Portland City Council Regular Session

34:05Good evening.

34:06It is 6 PM on Wednesday, September 17th.

34:09I am calling to open today's City Council meeting.

34:13While ICE continues to terrorize our community.

34:16Thank you so much for being here tonight.

34:19I'm grateful that you have finally issued a notice of violation for ICE's conditional use facility.

34:24Thank you so much for being here.

34:26As you saw, there's information that will be coming out.

34:29Follow through and revoke the ICE permit.

34:32I'm happy for us to have more conversation about this later, but unfortunately there's not a lot we can do right in this moment, and I'd like us to be able to start this meeting.

34:44We have people here for important business.

34:56Over this, roll over this so that we can continue our meeting.

35:04Let's try to take roll.

35:07Here.

35:07Here.

35:16Here.

35:21Here.

35:29I would love to have a conversation, but we're not able to do that when you're yelling over our meeting.

35:40We have business There are things that we have business to do, and there are conversations that we could have if you were able to sit down and wait until we got to a point where we could do that.

35:49Eyes on Portland!

35:51Eyes on Portland!

35:53Eyes on Portland!

35:56We are not able to have a conversation about this when you are interrupting the meeting.

36:02Eyes on Portland!

36:03Eyes on Portland!

36:03Eyes on Portland!

36:05There are things that we could talk about If you were able to be a part of our meeting.

36:12Yeah, just a minute.

36:23So we do have a quorum, but we are going to have to recess the meeting if we're not able to continue our work.

36:32Are you interested in a conversation, or are you interested in yelling at?

36:36Council and not getting a response.

36:42We are not able to respond when you are yelling over our meeting.

36:47Okay, I do, but I'm not able to read it.

36:52She has a statement to read.

36:53Do you want to hear it?

36:54She has a statement for you.

36:59We are going to recess this meeting.

37:02For 20 minutes.

37:04We are going to have to clear Council Chambers so that we are able to do our work when we come back.

37:11This conduct is disrupting the meeting.

37:14This is a warning that if there is continued disruption, we will have to eject people.

37:21Can I say something?

37:23We are recessing for 20 minutes.

37:26We are going to have to clear folks out of the room.

37:28For people who are here for our later work, including the children who are here to talk about safety in our city, I apologize.

37:37Please stay so that we can hear from you in 20 minutes.

37:44I stand by order.

38:46Remove the permit!

38:57Eyes out of Portland!

38:59Eyes out of Portland!

39:02Remove the permit!

39:03Remove the permit!

39:05Are—.

39:06Can I have a question?

39:08Hello?

39:09Is this on?

39:10Remove the permit!

39:12ICE out of Portland!

39:15ICE out of Portland!

39:17Revoke the permit!

39:18Revoke the permit!

39:20ICE out of Portland!

39:22ICE out of Portland!

39:23Revoke the permit!

39:24Revoke the permit!

39:26Can you hear me?

39:30Okay, I, I have a question.

39:32I have a question for the audience.

39:38Do you want to know where we're at in the permit process or no?

39:46I'm hearing some yeses in the audience.

39:49Here's, here's the thing.

39:51We can give you an update on where we're at in the permit process.

39:58It's not—.

39:59We are, we are not in the process.

40:02It is not at our table right now.

40:033, 2, 1, Shut it down!

40:06Thank you, Susan, for your assistance, but the problem is that the permit decision is not at City Council's table right now.

40:16Welcome permit!

40:183, 2, 1, Shut it down!

40:22Anyone— if anyone is actually interested in hearing where we're at in the process, I am happy to meet you in the hall and talk to you and tell you where we're at and what we're doing.

40:31Thank you.

55:24Yeah, it was wild, man.

55:28Thank you all for that short break.

55:32I am reconvening tonight's council meeting, and could we please get the rules of order and decorum read.

55:42Thank you.

55:43Welcome to the Portland City Council.

55:44To testify before council in person or virtually, you must sign up in advance on the council agenda at www.portland.gov/council/agenda.

55:54Information on engaging with council can be found on the council clerk's webpage.

55:58Individuals may testify for 3 minutes unless the presiding officer states otherwise.

56:03Your microphone will be muted when your time is over.

56:06The presiding officer preserves order.

