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Staff say temporary crosswalk pilot saw 724 crossings in one weekday; potential permanent crossings under consideration
Summary
City staff reported a one-day total of 724 crossings across three temporary crosswalk locations during a month-long pilot, saying the data and observed safety concerns near trolley stops and schools support evaluating permanent crossings; precise decisions and funding were not recorded in the meeting.
A temporary crosswalk pilot drew unexpectedly high usage on a weekday, according to staff comments at a community meeting. Speaker 6 told the group the pilot ran for one month and that staff removed the temporary markings this week after counting usage at the three pilot sites.
"Amazingly, at those crosswalks, we saw 724 people cross on that day," Speaker 6 said, adding that the middle location—near a school—accounted for the largest share (they estimated roughly 642 crossings that day), while the Seventeenth Street location had about 64 and the Thirteenth location about 24. Speaker 6 presented the counts as evidence the area needs safer crossings, particularly near trolley stops and schools.
Staff said they retained continental striping for visibility where possible and that the pilot involved cones placed in the roadway; they also described generally positive public feedback collected via a paper comment sheet left by the crosswalk and through informal conversations. Some residents whose access was affected by the pilot voiced concerns, and staff said they tried to accommodate impacted residents during the trial.
Speaker 6 stated the pilot involved interagency cooperation and that the state department of transportation (ODOT) had supported the effort. No formal vote or funding commitment for permanent crossings was recorded at the meeting. Staff described the counts and observations as inputs to the "central damage plan" (the meeting transcript's phrasing) and said placement tweaks would likely be considered before any permanent installation.
No decision deadline or budget figure was announced at the meeting; staff indicated the data will inform future planning.
