Safety Concerns in Sylvan Highlands
Leading with the mindset of what is possible vs what is ideal
Why the problem grows
Sustained development to the west
Cut-through traffic increases volume on residential streets.
Higher speeds and more vehicles together increase the risk to people walking, biking, attempting to merge, and/or driving.
Neighborhood streets are often not designed for through-traffic loads.
Sylvan lacks curbs, sidewalks, and lighting
What has your Transportation Committee done to date?
Our immediate area of focus
We’re focusing on Skyline first
Why the problem grows
Increasing flow volumes:
Skyline is designated as a ‘neighborhood collector,’ (a euphemism for cut-through) AND an emergency response route
Posted speed is 25mph
ave speed >40mph
Key areas of concern
Have shared this with PBOT Signage & Speed Camera
What helps
Traffic calming: speed humps, raised crossings, chicanes, curb extensions, and narrower lanes.
Skyline is both an Emergency Response Route and a designated cut-through
PBOT budget shortfall and competing priorities
Operations: enforcement, speed feedback signs, and truck routing changes.
PPB has reassigned its traffic division
Costs:
Speed matters most
At 25 mph, pedestrian risk is already serious, but the jump to 40 mph is not linear; the danger rises steeply as speed increases. IIHS (Ins Inst for Highway Safety) reports that at 35 mph the risk of serious injury is 67% and fatal injury 19%, which shows how quickly risk escalates in the 25 to 40 mph range.
PBOT’s Recommendation
Signage
PBOT Proposed changed signage on Skyline.pdf
PBOT acknowledges that signage will NOT impact speed
The rationale behind ‘why’ we’re entertaining this approach
Why do we struggle getting mindshare
Budget – budget – budget
SHNA is out of sight/out of mind
Lack of documented incidents
Bureaus are siloed
SHNA has never truly rallied around this topic
An approach that’s working…elsewhere
17 speed cameras
Generating > $2m/yr
However, that # is deceptive
An approach that’s working
Portland’s speed cameras appear to reduce crashes materially. City materials cite a 43% reduction in crashes at camera locations compared with the years before installation, while a PBOT summary also says speeding more than 10 mph over the limit dropped 88% at camera sites since 2016
Cameras would be revenue positive within two months
Reality v Perception
It isn’t a lack of incidents – it’s a lack of reported incidents
These images have been shared w/ PBOT
PBOT response
Let’s linger here
Approaches
Possible Approaches
Recommended Approaches
Preferred Approaches
Challenges
Our ask