Portland City Council reaffirms Vision Zero, creates cross‑bureau task force with community engagement mandate

Portland City Council on Wednesday voted to reaffirm the city’s Vision Zero commitment and to convene a cross‑bureau Vision Zero task force charged with updating the Vision Zero action plan and reporting quarterly to council. The resolution, as amended on the council floor, passed with 12 yes votes.

The resolution directs the deputy city administrators (DCAs) for Public Works, Public Safety, Community and Economic Development, and Operations to convene a task force by September 2025 to identify actions to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. The task force will include city bureau technical staff, invite community advisory committees and subject‑matter experts, and produce quarterly reports on progress.

The measure was introduced to council as “Item number 7, reaffirm council commitment to the Vision 0 action plan and convene a cross bureau Vision 0 task force.” Councilors and staff said the item elevates Vision Zero work out of a single bureau and into a citywide effort intended to break down silos and increase accountability across service areas.

“We have an opportunity to reaffirm that commitment,” said Councilor Koyama Lane, the measure’s sponsor. “Every Portlander deserves to make it home safely at the end of the day. Saving human lives is at the core of this work.”

Dana Dickman, the city’s newly designated Vision Zero policy manager, told council that the task force is meant to coordinate existing cross‑bureau efforts and bring additional transparency and public reporting. “We already have a lot of examples of working across service areas,” Dickman said. “We are really looking into digging into it further over the next couple of months.”

Public testimony was extensive and largely in support of stronger Vision Zero implementation. Parents, advocacy groups, health officials and survivors described traffic crashes as a continuing public‑health crisis. Rob Galanakis, a parent from District 3, told council, “We know exactly how to end traffic violence. We know we need to reduce speeds because speed kills.” Kate Connolly, who identified herself as a survivor of a traffic crash, described chronic injuries she continues to manage and implored council to prioritize infrastructure over “signs and paint.”

Representatives of Multnomah County and the Multnomah County Health Department testified in favor of the measure and described ongoing county‑level work that staff said will inform the task force. Garrett Meyer, senior policy adviser to Multnomah County Chair Vega Peterson, said the county has departments working on related issues and will share forthcoming reports with the city. Andrea Hamburg, Multnomah County’s environmental health services director, urged the council to treat traffic violence as a public‑health priority and to address inequities the county has documented in crash burdens.

Council amendments: two votes

Two amendments were adopted before final passage. The first, offered by Councilor Avalos and accepted by the sponsor, adds an explicit requirement that the Vision Zero task force “ensure meaningful community engagement in the development of its analysis and action plan and inform communities of the new action plan.” The amendment passed on a roll call vote.

The second amendment, offered by Councilor Zimmerman and seconded on the floor, directs the task force to examine the “overrepresentation of traffic fatalities involving people experiencing homelessness, conduct an analysis of the underlying causes, and recommend targeted strategies to reduce and prevent these deaths.” Several councilors and witnesses stressed that the intent of the amendment is to study causes and recommend solutions, not to authorize enforcement actions or campsite clearances. The amendment also passed.

Vote and next steps

The fully amended resolution was adopted with 12 yes votes. Council directed the DCAs named in the resolution to convene the task force and provide quarterly reports on progress and implementation. Staff indicated the task force and the updated action plan will seek to include community advisory bodies, victim and survivor groups, public‑health expertise and external public agencies where appropriate.

Council members and testifiers repeatedly emphasized that achieving a reduction in deaths will require tradeoffs and funding decisions. Testimony and several council comments specifically cited the need for sustained budget support for infrastructure, more speed and red‑light cameras, maintenance, cross‑bureau collaboration and an enforcement role from public‑safety partners.

Supporters and survivors asked the council for a clear, measurable plan and for political and budgetary backing to execute it. Council members said they expect the task force’s quarterly reports to include detailed analysis and proposed actions that can be considered in future budget cycles.

The council recessed for the night after adopting the resolution and said that quarterly updates from the DCAs and the task force would be expected. The vote concluded a lengthy public‑testimony period during which dozens of residents, nonprofit leaders and officials described local crash experiences, called for neighborhood‑level changes and urged immediate action by the city.