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Portland Communities Empowered to ‘DIY’ Safer Streets

Portland launched a toolkit for low-cost, DIY traffic safety fixes, aiming to fast-track safer streets across dozens of nearby cities.

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📅 Today's Story: Portland unveiled a new Safe Streets hub and toolkit that empowers local communities to take street safety personally using low-cost, quick-build interventions.

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Portland Communities Empowered to ‘DIY’ Safer Streets

Temporary bike lane in Oregon (Community Quick-build and Demonstration Projects)

📰 What Happened: Portland’s Safe Streets hub provides crash data, high-injury corridor maps, and design guidance to help community groups implement rapid, low-cost street safety measures. Oregon Metro’s regional coordination ensures that cities across the metro area all have access to the same tools and policy support.

🔍 A Closer Look: The toolkit is designed to be accessible so that residents can act on safety needs without waiting for capital. It also removes silos between jurisdictions, offering shared data to prioritize interventions where needed. The initiative includes guides on how to create temporary crosswalks, curb extensions, traffic diverters, and bike lanes.

🧠 Why It Matters: Portland’s DIY-friendly safety toolkit signals a growing shift to community-led urban planning. By equipping local groups with the resources to make real changes, the program fast-tracks safer, more people-centered streets and could serve as a model for other cities seeking scalable, grassroots solutions.

 

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