Traffic deaths in Portland still high

(MARCH 31, 2023) In 2021, Portland set a 30-year record: 63 people were killed on city roads. In 2022, Portland matched that record. Another 63 people were killed on city roads last year.

The Oregonian newspaper reported data from the Portland Bureau of Transportation. It says 28 of those 63 people were pedestrians. It says another 4 were riding a bicycle. Many of these people were homeless. Most happened at night.

Portland has been trying to reduce the number of traffic deaths. It has reduced speed limits. It has added more signs. It has tried to protect bike lanes and add more lighting. 

“No one should be killed just by traveling on the streets of Portland, no matter how they travel,” said Portland City Commissioner Mingus Mapps. He oversees the transportation bureau. “I urge everyone to think of this report as call for us to drive carefully, to never drive while impaired and to always follow the speed limits and other rules of the road.”

People like Sarah Iannarone argue for more. She is the director of an organization called The Street Trust. It promotes walking and bicycling. She says the city needs to do more than tell people to slow down.