Study: Portland Citizens Want Transportation Safety Investments

A recent telephone poll of Portland citizens asked what types of transportation investments they prioritize for the city. The top two responses both include “safe.”

1 minute read

February 20, 2014, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Jarrett Walker shares the results of the poll, which was conducted by DHM Research for the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

Among Walker’s observations of the poll results:

“Frequent bus service (slashed in 2009 with major ridership losses resulting) is the top transit service priority, closely followed by more (probably more frequent*) light rail service.”

Moreover, although Portland is often held up as the model of economic development via streetcar, many Portlanders are less than enamored with that mode of transportation: “Less than 40% of Portlanders would assign any priority to expanding the streetcar system further, and only 9% call it a top priority.”

The top two responses of the survey? “Safe pedestrian crossings” and “safety around schools.”

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