In the past three months, the Portland Bureau of Transportation has changed speed limits to nine different areas in Portland, with about 20 more changes to come. (Submitted by Portland Bureau of Transportation)

Do things seem a bit slower paced in Portland? Instead of having an iron foot, you’re finding yourself pumping the brakes more often?

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is updating speed limits citywide to set safe travel speeds, according to a recent Vision Zero Action Plan newsletter. PBOT’s Vision Zero aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on the streets of Portland.

Safe speeds can lower the risk of crashes, or when a crash does happen, these lower speeds can make it less likely that a person dies or ends up seriously injured, according to PBOT. In the past three months, PBOT has changed speed limits to nine different areas in Portland, with about 20 more changes to come.

What qualifies a speed as “safe”?

As an urban place, speed limits in cities like Portland must account for people traveling in a variety of ways: walking, driving, biking, skateboarding and more. People traveling outside of motor vehicles are not protected from the impact of crashes, so they must be considered.

PBOT uses the following principles to identify safe speed limits:

• Less physical separation between people driving and vulnerable users requires a lower speed limit. Sidewalks and protected bike lanes are examples of physical separation.
• Injury crashes are an indicator that speed limits may be too high.
• Street design can help reinforce a speed limit, but speed limits alone can still support safer travel.
• Setting urban speed limits based on 85th percentile speeds is not supported by evidence and is not part of PBOT’s practice. The 85th percentile is the speed at which 85 percent of people drive at or below on a street.

As part of Vision Zero, which was established in 2015, PBOT reduced speed limits on most residential streets — which make up about 70% of the city’s street network — to 20 mph in 2018, according to its website. Residential streets are typically narrower, have few marked crosswalks and no bike lanes.

Let’s take a look at the recent and upcoming speed limit changes in Portland.

Recent changes

Locations where PBOT reduced the speed limit in the past three months:

35 to 30 mph

• Southeast 162nd Avenue from Stark Street to Powell Boulevard
• Northeast Holman Street/105th Avenue from Sandy Boulevard to Airport Way

30 to 25 mph

• Southwest Vermont Street from 30th to 52nd avenues
• Southeast 92nd Avenue from 91st Place to Stark Street
• Northwest Miller Road from Cornell to Thompson roads
• Southwest Stephenson Street from 35th Avenue to Boones Ferry Road
• Northeast Fremont Street from 102nd to 122nd avenues

25 to 20 mph

• Southwest Naito Parkway from Northwest Everett to Southwest Harrison streets
• Northeast 42nd Avenue from Prescott to Killingsworth Street

Upcoming changes

Locations where PBOT recently received approval from the Oregon Department of Transportation to reduce the speed limit in the past three months. PBOT will post new speed limit signs in the upcoming months:

45 to 40 mph

• Southeast McLoughlin Boulevard from Franklin to Harold streets

40 to 30 mph

• Northeast 138th Avenue from Marine Drive and Sandy Boulevard

35 to 30 mph

• North Basin Avenue from Going Street to the end of the street
• North Schmeer Road from Interstate to Vancouver avenues
• North Whitaker Way from 122nd to 138th avenues

30 to 25 mph

• North Weidler Street from Ross to Northeast Grand avenues
• Northeast Weidler Street from 16th to 24th avenues
• North Broadway Street from Larabee to Northeast Grand avenues
• Northeast Broadway Street from 24th to 33rd avenues
• Southwest Stephenson Street from 35th Avenue to Boones Ferry Road
• Miller Road from Northwest Cornell to Southwest Barnes roads
• Northeast Killingsworth Street from 42nd Avenue to Lombard Street
• North Mississippi Avenue from Cook to Russell streets

Establish a 25 mph speed limit

• Northeast 80th Avenue from Columbia Boulevard to Holman Street
• Northeast Holman Street from 80th Avenue to 82nd Avenue Frontage Road
• Northeast 82nd Avenue Frontage Road from Holman Street to 82nd Avenue

30 to 20 mph

• Northeast Weidler Street from Grand to 16th avenues
• Northeast Broadway Street from Grand to 24th avenues

25 to 20 mph

• North Russell Street from Interstate to Kerby avenues
• Southeast Belmont Street from Grand to 49th avenues

For more information, and a full list of speed limit changes, visit portland.gov.