Virtually six months in the past, Sarah Pliner was killed in a collision with a truck driver whereas making an attempt to journey her bike throughout Southeast Powell Blvd at twenty sixth Ave, proper throughout the road from Cleveland Excessive Faculty. This tragedy heightened consciousness of the damaging situations on Powell Blvd and advocates known as on the state transportation division and the Metropolis of Portland to make it safer.
There’s at all times the worry that momentum for a problem like it will fizzle out because the information cycle strikes onto a brand new subject. However whereas the general public dialog about it has cooled down, a gaggle of advocates, lawmakers and transportation officers have continued to carry common conferences about security on Powell Blvd.
I attended considered one of these “Powell Security Workgroup” conferences within the Cleveland Excessive Faculty library final Wednesday.
This group has assembly month-to-month since December. It’s comprised of Oregon representatives Mark Gamba, Rob Nosse, Khanh Pham and state Senator Kathleen Taylor (all of whom symbolize elements of the southeast Portland space), Oregon Division of Transportation and Portland Bureau of Transportation officers, Portland Public Faculties workers, and representatives from transportation advocacy teams BikeLoud PDX, The Road Belief and Oregon Walks.
Per protester requests after Pliner’s loss of life, ODOT did reinstate a bike field and brief bike lane on twenty sixth Ave at Powell in addition to implementing indicators with pedestrian main intervals at a number of intersections on this road. However advocates — and state politicians — need extra.
Portland-based nonprofit Oregon Walks compiled an inventory of proposed security enhancements on Powell they noticed will make it a “grand boulevard that’s gradual, human centered and secure” the place “individuals wish to linger fairly than keep away from.” The record (in visible kind above) contains speedy options to implement computerized velocity enforcement techniques and make low-cost intersection security enhancements in addition to long term infrastructure modifications akin to narrowing driving lanes and general supporting mode shift to transit, bicycling and strolling.
Members of BikeLoud PDX are additionally participating in these conferences and have centered on demanding that ODOT comply with its personal Blueprint for City Design, which recommends spacing crosswalks each one to 2 blocks on streets like Powell. Policymakers are making requests, too: Gamba inquired about constructing raised crosswalks on Powell, an infrastructure instrument which has been proven to scale back pedestrian crash charges.
Advocates are happy that native politicians have proven a agency dedication to the trigger over the past a number of months (they appeared impressed by Gamba’s assist of raised crosswalks). However to date, transportation division officers haven’t made any commitments past what they’ve already put in and/or introduced, so any additional modifications stay to be seen.
As well as, Mayor Ted Wheeler introduced final week the development of the primary massive city-run homeless encampment website on SE Gideon Road, simply north of Powell close to the Bob Stacey railroad overcrossing. If this camp is constructed, there shall be extra foot visitors on Powell, making it all of the extra pressing to make it a safer place for individuals strolling and biking — particularly as a result of homeless persons are overrepresented in Portland’s visitors crash deaths.
In a report launched right now, the Portland Bureau of Transportation mentioned individuals who dwell on the road made up 19% of whole visitors deaths in 2022, regardless of making up simply 0.7% of the entire inhabitants. Of the 28 individuals who have been killed in visitors whereas strolling, PBOT says 10 of them have been homeless on the time of the collision.
In line with Senator Taylor, the subsequent workgroup assembly in April shall be a possibility for members of the media to listen to a extra official briefing about what’s occurring on Powell and what the group has been doing over the previous six months. Keep tuned for updates.
Taylor has been BikePortland’s workers author since November 2021. She has additionally written for Road Roots and Eugene Weekly. Contact her at taylorgriggswriter@gmail.com
