Here’s some great news for anyone who walks and/or bicycles in Portland. At a press conference up in Northeast this morning, Mayor Sam Adams, State Senators Ginny Burdick and Jackie Dingfelder, and ex-State Representative Ben Cannon unveiled the city’s first 20 mph speed limit sign.
The fanfare came two days after Portland City Council a new Bureau of Transportation plan to lower speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph on some 70 miles of eligible “neighborhood greenway” streets. Permission to pursue the reduced limits was on high the city’s wish list during the 2011 legislative session in Salem.
Why is that a big deal? Maybe because of this.
Check out BikePortland’s coverage from last month for even more stats—and diagrams—on safety.
And if you want to see which streets near your house will soon be a bit more safe, the agenda packet from Wednesday’s council meeting has a larger (and actually legible) version of the map right here (pdf).
THIS IMPACTS NO ONE, AS EVERYONE
A “stuck” pedestrian? What is he/she stuck in/on?
Jefferson Smith can count on a few more driving suspensions in the near future.
Those of us who drive benefit from lower speeds, too. This fucking city…
Fuck this. Speed limits are already ridiculously low. Studies show speed limits have a negligible impact on the speeds of highway drivers, who consistently drive around 70 mph throughout the country regardless of limits. This is consistent with my observations as a driver, and I can only assume speed limits are also routinely disregarded on neighborhood streets as well – if people aren’t slowing down where there’s enforcement, why would they slow down anywhere else?
What does make people slow down is speed bumps, optical illusions (look it up!), roads in bad repair, and winding roads. While the last one can only be used when designing new neighborhoods, the others might be a better start. I for one resent drivers getting milked for fines and I’m sick of Sam Adams’ hard-on for making life difficult for drivers.
Drivers who are prone to hitting pedestrians and cyclists are probably just as prone to do so regardless of what the speed limit sign at that block tells them. But, you know, I’m sure this decision has everything to do with public safety, and nothing at all to do with finances as a way for the City to generate revenue by handing out more speeding tickets due to lower speed limits.
I wonder if they’ll enforce this as much as that bikers obeying stop signs law…
Bunch of grumpy motorists on this thread. If you don’t like prioritizing walking and cycling above driving, move to Beaverton already. There you will find your paradise.