The Intersection of Neglect: How Portland’s Streets Became a Battleground for Pedestrian Safety
There’s something deeply unsettling about standing at an intersection that feels more like a trap than a crossing. I recently found myself at the Franklin Street and Marginal Way junction in Portland, a place locals have dubbed ‘Portland’s purgatory.’ It’s not just the wait times—nearly six minutes to cross—that make it hellish. It’s the design itself, a relic of an era when cars were king and pedestrians were an afterthought. What makes this particularly fascinating is how this one intersection encapsulates a much larger, systemic issue: our cities are still built for speed, not safety.
The Human Cost of Design Failures
Let’s start with the story of Diane Bell, a 75-year-old runner killed here last November. She was hit by a rideshare driver who, according to witnesses, was speeding to beat a yellow light. What many people don’t realize is that this wasn’t just a tragic accident—it was an inevitability. The intersection’s design, with its slip lanes and closely spaced traffic lights, practically invites reckless driving. Personally, I think this is where the conversation about pedestrian safety gets interesting: it’s not just about individual behavior but about the choices we’ve made as a society. We’ve prioritized the flow of traffic over the lives of people.
Bell’s death wasn’t an outlier. Four out of five traffic fatalities in Portland last year were pedestrians. That’s a staggering statistic, especially when you compare it to cities like Boston or New York. From my perspective, this isn’t just a Portland problem—it’s a symptom of a nationwide neglect of pedestrian infrastructure. We’ve spent decades optimizing our streets for cars, and now we’re paying the price in blood.
The Slow Grind of Change
Portland has adopted a Vision Zero plan, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths. On paper, it’s a noble goal. But here’s the thing: progress feels glacial. The city has allocated millions for pedestrian safety, but advocates like Myles Smith, chair of the bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee, argue it’s not enough. One thing that immediately stands out is the disconnect between urgency and action. Smith calls for temporary fixes—bollards, flex posts, automatic walk signals—while the city focuses on long-term redesigns.
What this really suggests is that we’re caught in a bureaucratic limbo. The city wants to take pedestrian safety seriously, but the system isn’t built for rapid change. Greg Jordan, the assistant city manager, admits it’s a slow process. ‘It took 100 years to build the transportation system we have,’ he says. But if you take a step back and think about it, that’s a pretty bleak excuse. Lives are at stake, and we’re still debating how to spend $1.1 million in safety improvements.
The Blame Game
Another detail that I find especially interesting is how police reports often place blame on pedestrians. Cynthia Karst, killed at a nearby intersection, was accused of crossing against the signal. Diane Bell’s family disputes the claim that she did the same. This raises a deeper question: Are we designing streets for people, or are we designing them to absolve drivers of responsibility?
The advisory committee has called out this pattern, and police are now revising their crash report guidelines. But the damage is done. When infrastructure fails, we’re quick to blame the victim. It’s a classic case of gaslighting on a societal scale.
The Road Ahead
So, what’s the solution? Smith and others argue for a complete overhaul of how we think about streets. ‘The safest solution is to have separate, prioritized infrastructure for pedestrians and bicycles,’ says Ben Culver, a local cyclist. I couldn’t agree more. But here’s the catch: every proposal to slow down cars—pinching corners, lowering speed limits—faces resistance from traffic engineers who prioritize efficiency.
This tension is where the real battle lies. Are we willing to sacrifice a few minutes of commute time for safer streets? If you ask me, the answer should be a no-brainer. But until we shift our priorities, intersections like Franklin and Marginal Way will remain death traps.
A Call to Action
As I stood at that intersection, watching a mother struggle to cross with her three children, it hit me: this isn’t just a policy issue—it’s a moral one. We’ve created a system where crossing the street feels like a gamble. And yet, we act like it’s an unsolvable problem.
In my opinion, the first step is acknowledging that our streets are broken. The second is demanding bold, immediate action. Temporary fixes, public pressure, and a willingness to challenge the status quo—these are the tools we need. Because if we don’t act now, ‘Portland’s purgatory’ will just be the beginning.
What this really suggests is that pedestrian safety isn’t just about redesigning streets—it’s about redesigning our values. And that’s a conversation we can’t afford to ignore.
