The Oregonian reported this week that Portland has lowered the speed limit along a 5.5 mile stretch of 122nd Avenue which it describes as “one of the city’s most dangerous roads.” The speed limit reduction from 35 to 30 mph will apply from the intersection with Northeast Sandy Boulevard to the intersection with Southeast Foster Road.
“The reductions mark the latest changes in what’s been a years-long attempt to reduce speeding on neighborhood streets and bust arterials,” the paper notes. It is especially important because “four of the city’s top-ten most dangerous intersections are on 122nd Avenue.”
The Oregonian reports that 54 people died in Portland traffic crashes last year, “the most since 1996.” That statistic highlights an important fact that can often get lost in discussions like this. Though we tend to think of car crashes as high speed incidents, even accidents at the 35 mph, which few Americans think of as a fast driving speed, can be lethal. A Dutch study republished by the US Federal Highway Administration (see link below) dramatically illustrates the relationship between speed and fatality in traffic accidents, especially those involving pedestrians. The study found that once the impact speed passes about 20 mph the fatality risk for pedestrians increases exponentially.