With lower speed limits, new speed radar devices and a public education campaign, the city of Salem hopes to reduce deaths on Salem’s roadways in the coming years. The program, called “Vision Zero,” just got a $2.8 million investment from a federal grant.
Salem police investigated 12 fatal collisions this year that killed 13 pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, according to the Salem Police Department.
Of those, five involved pedestrians including 23-year old Kiristian Murauo who was struck and killed by a delivery van on Southeast Cordon Road earlier this month.
The city seeks to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2033, a goal called “Vision Zero” which has been adopted by cities nationwide.
The projects are expected to cost $3.5 million in total, the majority coming from the $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, with a $700,000 match from the city.
Salem will evaluate the project’s impact in three years, according to the application.
In its application, the city said the majority of the funds would go to installing around 3,600 signs lowering the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph on residential streets, buying speed radar trailers and signs, and doing a public education campaign on traffic safety.
After the city of Portland lowered residential speed limits to 20 mph in 2018 as part of its Vision Zero plan, a Portland State University study looking at 58 locations found that it slowed speeding drivers down, with fewer driving above 30 mph than before the reduction.
Despite the plan, Portland has seen an increase in traffic deaths, which nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022, with the majority of the 63 deaths in 2022 being on higher speed streets according to a city study. The city has seen at least 61 deaths this year, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive, with many of the deaths happening on highways passing through the city.
Salem plans to use the grant money to make a comprehensive pedestrian safety application plan that covers busy streets, neighborhood traffic safety and all forms of transportation according to the application, by combining and updating existing plans.
The city reported 540 bicycle and pedestrian crashes between 2016 and 2020, 40 resulting in serious injuries and 20 with fatalities.
“The City considers these crashes unacceptable and preventable. To that end the City has committed to setting a clear Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries among all road users by 2033,” its application said.
The city will also build on the Council of Government’s Metropolitan Safety Action Plan, said city spokesman Trevor Smith. The plan studies crashes in the Salem-Keizer-Turner area and recommends projects.
More traffic calming measures may be coming to the greater Salem area, too. On Dec. 26, Marion County announced its development of a Transportation Safety Action Plan to guide investments in road safety. County engineers plan to incorporate comments and concerns from the community.
“Traffic safety is a societal effort, and part of increasing safety is asking our neighbors to be involved in prioritizing safety while on our roads,” said Carl Lund, traffic engineer for Marion County in a statement. “We need your input to help us understand how we can increase the safety of the roads, increase the safety of driving culture, and help you and your neighbors to take part in this work.”
Commenters have pointed out dangerous turns, accident-prone intersections and places they think need better crosswalks. To view or submit comments, see the county’s interactive map.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
