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.”
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.
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New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
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Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
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EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
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Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association