Making Portland's Division Street Safer

About two people a year are killed on Division street in Portland, and many more inured, now some fixes are in place and more are on the way.

1 minute read

August 2, 2018, 2:00 PM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Portland Traffic Safety

SE Division Street, where it intersects with SE 156th Avenue, shows signs pedestrian safety infrastructure as of September 2017, with signs of additional improvements to come. | Google Streetview

Two pedestrians have already died on Division Street this year. It's a street that’s been dangerous for walkers for a long time. "Over the past decade, 129 people have been seriously injured and 19 people have been killed on Division Street," Anna Griffin reports for Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Pedestrian deaths are up around the country, and while Division Street has been no exception, the city has made some changes to the street and plans to make more. The street boasts new stoplights, reduced the speed limits, and signs that document drivers’ speeds. "More obvious changes are coming: More sidewalks, more streetlights, more crosswalks. A tree-lined raised center median. Separated bike lanes. Limits on where drivers can turn onto Division from cross streets," Griffin writes.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 in Oregon Public Broadcasting

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive