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People across Portland have placed bright orange "20 is plenty" signs in their yards to promote the city's new 20 mph speed limit on residential streets.
PBOT has distributed thousands of the yard signs free-of-charge since February at pick-up locations across Portland. Yard signs are still available (up to 5 per person) at PBOT's office on the fifth floor of the "6th & Main/Congress Center" building, 1001 SW 5th Avenue, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
In addition to providing yard signs, PBOT is continuing to install new 20 mph speed limit signs to raise awareness of the change.
 A newly installed speed limit sign on SE Stark Street.
In addition to the new 20 mph speed limit on residential streets, PBOT continues to request updated speed limits on collector and arterial streets that are not included in the 20 mph rollout.
The latest speed limit updates on bigger streets include:
- Reduction from 35 to 30 mph on SE 50th Avenue from Powell to Hawthorne
- Reduction from 30 to 25 mph on SE 52nd Avenue from Division to Powell
- Reduction from 40 to 35 mph on NW Skyline Blvd. from NW Cornell to the city limit
- Reduction from 35 to 30 mph on SE Stark Street from 109th Ave. to the city limit
- Reduction from 30 to 25 mph on SW Taylors Ferry Rd. from 35th Dr. to Terwilliger Blvd. and from 40 to 35 mph from Terwilliger to Macadam (signs to be updated shortly)
On March 21, the Oregon Speed Zone Control Board in Salem cited current driving speeds to deny an appeal from PBOT and the Portland Police Bureau to reduce the speed limit from 40 to 35 mph on West Burnside Street from Tichner to Skyline. PBOT remains interested in safer speeds on West Burnside and will pursue a new speed limit update request when the street becomes eligible again in 2020.
PBOT uses speed limits and other tools to support safe driving speeds. PBOT received approval to update speed limits on 26 streets in 2017. Speed limit reductions fulfill Vision Zero Action S.2: "Gain local authority for speed reduction on City of Portland streets; prioritize setting safe speed limits in the High Crash Network."
PBOT launched an education campaign on April 2 to help people drive at safe speeds. The Struck campaign is the largest public education campaign undertaken by PBOT and the first major campaign launched as part of Portland's Vision Zero efforts.
The campaign helps fulfill Vision Zero Action EA.1: "Conduct multi-component education campaigns to build public awareness and leverage Vision Zero actions."
 New speed reader boards and speed safety cameras on NE Marine Drive.
PBOT has activated fixed speed safety cameras along NE Marine Dr. near NE 33rd Dr. and NE 138th Ave. Citations began March 22 following a 30-day warning period.
The speed cameras fulfill Vision Zero Action S.1: "Pilot speed safety cameras on four high crash corridors in the first two years; expand program to additional high crash corridors following the pilot."
The US Department of Transportation and partners have released a first-of-its-kind report setting a national goal of zero traffic deaths by 2050.
The report, The Road to Zero: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050, was released April 19 by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group, in partnership with the Road to Zero Coalition, which is led by the National Safety Council and includes the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Among the report's recommendations: adopt a safe systems approach, more robustly implement proven safety tools, and ensure that emerging technologies prioritize safety.
 A recent report makes the case that prioritizing walking, biking, and transit use is critical to improving street safety.
The report by Todd Litman of Victoria Transport Policy Institute supports the idea that Portland's Vision Zero program and its "strategy for people movement," shown in purple above, are mutually supportive.
Portland's strategy for people movement is part of PBOT's Transportation System Plan. The strategy calls for prioritizing walking, biking, and transit above other travel modes when "making transportation system decisions." (FAVES refers to Fleet Automated Vehicles that are Electric and Shared.)
The City of Portland is working to achieve the following mode share goals by 2035 (2014 American Community Survey commute data in parentheses):
- 7.5% walk (5% in 2014)
- 25% bicycle (7%)
- 25% transit (12%)
- 12.5% carpool (9%)
- 30% or less single occupant vehicle (58%)
- 10% work at home (8%)
Litman's findings suggest that PBOT programs to prioritize walking, biking, and transit, including Neighborhood Greenways, SmartTrips, Safe Routes to School, and Enhanced Transit Corridors, can have significant impacts on traffic safety by reducing overall exposure to motor vehicles.
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