Portland ranks high among safest streets in U.S.
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You're looking at some of the safest roads in the country. Photo: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Some of the safest roadways in the country can be found right here in the Portland metro area, according to a new report from transportation analytics firm StreetLight Data.
Why it matters: Road safety affects everyone — whether you're driving, biking, walking or using public transit.
- Plus: The report comes shortly after the city saw the lowest number of traffic-related deaths last year since record highs during the pandemic.
How it works: The Portland metro area — including Hillsboro, Gresham and Vancouver, Washington — ranked third in StreetLight's analysis of the 100 biggest U.S. metros.
- The firm analyzed five key factors: vehicle miles traveled, different speeds between vehicles, speed-based pedestrian risk, speeding in residential zones and truck activity.
- "Larger metros tend to perform better overall for roadway safety, despite popular misconceptions that big cities are more dangerous," StreetLight said in its report.
Zoom in: Portland's high safety score was driven largely by having fewer vehicle miles traveled, or less driving activity overall, and high-performing residential speed management.
- Areas with high vehicle miles traveled tend to have higher traffic fatalities, "reinforcing that more driving creates more dangerous roadway conditions," the transportation analytics firm said.
Yes, but: While the metro area scored relatively high overall, it ranked near the middle of the pack for truck activity per capita and speed-based pedestrian risk in areas where there's high foot traffic — ranking No. 36 and No. 49 in those categories, respectively.
Between the lines: Officials credit the recent drop in deaths and serious injuries to data-driven road design, speed cameras, and infrastructure updates.
- While some residents and local neighborhood associations have taken pedestrian safety into their own hands via DIY measures, the Portland Bureau of Transportation is spending millions of dollars to develop safety improvements along "high crash networks," like 82nd Avenue.
- Future funding for upgrades, however, remains an obstacle as the agency faces federal cuts and uncertainty as state lawmakers continue to grapple with passing a comprehensive transportation package.
- Last year, Portland failed to meet its Vision Zero goal of eliminating all traffic deaths.
What they're saying: "We must stay focused on our Vision Zero goal," Mayor Keith Wilson said in a news release in December. "No one should be killed or suffer a life-altering injury just from traveling in our city."
Go deeper: These cities have America's safest streets