Commission approves signal at NW 20th Street and N. Hudson after residents press for pedestrian safety

The Traffic and Transportation Commission voted 5–2 on Feb. 17 to approve installing a traffic signal at NW 20th Street and N. Hudson Avenue after residents and business owners urged action to improve pedestrian safety.

Commissioner Littlefield moved to approve the signal, originally including staff’s recommended center left-turn lane; Commissioner Martinez seconded. Commissioner Littlefield later rescinded the center left-turn lane requirement and the commission voted on the motion as amended, which passed 5 in favor, 2 opposed.

The decision came after residents and business owners described growing pedestrian activity and safety concerns near the intersection. Chelsea Banks, president of the Uptown 20 Third Street District Association, told the commission she was struck by a car at a signalized crossing in the area and urged a “protected crossing or signalized crossing” at NW 20th and Hudson for pedestrians who live, work and walk there. Chad Whitehead, co-owner of Tower Theater, said the corridor had become busier since 2017 and called for measures — including a possible road diet or other traffic calming — to better protect people on foot.

Staff presented traffic counts and crash history. A Traffic Services Division staff member said NW 20th functions as a major arterial carrying “just over 25,000 vehicles per day” and that traffic entering volume on Hudson Avenue is “just over 1,100 vehicles per day.” Staff reported 26 collisions at the intersection from Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 30, 2024; of those, 14 were types that staff considered correctable using signalized control and six involved vehicles making left turns from 20th onto Hudson.

Consultant and project representatives said the streetscape plans for NW 20th are about 95% complete. Amanda Newberry, who said she has worked on the 20th Street project through Half (Half Associates), told the commission that adding a left-turn lane at this late stage would likely require additional right-of-way and delay the streetscape project. Max Harris of the Planning Department said he was not involved in early decisions but that traffic counts likely exceeded thresholds to support a three-lane (road-diet) option.

Staff said Lee Engineering reran earlier analyses using the 11th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and found the intersection did not meet signal warrants under the manual’s criteria. Commissioners discussed trade-offs between pedestrian amenities (wider sidewalks, curb bump-outs and reduced turning radii in the streetscape) and lane configurations to accommodate left turns.

Commission debate focused on balancing the consultant design, vehicle capacity and the pedestrian safety case raised by neighborhood representatives. Commissioner Cornett and other commissioners emphasized pedestrian-first priorities and Vision Zero goals; Commissioner Cornett noted the streetscape’s wider sidewalks and shorter crossing distances planned as part of the project.

The final vote approved the addition of a signal at NW 20th and N. Hudson without requiring the previously proposed center left-turn lane. The commission’s motion and vote record were entered into the meeting minutes.