Good reminder. As someone who walks as much or more than I drive places, it is also good to note that being a smart and reasonable pedestrian is important. Specifically, trying to cross a 4 lane street at an unmarked crossing during rush hour is a stupid thing to do, especially when one can walk a few blocks in either direction and get to a light or marked crosswalk. I see this a lot on Sandy (~50th and below). Yes it is your right, but the reality is that when a law abiding driver stops for you, causing you to start crossing the street, you are still relying on drivers in 3 other lanes to do the same, which rarely happens in unison. The pedestrian laws are great, but you should use your head as well.
Now I'm certainly not advocating that cars show a blatant disregard for the law or pedestrian safety, but I think it's pretty safe to say that feckless drivers and lollly-gagging pedestrians in Portland contribute significantly to the clusterfuck that is the daily Portland commute.
If drivers and pedestrians moved with a little more purpose and awareness, the daily commute probably wouldn't suck nearly as bad.
Most of the time I assess the risk of getting rear ended to be greater than the risk of hitting you. Consider also Anon the vast numbers of people moving here who are not aware of this uniquely Portland pedestrian phenomenon. Are you seriously going to trust that they can even see you, much less stop for you?
If drivers and pedestrians moved with a little more purpose and awareness, the daily commute probably wouldn't suck nearly as bad.