Portland Bureau of Transportation provides update on citywide pedestrian plan

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In June 2019, the City of Portland adopted PedPDX — a plan geared toward making the city safer and more walkable for pedestrians. The city is now giving Portlanders a status report on the work done up until 2022.

“Through PedPDX, the City of Portland affirms walking as a fundamental human right and
the most fundamental means of transportation,” the Portland Bureau of Transportation said. “PedPDX ensures walking is a safe, accessible, and attractive experience for everyone in Portland by putting pedestrians at the forefront of City policy, investments, and design.”

The pedestrian plan has four main goals: to be equitable and inclusive, to make residents feel safe and secure, to be comfortable and inviting, and to encourage healthy people and a healthy environment.

According to PBOT, two of the 67 action items on the PedPDX plan are complete, 43 are underway, and the remaining actions have made no progress so far.

Both of the complete action items involve enhancing visibility for pedestrians. Since 2019, PBOT says it has implemented a system that establishes vision clearance guidelines at uncontrolled crosswalks. The agency has also revised the Traffic Design Manual to deem highly-visible continental crosswalks as the standard across the city.

The in-progress action items include focusing on sidewalk repairs, featuring public art installations on capital improvement projects, and leveraging bicycle infrastructure to benefit pedestrians as well.

According to PBOT, about 34 miles of sidewalk have been constructed throughout the city since the adoption of PedPDX. The transportation bureau addressed sidewalk gaps in what it considers to be its “Pedestrian Priority Network” by adding 8.5 miles of sidewalk to communities that either didn’t have one on one side or on both sides.

You can track the pedestrian plan’s progress online, where maps show where sidewalks and crosswalks have been constructed and repaired across the Rose City.

“PedPDX ensures that the City will continue to lead the way in walkability and will allow Portland to absorb growth in a sustainable way that encourages all people in Portland to walk whether for commuting, shopping, going to school, or recreation,” PBOT said.