPT. City staff reviewed and fact-checked all content.