56:08Disruptive conduct such as shouting, refusing to conclude your testimony when your time is up, or interrupting others' testimony or council deliberations will not be allowed.

56:16If you cause a disruption, a warning will be given.

56:20Further disruption will result in ejection from the meeting.

56:23Anyone who fails to leave once ejected is subject to arrest for trespass.

56:26Additionally, council may take a short recess and reconvene virtually.

56:31Your testimony should address the matter being considered.

56:34When testifying, state your name for the record.

56:36Your address is not necessary.

56:39If you are a lobbyist, identify the organization you represent.

56:42Virtual testifiers should unmute themselves when the council clerk calls your name.

56:46Thank you.

56:48Thank you, colleagues.

56:49The next item on the agenda is agenda approval.

56:52Uh, 2 items have been pulled off the consent agenda.

56:56One, the administration and the mayor asked to pull back, and one has been moved to the regular agenda.

57:03Otherwise, there have not been any requests to reorder or amend the agenda.

57:08Does anybody have—.

57:09Can you clarify which items were pulled, please?

57:11Yes, I can do that.

57:13Let me scroll down here.

57:15Clarify which items were pulled.

57:19Sorry.

57:21The agenda item number 5, Declare property located at Southeast 21st and Southeast Powell Boulevard has been pulled off consent and is now on the regular agenda.

57:31There was an item previously on consent that I am not seeing here right now.

57:39Number—.

57:40Oh, that's not true.

57:41Agenda item 4 on the consent agenda has been pulled back to the mayor's office and will not be heard today.

57:50Are there any other requests to amend, reorder, or add items to today's agenda?

57:58Seeing none, do I have unanimous consent to approve the agenda?

58:06Okay, I see no objections.

58:09Uh, colleagues, the next item on the agenda is public communication.

58:12Keelan, could you please call up our first guest for public communication?

58:16First up, we have Richard Elmeyer.

58:23Good evening, Mr. Elmeyer.

58:23Welcome.

58:38My name is Richard Elmeyer.

58:40There is not enough money nor political will to provide permanent homeless public housing.

58:47And preventative homeless funding and temporary homeless accommodations and clear and clean all illegal campsites for all the currently unhoused population of Portland.

59:00Recent federal and state actions will soon exacerbate the problem by guaranteeing an increase in the number of homeless.

59:09A majority of voters in Portland and statewide have repeatedly listed their top priority as removing illegal camping from public property.

59:19The moment the Portland City Council adopted their budget, it officially took on the burden, responsibility, and accountability for a policy that would resolve Portland's homeless crisis while satisfying public demands.

59:35These are the spending priorities to achieve public goals: remove all persons and their property from illegally camping on public property and then clean those sites.

59:46Provide temporary housing of any type, including tents with platforms on sanctioned public property, along with all humanitarian necessities.

59:57Provide a detention facility.

1:00:00To date, all members of the council support allowing illegal camping on public property.

1:00:07This is in direct contravention of the will of the majority of Portland voters.

1:00:13And who will do the counting on December 1st, 2025 to determine if all illegal camping on public property has ended in Portland?

1:00:21The mayor's office?

1:00:22City councilor's office?

1:00:25Police?

1:00:27To date, all members of the council have no idea what the makeup of the 3 classes of housing inventory are in their districts, nor how much they want to add in each category.

1:00:39Nor what it will cost, nor how much of our public funds they're willing to spend to achieve their goals.

1:00:46So the question arises, which of the councilors up for reelection on November 3rd, 2026, that is Olivia Clark, Mitchell Green, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo, Steve Novick, and Eric Zimmerman, will campaign on a platform of supporting illegal camping on public property and a platform of self-inflicted ignorance, incompetence, and fear with regard to their knowledge and decision credibility on housing matters.

1:01:18It's time for your constituents and contributors to know where you stand on these issues well before the ballots reach their mailboxes.

1:01:26Thank you.

1:01:27Thank you very much for being here tonight.

1:01:31Next up, we have Lucas Kerper.

1:01:41Lucas?

1:01:41Yeah, uh, do I just go down there?

1:01:43Up there.

1:01:43Okay, great.

1:01:45We'll wait for just a minute.

1:01:56Then is the next person on the list online or in the room?

1:02:02I believe Lucas is in the room.

