Portland Installing 200 Sensors in the Name of Traffic Safety

"Portland is installing 200 sensors along three high-crash corridors on the city's eastside, the first step under what it's calling the 'Smart City PDX' project," reports Andrew Theen.

"The traffic sensors will provide real-time, 24/7 data to transportation staff, giving bureaucrats accurate information on the number of cars or pedestrians crossing a road at a given time and how fast people are driving," adds Theen.

The city intends to use the data, which previously had to be collected during manual counts by volunteers, when making decisions about traffic safety infrastructure. The sensors will be placed on street poles on stretches of 122nd Avenue, Southeast Division, and Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard.

The announcement precedes an expected vote by the Portland City Council on the "Smart Cities PDX Priorities Framework."