Salem review of downtown safety study recommends 20 mph progression, more LPIs and ODOT coordination

Consultants from DKS Associates presented the Salem Transportation Advisory Commission with findings from a downtown bicycle and pedestrian safety study and outlined recommendations including lowering progression speeds, expanding leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) and adding targeted signage and signal changes.

The study, directed by city council in February 2024, covered corridor speeds and crash data from 2019–2023 and evaluated three alternatives. "We are sharing tonight an update on our downtown bicycle and pedestrian safety study," said Scott Manser, a consultant with DKS Associates, who led the presentation and modeling of alternatives. DKS recommended a phased approach that would aim to reduce posted speeds on city streets to 20 mph and request ODOT reduce select state-jurisdiction speeds by 5 mph.

Why it matters: Consultants told the commission that reducing progression speeds and improving timing can lower vehicle stops, delay and emissions while making crossings safer for people walking and biking. The study flagged five high-priority intersections with elevated pedestrian or bicycle crashes — including the Marion/Commercial approach and the State/Front crossing, where a recent pedestrian fatality occurred — and proposed low-cost treatments such as LPIs, no-turn-on-red controls and enhanced warning signage where feasible.

What the study recommends: DKS described three alternatives: leave existing conditions as a baseline; update local signal timings without changing speeds; and a reduced-speed alternative that assumes ODOT drops some facility speeds by 5 mph and city streets are progressed to 20 mph (with bicycles on certain bikeways progressed at 15 mph). The consultants reported that the reduced-speed alternative improved signal progression on several corridors and could discourage speeding through a coordinated green-band timing.

Commission reaction and data questions: Commissioners and members of the public pressed staff and DKS on the study area boundaries (funding limitations shaped the scope), ODOT’s jurisdictional limits (ODOT retains final authority over its facilities but has engaged with staff), and whether existing LPIs — implemented about 12–18 months ago — should be changed from a 3-second lead to 5 seconds. DKS and staff cautioned that the city currently lacks a full year of post-LPI crash data at many locations and recommended monitoring results before making systemwide timing changes, but some commissioners urged testing and modeling of extended LPI timings to evaluate operational trade-offs.

Public input and examples: Multiple speakers raised safety concerns and local experience in the downtown. A resident who identified herself as Beth Schmidt said, "I'm just hoping to see that we continue to make improvements here in the city," and commissioners noted local examples where ODOT has used pedestrian-activated no-turn-on-red signs. Staff said downtown signals are largely pre-timed today and that adding detection for bicycles (radar or thermal) or pedestrian push-buttons would add cost; the simplest near-term option is targeted no-turn-on-red signage or phasing changes where ODOT and the city agree.

Next steps: Staff and DKS said they will continue outreach this summer with neighborhood and downtown groups and return to council with final recommendations in September. DKS proposed a phased implementation starting this fall on selected corridors, accompanied by monitoring of travel times, safety and pedestrian activity to inform any further adjustments (including reconsidering LPI durations).