The DIY fix this Portland neighborhood hopes will save lives
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A Northeast Portland neighborhood is taking pedestrian safety into its own hands by installing bright orange flags at crosswalks to address low visibility on a busy throughway.
Why it matters: As part of its initial Vision Zero plan in 2015, Portland committed to eliminating traffic-related deaths within 10 years, a goal it failed to meet.
- Preliminary data shows 24 people have been killed in traffic crashes this year.
- 58 people were killed in traffic crashes in 2024, a 19% drop from the previous year, which was the deadliest on record, according to Portland Bureau of Transportation data.
The latest: The Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association has stationed more than a dozen canisters with flags at several crosswalks along Northeast Fremont Street — a main corridor with a concentration of eateries, shops, parks and transit stops.
- Association president Al Ellis told OPB this month that high traffic volume, speeding vehicles and low visibility (either at night or when it rains) has made it difficult to cross the street safely.
- "It's a fatality waiting to happen," he said.
Zoom in: The flag project was implemented in March with $500 in funding after several BWNA members came across research that found that cars were more inclined to yield to pedestrians carrying flags.
- Six months in, residents are starting to get the hang of it. Kids are waving them proudly and some say the mere presence of the orange flag-filled canisters are enough to caution drivers, according to a recent association newsletter.
Catch up quick: Community-led efforts to highlight pedestrian visibility on busy streets are not new. Similar initiatives in Portland's Concordia and Kerns neighborhoods date back years.
- In Kirkland, Washington, the city runs a pedestrian flag program to help "pedestrians gain the attention of motorists," according to the city's website.
What they're saying: "We know that community members are often looking for tools to help them feel safer on our streets," PBOT spokesperson Hannah Schafer told Axios.
- She added that the agency doesn't have the funding or support to stock crossing flags, as flags "can disappear fairly quickly."
- "Instead we focus our limited resources on interventions in the highest-need areas of the city," like high-crash corridors — such as Northeast Marine Drive and Southeast Powell Boulevard — that take priority over Northeast Fremont Street.