Thank you for submitting this issue to the City of Portland using SeeClickFix. It has been received as service request ID #57408. Our staff will now begin their investigation.

The city of Portland is like a third wold country when it comes to traffic.

Agreed. This intersection, as well as the nearby Spring/Congress one, are perilous for pedestrians. Drivers ignore pedestrian crossing signals and red lights constantly, because there is never any traffic enforcement. Apparently law enforcement is as heedless as drivers of the rights of people on foot.

So I submitted this issue and categorised it as a 'crosswalk' problem which is now assigned to public works, but on reflection it's equally a 'police issue' - can it also be assigned to the Police Dept. so that they can see whether they could do anything in terms of enforcement at this intersection?

A signal-controlled left from Congress to High St would help--left turn on arrow only. That would limit the number of cars forcing their way through on yellow and red. The crossings and the form of the junction could also be marked more visibly on the street, making the violations more apparent to the drivers. Slowing down the whole intersection would also help. Everyone is racing because High St is like a mini freeway, and cars coming from Congress are made to wait while fifty cars from High pass through the light. Timing the intersection differently could alleviate the sense of unfairness that makes drivers so hasty. If all pedestrian directions crossed at once while all vehicles had red lights, the situation would be taken care of.

No time for them to deal with traffic laws when they are tied up dealing with all the thefts, assaults, and people overdosing everyday. A secondary issue at this intersection that also PD doesn't have time for is that usually the begining of the turning traffic cannot turn due to the pedestrians walking against the walk signal on the turning traffic's green light.

Thank you, Tilthone. Good observations. The timing and sequencing of traffic signals throughout the city are biased in favor of drivers. And Anonymous User, please do not put the blame on pedestrians - that's facile, and ignores Tilthone's point. There is no reason that periodic targeted ticket blitzes cannot be undertaken at specific intersections to send a message to drivers that traffic laws must be obeyed (including the state law that requires motorists to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks). That wouldn't detract from Portland PD's dealing with what you seem to perceive as the massive crime wave in Portland.

Anonymous User, I am sure the police do have many pressing issues to deal with, and I appreciate how hard they work. However, I think ignoring this issue risks normalizing this kind of behavior and tacitly allowing downtown Portland to become a place where it's fine to use a vehicle to force pedestrians out of your way if you feel like it. Pedestrians certainly do cross here when there's no walk sign and I don't think that's a great idea, but I also don't think this is the main reason that drivers are running this light - in the incidents that prompted me to post about this yesterday, my children and I had waited patiently for the walk sign to come on and no one else had crossed in that time, but several vehicles saw fit to drive through the crosswalk anyway (and I've had this same experience countless times.) The window for turning left here is slim, so I think drivers simply feel entitled to go even when the light has turned red. Targeted ticket blitzes, as Clancey says, could send a strong message, and would (I think) not be an excessive burden on the Police Dept.

Being a pedestrian comes with its own set of responsibilities... one of which, foremost, is to be aware of vehicular traffic...

Geets, I don't think anyone would disagree with that, but it's not the topic of this discussion. The issue here is that drivers are not obeying the laws which apply to them.

On Wednesday March 1 I witnessed two incidents in which pedestrians crossing with the light at this intersection were nearly hit by drivers turning from Congress against a red light. In one the tires of the car skidded because it had to stop so suddenly. No turn on red and a fully signal controlled left is needed to make this intersection safe.

Isn't there a timed pedestrian crossing signal there...?

Yes. And in every instance that is being discussed here the pedestrians were crossing when they had a signal saying it was time for them to cross. The problem being discussed here is that drivers turning onto High Street from Congress do so after their own signal has turned red, at a time when pedestrians are crossing lawfully. Because cars are enormous and made of steel, this conduct puts pedestrians in danger. I appreciate your desire to share the blame around, but pedestrian behavior is not the issue being discussed. Drivers are breaking the law and creating a dangerous situation at this intersection--every single day. The layout of the intersection and the timing of the lights is partially responsible, and that's what we are asking the city to fix.

People don't usually do what they are supposed to do. This is the problem.

The cars are probably committed in to their turn, but oncoming traffic prevents them from completing the turn... so when the light changes, they finish their turn, rather than staying in the middle of the intersection... Pedestrians should always be aware of their surroundings, especially at that intersection because it is one of the busiest in the entire state.... I always look both ways wherever I cross... If a car is finishing their turn after getting "caught" in the intersection after the light has changed, I give them the right-of-way....

Yes, this is a death waiting to happen. I've nearly been hit by cars at least 5 times in the past month by drivers gliding past stop signs and into crosswalks without looking. It has to stop.

Thanks to all of you for recognizing the seriousness of this situation. And shame on the city of Portland for not even responding.

It's important to look both ways before crossing any street. Drivers who jut out at an intersection to see oncoming traffic, and go over the crosswalk to do so, are committing a moving violation. If any kind of accident results from this, they are liable. Essentially, the city would have to redesign countless intersections to prevent this... Ain't gonna happen. Answer is for better enforcement of moving violations, and pedestrians being more alert for bad drivers.

Pedestrians are constantly alert for bad drivers. Do you think we are cavalier about the damage that we risk by contact with some idiot carelessly propelling two tons of metal? Think about it - who has more to lose from being in a collision with a car? Pedestrians who are obeying the law have to be observant, of course, but it is up to drivers to obey traffic regulations strictly -- no excuses. Pedestrians who are hit most often don't get second chances.

I constantly see pedestrians cross against the light, oblivious to their surroundings... Usually on a cell phone or just lost in their thoughts. Thankfully, I am an alert driver. Certainly not ALL drivers & pedestrians are as alert as they should be, but blaming the city for that is misguided.

The best way for a pedestrian to avoid oncoming traffic is to push the crosswalk signal button, then actually wait until stop lights appear on all four sides of an intersection. Even then, it's still a good idea to look both ways... PS: After pushing the button, it takes a while for the crosswalk signal to activate, so be patient... I see many times that after pushing the button, the pedestrian gets impatient and crosses anyway, before the cross signal comes on... When it eventually does come on, no one is there to cross... and the cars sit and idle until the regular traffic signals resume... If you can't wait for the crossing signal, then please don't push the button...

The Planning Department is working on design changes to the intersection, enforcement will be key until such time as those changes can be made.

We have notified the Police Department of your concerns.

Your request has been closed. Thank you for partnering with us to keep The City of Portland a great place to live and work.