We received the following from Portland Bureau of Transportation:
Dear Portland community members,
Tomorrow the Portland Bureau of Transportation will be updating the speed limit on SE Holgate Boulevard. The new speed limit will be 25 mph from SE 28th to 91st avenues and from SE 122nd to 136th avenues. (The segment between SE 91st and 122nd avenues will remain at 30 mph.)
The reduced speed limit supports the City of Portland’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. Speed is a factor in nearly half of deadly crashes that occur in Portland. Lower speeds result in fewer crashes. When crashes occur, lower speeds make it more likely that people will survive (see image below). You can learn more about the City of Portland’s Vision Zero work at https://visionzeroportland.com.
I live on the corner of 56th and Holgate. I am extremely upset that the speed limit has been reduced to 25 miles an hour. That is absolutely ridiculous. Pedestrians need education, it is now a day that bicycles and people think that the roads were built for them, I remember when I was younger, I’m only 42, and we were taught that you look both ways when Crossing, you don’t be ignorant and dart out into traffic. If you do, that’s your fault. Don’t be stupid, and that includes reducing vehicle speed limit because of ignorant pedestrians. No need to inconvenience all of us drivers who need to be somewhere. That’s why we have vehicles…. Whoever thought of this is an absolute idiot
The different between 25mph and 30mph is hardly anything. You save 48 seconds per mile as you go from 25mph to 30mph.
You live on 56th and Holgate…
If you go east from 56th/Holgate to 91st/Holgate (1.7mile) … reduce it to 25mph will take you extra 81 seconds
If you go west from 56th/Holgate to 28th/Holgate (1.6mile) … reduce it to 25mph will take you extra 77 seconds
As you can see, it hardly make that much of a different in travel time.
Try factoring in increased road time per car, no change to traffic patterns and light changes, and increased peak congestion.
As you can see, it hardly is as simple as time and distance traveled. These traffic changes have added almost 20 minutes to my commute. That’s 40 minutes a day more I’m on the road, polluting and being miserable.
I totally agree with you…I work on Foster and I have a large window looking out on the street. Buses and Cops are not even going 25 miles an hour!!! But you will get a ticket!!! I petition that the speed limit is raised back to 35 miles an hour…Pretty soon they will try to make us go 30 on 205..
I’m sick of of the People’s Republic of Portland and their uneducated knee jerk actions that are clearly Catering to Cyclists. The miss allocation of funds is borderline criminal. NATO Parkway being an example. You’ve taken a four-lane road and made it two lanes. Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, you’ve reduce the lane size to almost dangerously narrow conditions to facilitate to full size bike lanes. I’m not sure when the last time our government has imposed a cycle tax to cover roads, however each time I fill up I pay tax for you communist to maintain our Streets. Epic failure!