Today, residents of Montavilla and the surrounding area used temporary road safety infrastructure provided by safety advocates at NE Glisan Street and 70th Avenue. The event, designed to call attention to insufficient pedestrian crossings on the busy road, began at 10 a.m. and continues until 6 p.m. During the eight-hour project, people are encouraged to cross NE Glisan Street using the painted crosswalk at NE 70th. Volunteers will record the crossing and share the results with Portland leaders as evidence supporting the need for more frequent enhanced crosswalks on this street.
The Friday, September 15th, community event joins nearly 100 other gatherings worldwide as part of Park(ing) Day. That group facilitates an annual public display where people temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces as public parks or otherwise advocate for more equitable streets. NE Glisan Street organizers Strong Towns PDX, Congress for the New Urbanism – Cascadia, and Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association installed a temporary crosswalk and painted curb extensions, among other pedestrian safety measures, at this ordinarily unmarked crossing. People from those groups are on site to talk about street safety with residents and gather contact information for those who want to continue the conversation around street improvements.
This frequently accessed intersection is near several popular businesses, including the Rocket Empire Machine food hall and Mudd Works Roastery. People often cross here, but vehicles do not usually yield, forcing pedestrians to wait for an infrequent break in traffic or use another intersection several blocks away. During the first few hours of use, the community-painted temporary crosswalk considerably increased the number of vehicles yielding to crossing pedestrians. Many people using it expressed excitement for the unsanctioned markings and hoped Portland would make it permanent. Crossing statistics is one signal this advocacy group intends to share with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) about NE Glisan safety improvements. Event organizers said people can still add to that number by crossing the street at NE 70th Avenue before 6 p.m. or by sending a comment directly to PBOT asking for enhanced crosswalks at this intersection.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association board and participated in planning meetings for this event.