Speed Cameras Have Finally Been Installed on Two of Portland's Most Dangerous Streets

The installation comes after Portland City Council approved an emergency speed reduction from 35 mph to 30 mph last week.

(Photo by Dylan Riviera/PBOT)

Speed-detection cameras that were installed earlier this week are now in effect on the major East Portland crash corridors of Southeast 122nd Avenue and outer Southeast Division Street—two of the city's most dangerous roads.

In November, WW examined the slow installation of speed cameras on city streets—a sluggish pace that had bureaucrats pointing fingers while seeming to ignore their stated priorities.

Now those cameras are up and running, and the city will start issuing fines on April 5.

According to PBOT, the rate of pedestrian crashes on Southeast 122nd Avenue is about 50 percent higher than the citywide average.

And analysis of a decade's worth of crash data found that more Portlanders were seriously injured or killed while driving on Southeast Division than any other street.

Related: Why Can't Portland Use the Gas-Tax Money to Paint Some Crosswalks?

Both streets are also part of the city's High Crash Network, a list of the 30 streets where the most crashes occur.

Drivers who are exceeding 30 miles per hour along Southeast Division Street and 35 miles per hour along Southeast 122nd Avenue will be issued warnings, until the 30-day warning period ends on April 4. Citations will begin April 5.

The installation comes after Portland City Council approved an emergency speed reduction from 35 mph to 30 mph last week, due to the high number of fatal crashes on Portland's streets last year.

This included two fatal crashes on Southeast Division Street on the same day, causing Portland City Council to pass an emergency ordinance, calling for PBOT to make improvements.

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