improve crossing safety.
(File photo © Jonathan Maus)
Next Monday, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the City of Portland Office of Transportation, with help from TriMet, are set to launch a media campaign to improve pedestrian safety.
The campaign — which has an emphasis on 82nd Ave — is called “I Brake for People” and it will include ads on TriMet buses, benches and shelters along with drive-time radio blurbs and of course what campaign would be complete without a bumper sticker…
The outreach effort will focus on educating motorists that Oregon law states they must stop at all intersections (not just marked crosswalks) when pedestrians are trying to cross.
PDOT reports that in downtown Portland, 72% of pedestrian collisions are a result of driver error and that citywide, 49% of pedestrian injuries happen in a crosswalk. Stats also show that from 1985-2000, one out of three traffic fatalities was a pedestrian or a bicyclist.
A kickoff event is planned for Monday, October 22nd at Vestal Elementary School on NE 82nd Ave. Slated to appear at the event are PDOT Director Sue Keil, ODOT’s Jason Tell, and other notables.
The event will also feature a “living billboard” that will include a black backdrop, large white letters that say “I brake for people.”, and 7
individuals that are painted head to toe in bright neon colors.
Now that’s a way to get some attention.