29 www.ortrucking.org Issue 1 | 2023 demographic is disproportionately represented in pedestrian fatalities. Portland City Hall recently issued an emergency camping ban on highways and the city’s most dangerous streets, but the housing crisis is far from resolved. According to a 2017 study conducted by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, 6.3% of Portland commuters travel by bike. This is by far the highest percentage of bike commuters for a large American city with a national average of only .5% bike commuters. There has been a 374% increase in Portland bike commuting from 2000 to 2017, and—while there is hope that the number of houseless community members standing or camping near major roads can be reduced in coming years—the trend toward an increasing number of bike commuters is only expected to continue growing. Whatever one feels about the prudence of such an increased number of cyclists sharing roads with motor vehicles, the cyclists are clearly here to stay. Unfortunately, the more cyclists and pedestrians that we have sharing the road with vehicles, the more potential there is for vehicle accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians (13 cyclist deaths were attributed to vehicle crashes in 2022 in Oregon). Is it time to consider promoting alternative travel route options for cyclists outside of high-risk motor vehicle roadways? Freight routes in particular are often very limited in their points of access, while the average cyclist will have multiple options at their discretion. What should carriers be aware of in light of the current accident trends in Oregon? Obviously, safety must continue to be a high value priority for your operation. Be committed to putting only the most safe and qualified drivers possible in your vehicles. Know the high-risk areas that your drivers travel through and prepare them accordingly. The underlying causes of accidents in Oregon should be highlighted and addressed directly in your training programs. Beyond the base line commitment to safety, make sure also to stay involved in the transportation issues in your local area and throughout the state. Projects like the Rose Quarter project (and perhaps projects even closer to home for some of you) have the potential to make a difference when it comes to improving traffic safety in Oregon. Would you like to be more involved in partnering with OTA on these initiatives? We need your help! For starters, you can join us at our next Trucking Day at the Capitol and speak directly to your representatives. Together, we can make our roads safer and help reverse these troubling accident trends. Let’s be part of the solution together!
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