On Thursday, Jan. 15, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the East Multnomah County Transportation Safety Action Plan (TSAP).
The action plan identifies safety improvements, programs and actions that agencies and partners can take to improve transportation safety for everyone. It’s a partnership between the cities of Gresham, Fairview, Wood Village and Troutdale, Multnomah County and the Metro Regional Government.
Multnomah County and its partner jurisdictions have joined together to create a transportation system in east Multnomah County where everyone can travel safely and confidently. The agencies developed a shared Vision Zero goal for urban east Multnomah County. Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, accessible mobility for all.
Vision Zero goal:
East Multnomah County Transportation Committee (EMCTC) is committed to eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries in East Multnomah County by 2035. No loss of life is acceptable, and we must ensure our streets are safe for all community members to travel, including those who walk, use bicycles, take transit, or use mobility devices.
East Multnomah County faces a serious problem when it comes to the safety of its roads. According to Multnomah County and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) crash data, between 2013 and 2022, 104 people died in east County crashes and 473 people were seriously injured.
“This marks a major step toward designing and constructing tangible safety improvements on east County roads,” Multnomah County Project Manager, MaryJo Andersen said. “One life lost is one too many. This project spanned more than a year of analysis of high-injury corridors that centered the community’s voice throughout the process, to help shape priorities and next steps.”
To find out what challenges and barriers affect people traveling in east Multnomah County, staff reached out to community members, including people from underserved communities, to get feedback on their experiences walking, rolling, biking, driving and taking public transit. Community members also shared their priorities for improvements through in-person events, community listening sessions and an interactive map and survey.
“As someone who lives in east County, I know at times it feels like we are not being heard,” District 4 Multnomah County Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon said. “This project made the community’s voice a priority. It’s an example of the commitment the County and its partner agencies share to continue meaningful work that reflects the community’s needs and priorities.”
What we heard
Throughout its multiple phases of public engagement, the project reached more than 3,000 people through online surveys and in-person events.
Here are the community’s top transportation safety issues:
- Residents expressed strong concerns about unsafe conditions for walking, biking and rolling — especially along high-injury corridors.
- The most cited infrastructure concerns were poorly maintained or missing sidewalks, bike lanes, difficult crossings and inadequate lighting.
- Behavioral concerns included distracted driving, aggressive driving, speeding and failure to yield to pedestrians and cyclists.
Here are the community’s top priorities for improvements:
- Community members overwhelmingly supported strategies like improving sidewalks and lighting (81%), reducing speed limits (66%) and funding safety education programs (78%).
- Community members provided input on where safety can be improved and which safety improvements should be made for each corridor. The most frequently supported improvements across the corridors were pedestrian crossing enhancements, street lighting, traffic signal improvements, sidewalks and accessibility improvements. This feedback shaped the action plan’s priorities, so that its proposed solutions reflect the experiences of those most affected.
Next steps
Agency partners will continue to work together to put this plan into action and strategically advocate for funding to reach its Vision Zero goal in east Multnomah County
For a full look at all priority next steps, visit: https://multco.us/info/urban-east-multnomah-county-transportation-safety-action-plan.
Background
The East Multnomah County Transportation Safety Action Plan planning process received funding and planning support from Metro through the federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grant Program, which aims to significantly reduce or eliminate roadway fatalities and serious injuries for everyone, including people walking and biking, public transportation users, motorists and people using wheelchairs or other mobility devices.