— A guest article by northeast Portland resident Missy LeDoux.
I live in the Kerns neighborhood of inner Northeast Portland, which is usually a lovely place to live, walk, and bike. One of the reasons I chose to live here is because it has access to three bus lines: the 12, 19, and 20. That makes life much easier for me as a car-free person who gets around primarily via biking and public transit.
And walking. A lot of walking. Rain or shine, I walk. One of my personal mantras is “anywhere is walking distance.”
But recently, someone in my neighborhood has been loudly declaring: “Cars reign here. You are secondary.”
That declaration has come in the form of an unknown person installing (non-PBOT approved) street signs along NE 24th Ave. They state in big bold letters: LOOK! MAKE EYE CONTACT BEFORE CROSSING, and they proudly display a depiction of a pedestrian making eye contact with a driver.
I first noticed one of these signs back in August of 2024. My husband and I were walking home from hanging out with friends and spotted the sign attached to a telephone pole at the NW corner of NE Sandy and 24th. We posted about it in the BikeLoud PDX slack channel to raise awareness, and were met with frustration that mirrored our own. A group member reported the clearly non-approved signage using PDX reporter, and it was removed within a few days (whether by the city or by a citizen, we don’t know).
The signage clearly comes from the perspective of a driver who wants pedestrians to take on more responsibility for their own safety.
Some of you reading this might understand immediately why we were frustrated by this signage. But in case you’re wondering “What’s wrong with that? Seems like good advice,” let me explain the issue.
Let’s ignore the legality of the signage for a second and focus on its content. The messaging is clearly giving a directive to pedestrians. In high-vis yellow, made to look like an official street sign, it makes up a new law: pedestrians must make eye contact with drivers before they cross the road. The implication is that if they don’t, their life and safety are at risk. I’d even go so far as to say this signage implies that if you don’t make eye contact with a driver before crossing, the driver cannot be held responsible for hitting you. And I don’t think this interpretation is a stretch; the signage clearly comes from the perspective of a driver who wants pedestrians to take on more responsibility for their own safety in their interactions with cars. This naturally implies that car drivers should have less responsibility.
Fast-forward to today. I was walking through the neighborhood and spotted one of the signs again. I’d mostly forgotten about the sign from last summer, but here it was again, screwed into a stop sign pole at NE 24th and Oregon.
And it wasn’t alone. I looked around and spotted more signs, on nearly every corner of the intersection. I also spotted bright flashes of yellow at nearby intersections along the street.
My nemesis was back, and more prolific than ever.
But let me address the more gracious interpretation. What if this person isn’t my nemesis? What if they actually just want me to be safe and not get hit by a car? Maybe they think they’re doing a public service by providing unsolicited advice about how not to get hit.
But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it should not have to be the responsibility of vulnerable road users to not get hit. It should be the responsibility of car drivers to look out for vulnerable road users who are not protected by metal cages. Should pedestrians be careful? Of course. While walking and biking around Portland, I’ve had numerous near misses with cars that almost hit me. In every instance, my own awareness and ability to quickly stop or swerve saved my life.
But does this mean car drivers should drive however they want, clinging to made-up rules about responsibility? No.
Additionally, what these signs advertise is simply not the law. According to ODOT, every intersection is a crosswalk, whether marked with zebra stripes or not. That means that legally, it’s the job of car drivers to look out for people walking and rolling at every intersection.
Finally, let’s look at the root of this sign’s advice: making eye contact with car drivers.
Should pedestrians have to do this? The short answer is, no. This is not listed anywhere in Oregon traffic law. Personally, I try to do it anyways when possible, simply because I feel marginally safer crossing if I know a driver has seen me. But should I have to? No. My presence at the intersection should be all it takes to make a car driver follow the law and yield to me.
“Should” aside, the more pressing question is: can pedestrians always make eye contact with car drivers? The answer to this is also no. Reasons include but are not limited to:
- Some cars have tinted windows (often tinted above the legal threshold, but this law is rarely enforced).
- Sometimes drivers and pedestrians wear sunglasses.
- Weather conditions can make it difficult to see someone’s eyes.
- And let’s not forget, as my nemesis did, that blind people exist, and their safety matters. 8% of Americans are blind or visually impaired, which translates to 20 million Americans.
But even for pedestrians who could make eye contact, it would have to be a two-way exchange. In my experience standing on street corners trying to cross, most drivers are not looking for me, and certainly not trying to make eye contact. My nemesis’s “rule” gives an out to any driver who doesn’t want to stop for pedestrians. It says, “Don’t want to stop? Just don’t look at their faces!” And unfortunately, that’s already what many drivers do.
At the end of the day, these signs are simply yet another instance of drivers shifting the responsibility of safety off of themselves, and onto pedestrians and cyclists. I love my neighborhood, but just like anywhere else in Portland, it’s also a place where drivers regularly speed on residential streets, ignore stop signs, and treat Sandy like the Autobahn. In light of these safety issues, we need more accountability for drivers, not less.
For now, I’ve reported these signs to the city using PDX reporter, and I hold out hope that they’ll be taken down soon. But I can’t singlehandedly protect Kerns, and Portland broadly, from this kind of insidious rhetoric. I hope others join me in this fight. I hope pedestrians can feel more safe and empowered in our city. And I hope drivers learn how to drive more safely, or not drive at all.
Update: A city of Portland employee responded to my report, stating: “It is true that un-permitted signs are not allowed to be posted on utility poles according to City Code 17.64.040, however the City does not have resources to enforce this code and the power utility companies own and maintain most utility poles in the City of Portland. You can contact the PGE Team to request their removal.”
Looks like my nemesis wins this round, thanks to the city’s lack of resources. But you’d better believe I’ll be contacting PGE and continuing to fight the good fight.
— Missy LeDoux lives and writes in Northeast Portland. She loves biking in dresses, walking everywhere, and convincing friends to take the bus with her. Find her ice cream and travel-related writing on Substack @withcherriesontop.
