Last week, WW wrote about three of the 34 people who have died in Portland traffic this year. To improve safety, the city has spent more than $47 million in the past two The number of traffic deaths in the first six months of 2019 equals the number for all of last year. Here's what readers had to say.
Martin Crommie: "Would be nice if someone was out there to stop the Mad Maxes that seem to think the road is for them alone."
John Retzlaff: "When Vision Zero in Portland is about being anti-car and not about pro-safety, then this is what you get. Road diets do not improve safety, half the lanes and the same amount of traffic Is not safe."
Frosti11icus, via Reddit: "My dad always told me, 'Just assume a vehicle won't stop for you because if you're wrong you'll die.'"
Rudi Van Desarzio: "You can blame pedestrians and cyclists all you want, but that's not how the law is written and never has been. It is your responsibility as a driver to have control of your vehicle Such that you do not run into people and kill them. That's the bottom line. If it means you have to drive 5 mph and that riding a bike or taking the bus is faster, so be it. Driving around in your single occupied vehicle At 15 mph above the speed limit is not a 'right.'"
Nick Sauvie: "The fact that the majority of these deaths occur in outer Southeast Portland is a result of decades of insufficient transportation investment. Vision Zero and road diets are steps in the right direction."
Morningside: "Right or wrong, pedestrians and people on bikes need to act defensively. I see it too often where people don't pay attention to."
Aww, via Reddit: "As someone who is one degree away from TWO people who have killed a pedestrian while driving in the last 18 months, this article strikes home. While I know most people here mean well by sharing their experiences with transportation issues, Let me say this one thing: Please never drive while intoxicated. Ever."
