For decades, many states have only analyzed automobile traffic patterns when setting speed limits. Now, the City of Portland, Oregon, Bureau of Transportation is looking at more than just cars. The bureau is pioneering a new system where it considers the entire road – including how much foot traffic there is, and how closely bikes and cars intermingle – when asking the state to set speeds.
Last year, Portland officials formally adopted Vision Zero, the notion that no fatality or serious injury on roads is acceptable, and promised the ethos would guide all aspects of their work. Read more about how Portland is re-thinking the way their state evaluates speed limits and how it can affect the bicyclists and pedestrians that will use them.