A city audit found that the program has failed to reduce traffic deaths and could benefit from a more systematic approach. Meanwhile, PBOT says it needs more state funding to support road safety projects.
A November audit of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Vision Zero program calls on the bureau to do more to evaluate the program’s progress as traffic deaths in the cities continue to rise.
As Jim Redden reports in Portland Tribune, “The audit credited PBOT with reducing speed limits across the city and installing more red light enforcement cameras. But it said the effectiveness of some other safety improvements were not being measured.”
The audit calls for a “more systematic approach” that would help the department understand which safety projects are succeeding and which are ineffective.
PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera agreed with the assessment but called on the state legislature to increase funding for transportation and safety efforts, saying, “We need the state Legislature to make a big investment in transportation in 2025, by increasing the funding available from the state highway fund that provides the formula funding that cities and counties across Oregon depend on for basic safety, maintenance and livability needs.”
Read the full story: PBOT: Vision Zero need more money to succeed
Portland Traffic Deaths Surpass 2022 Number
This year, 69 people have died in traffic crashes in Portland, Oregon, nearly twice as many as in 2018, when the city began its Vision Zero program.
Banning Right Turns on Red Just One Step Toward Vision Zero
Experts caution that blanket bans on right turns on red make only a slight contribution to reducing fatal crashes, and other interventions are needed to bring down traffic fatalities.
Traffic Deaths Reach Three-Decade High in Portland
In spite of the city's commitment to Vision Zero goals, more people died on Portland's streets than anytime in the last thirty years, with unhoused people most vulnerable to traffic violence.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority