Traffic Deaths Reach Three-Decade High in Portland

According to an article from KATU, "Portland saw its highest traffic death toll in three decades, with 63 people killed in crashes on city streets throughout 2021." The recent Vision Zero report from the Portland Bureau of Transportation, where the statistic comes from, also noted that one in three people killed were experiencing homelessness (this number rose to 70 percent for pedestrian deaths). Black and Latinx populations were also overrepresented in traffic deaths.

Despite the city's stated Vision Zero goal, "Traffic deaths on state highways surged during the coronavirus pandemic, PBOT said, with 32 traffic deaths in 2021 compared to the average of around 17 over the previous four years." PBOT says that 60 percent of fatalities occurred in a small group of the city's most dangerous corridors, known as the High Crash Network, which includes 30 streets and intersections. "PBOT said this shows the need to continue to 'change the design of these streets to slow speeds and protect pedestrians.'"

Transportation commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty called Vision Zero a "work in progress," pointing to a recent emergency budget amendment that added $450,000 in funding to "rapid safety improvements" in the High Crash network.

The report also mentions the "complex set of social factors that have contributed to the spike in traffic deaths since the onset of the pandemic," citing "lack of shelter, medical care, and social services for houseless people" as contributing factors.