By Lacey Friedly, 19 February, 2025

Many states, including Oregon, are adopting the Safe System approach to improve traffic safety. One key element of this approach is safer speeds. To help make Oregon's road safer for everyone, Portland State University (PSU) is launching a new study, funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), to improve safety at intersections using traffic signals.

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By Lacey Friedly, 19 December, 2024

One of the most common locations for fatal motor vehicle–bicyclist crashes is at intersections. A newly published report offers guidance for improving intersection safety, especially in situations where a bike is traveling straight through an intersection and a car is turning across the cyclist's path.

The objective of the study was to develop guidelines and tools for transportation practitioners to reduce and manage conflicts between bicyclists and drivers turning at signalized intersections.

By Lacey Friedly, 29 June, 2022

In 2022, a PSU Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) team made headlines with their strategies to improve safety for houseless pedestrians. Cities across the U.S. are facing alarming increases in traffic fatalities, especially among the number of pedestrians who are struck and killed by drivers. In 2021, 70 percent of all pedestrian fatalities in Portland were of people experiencing houselessness.

By Lacey Friedly, 16 November, 2021

An increasing trend in the number of bicycle crashes in the U.S since 2009 has been a major challenge to safety. A new PSU masters thesis in civil engineering offers insights: "Improving Bicycle Crossings at Unsignalized Intersections through Pavement Markings: Analysis of the City of Portland Innovative Strategy" by Frank Boateng Appiah of Portland State University.

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By Lacey Friedly, 4 November, 2021

Researchers Amy Parker, Martin Swobodzinski, Julie Wright, Kyrsten Hansen and Becky Morton of Portland State University, along with Elizabeth Schaller of American Printing House for the Blind, have published a literature review in Frontiers in Education: Wayfinding Tools for People With Visual Impairments in Real-World Settings: A Literature Review of Recent Studies.

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By Lacey Friedly, 21 July, 2021

Last year, a car driver hit a César Chávez K-8 School student at the intersection of N. Portsmouth Ave and N. Willis Blvd in Portland, OR. It underscored what parents, teachers and Portland community members have been demanding for many years: increased investment in traffic safety at schools during pick up and drop off hours.

What’s more: Portsmouth’s residents already had a lot of ideas of how to improve pedestrian safety at this intersection.