July 9, 2003

Commissioner Francesconi

1221 SW 4th Avenue, Suite 340

Portland, Oregon 97204-1995

Dear Commissioner Francesconi:

The purpose of this letter is to express support for Portland’s recent proposal to improve traffic safety through the establishment of a Portland Traffic Safety Commission and the development of a Sustainable Community and School Traffic Safety Master Plan. A recent international review of traffic safety efforts indicates that well-designed, focussed, and coordinated government efforts can significantly reduce the number of serious traffic injuries and fatalities.

Reduction in Traffic Deaths and Serious Injuries

✓  Local Government Success: A program in Gloucester, U.K., reduced serious traffic injuries and fatalities by 38%. They used a balanced program of engineering, enforcement, and education elements. Gloucester is a city of 120,000 with traffic issues similar to Portland.

✓  Benefits of Similar Program in Portland: If Portland could achieve the same level of success over the next few years, the result would be an annual reduction of 18 traffic fatalities and over 2,500 serious traffic injuries.

Increase in Walking, Biking, and Taking Transit

In addition, there is strong evidence that well-designed, collaborative traffic safety efforts can dramatically increase the number of people who feel comfortable walking, biking, and taking transit. After distance, concerns about traffic safety are the main cause of kids not walking or biking to school. Nationally, the number of kids walking and biking to school declined from 66% in the 1970s to less than 10% today.

✓  Local Government Success: The Safe Routes to School program in Marin County, California, spurred a 57% increase in the number of children walking and biking and a 29% decrease in auto traffic in the first year.

✓  Benefits of Similar Program in Portland: If Portland could achieve the same level of success over the next few years, the result would be a significant benefit to our children’s health and to the health of our community – an addition of over 5,000 kids walking or biking to school.

Although Portland’s traffic safety services are on par with most cities, a comprehensive review indicates major opportunities to improve existing services. Some could be made with little or no additional funding. Examples include the following:

•  Allocation of traffic enforcement based on crash history and citizen requests

•  Identification and education of Safe Routes to Schools

•  Involvement of neighbors and traffic safety advocates in the review of maintenance activities to improve pedestrian, bicycle, and auto safety

A number of positive factors already position Portland to design and implement a world-class traffic safety program:

•  Strong traffic safety and neighborhood partners who are committed to the effort

•  ODOT Safe Communities grant funding that is helping us understand our community’s traffic safety problem

•  The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology that is helping us make better decisions

•  The use of Service Request software that streamlines customer service operations

•  City and regional investment in a world-class multi-modal transportation system

As the global experience reveals, the most successful traffic safety programs have a common set of success factors. The proposal developed by City staff and the Safe Communities Coalition includes these success factors with the following recommendations:

✓  Develop a Sustainable Community and School Traffic Safety Plan – Success Factor #1: Base safety efforts on a collaborative and comprehensive safety plan that includes safety improvement targets;

✓  Establish a Portland Traffic Safety Commission – Success Factor #2: Establish an oversight board that ensures focus, coordination, and accountability;

✓  Develop a Sustainable, Results-Driven Financial Plan that Supports Traffic Safety Efforts – Success Factor #3: Develop a financially supported safety plan with performance incentives.

Across the country, one of the biggest challenges facing local governments is how to continue to improve services with a declining stream of general fund revenues. The proposals included in the Resolution chartering the Portland Traffic Safety Commission represent a framework for how the City can begin to immediately improve traffic safety services without putting an additional burden on the City’s General Fund.

As members of Portland’s traffic safety community, we strongly support the Portland Traffic Safety Resolution and the effort to substantially improve traffic safety services. We look forward to working together to design and implement a sustainable and proactive approach to Portland’s traffic safety issues.

Sincerely,

Please See Attached List of Supporters: