Portland based walking advocacy group Oregon Walks has just released a statement following the death of two innocent people in the past two weeks — Thomas Gazzola and George Carlson — who were killed while walking on local streets.
Their statement, which is co-signed by 10 partner organizations and one individual (see full list below*), directly calls out Portland Mayor Charlie Hales saying, “We need action now… we must take bold steps immediately to protect those who walk on our street.”
Here’s more:
“We call on our elected leaders to ensure we have a city where you can jog safely in your neighborhood, where you can walk across our beautiful bridges on a sunny day, and where you can be guaranteed to still have your life when you get to the other side.”
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Oregon Walks’ is asking Mayor Hales and City Council is to set a date to meet the goal of “Vision Zero” by 2025. Oregon Walks co-authored a report on Vision Zero with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance that was published back in March.
As we reported yesterday, tomorrow City Council is set to adopt a goal to achieve Vision Zero — but the text of the current resolution lacks a date. Oregon Walks wants Hales and his four Council colleagues to commit to, “a goal of reaching zero road deaths by 2025,” a promise the non-profit says would match what Portland’s Bureau of Transportation has already put in writing.
In their two-year workplan released back in February, here’s how PBOT described their commitment to Vision Zero:
“PBOT aims to make our transportation system the safest possible and to move toward zero traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries in the next 10 years.”
To “move toward” a goal isn’t exactly a firm commitment; but at least it sets a timeline for actions.
Oregon Walks says that if Portland City Council makes a firm commitment to zero road deaths and injuries by 2025 it would be “huge” and would give them and other advocates a way to hold the city accountable.
“Through setting a date and commitment to meeting Vision Zero along with treating this epidemic with urgency,” Oregon Walks wrote in today’s statement, “this goal is possible.”
*Below is the list of the coalition joining Oregon Walks in calling for a firmer commitment to Vision Zero:
- Bicycle Transportation Alliance
- AARP Oregon
- Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon
- Upstream Public Health
- Safe Routes to School National Partnership – Pacific Northwest Community Cycling Center
- Oregon Public Health Institute
- SW Trails
- Oregon Environmental Council
- OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon
- Kristi Finney-Dunn (mother of Dustin Finney, who was killed by a drunk driver while biking on SE Division in 2011).