1:02:04I'm wondering if the next person down, if we want to— while we're giving Lucas time to come down, if we want to move to the next person.

1:02:09Oh, right.

1:02:09Uh, yeah, next up, uh, Joshua Trotter.

1:02:15He's in the room.

1:02:18Maybe.

1:02:18Sorry, crowded in here.

1:02:24My name's Brian I'm from Jackson County, Oregon, home of the most unlawful Genesis long-range—.

1:02:29We have Mr. Kerper coming up to speak right now.

1:02:32I'm sure that you have something very important to say, but Mr. Kerper does as well.

1:02:37Talk about being auto-tracked and having a psyop campaign ran on me with use of the—.

1:02:41We'd love to hear from you at another time, but right now you're disrupting the meeting.

1:02:46This is a warning, and if you continue to disrupt the meeting, we will have to have you removed from the room.

1:02:53I have something important to say, but unfortunately we need to give Mr. Kerper his time.

1:03:01Could our security team please help us to remove this gentleman so that we can hear from Mr.

1:03:06Kerper?

1:03:07As well as Salem, Brookings, Medford, Ashland.

1:03:12I've also been assaulted by Genesis Alvarez in Martinez, California, at the hospital.

1:03:17And in Medford at the Rogue Valley Hospital.

1:03:20I've captured a lot of this.

1:03:21Thank you for your patience, Mr. Kerper.

1:03:23We'd like to hear from you.

1:03:26Go right ahead.

1:03:29Um, so here, thank you for giving us a forum to speak, and, uh, thank you for making it easy for us to just, uh, sign up and do this.

1:03:36I think there's a right way of making a point or making a comment and a wrong way of doing it.

1:03:40But, um, so I'm here today.

1:03:42I emailed you all about, uh, Portland, a non-idling futures ordinance recently, and basically it's a very simple ordinance that I think we as a city should have on the books.

1:03:54We should have had it on the books, you know, maybe 30 years ago, or but we should still have it on the books today.

1:03:59So, you know, I mean, imagine, for example, like a grade school where kids are playing at recess.

1:04:06You know, they're trying to develop as small human beings, and there's a long queue of.

1:04:10Parents in their cars with the car on, just idling, waiting to pick their kids up.

1:04:16I just don't think this is a safe breathing environment for the parents in the car, for the children playing at recess or inside, or even for the neighbors living in the house.

1:04:26So idling the vehicle produces, obviously, as we all know, I feel like I'm preaching to the choir, pollution, you know, carbon dioxide, nitrous, Mm-hmm.

1:04:36Oxide and particulate matter as well.

1:04:39And, you know, if you're sitting in a car and you have a really good air filter in your car, maybe you don't notice it that much.

1:04:44But, you know, for a lot of us, especially in Portland, in an urban environment, especially as density increases, this is becoming more relevant.

1:04:53More people are choosing micromobility, to walk places, to bike places.

1:04:58And so I think us curbing automobile idling I think it's a smart thing.

1:05:03It's an ethical thing, and it's a safe thing for us to do.

1:05:07I do think it should be a no-brainer.

1:05:10So basically, we would model it off after something like the Vermont law.

1:05:16Idling your vehicle more than 5 minutes would be a tickable offense.

1:05:19You could get a million of these and your insurance would never go up.

1:05:22You'd never go to jail because it's a non-moving violation, a class of parking violation ticket.

1:05:29So then there would be like temperature exemptions built into it just to make the law palatable so we could pass it.

1:05:37If it's hotter than 95 degrees outside, then you could idle your car all day long because you need the air conditioning on.

1:05:42Or if it's less than, I don't know, 40 degrees, you could modify these numbers obviously again to make it palatable for us to just get on the books.

1:05:50If it's colder than 45, you need the heater on or something like that.

1:05:54And then of course there's other exemptions like, you know, if you're waiting, you know, to go through the drive-through or whatever.

1:06:00But, uh, um, I have never done this before.

1:06:03This is my first time here.

1:06:04And if any of you know, uh, how we can get this law on the books, this ordinance on the books, I would be— I would love to meet with you.

1:06:15Um, I did speak with a gentleman over here, um, a couple hours ago at the waterfront.

1:06:21Uh, I'll send him an email, Mitch.

1:06:25So anyway, thank you for your time, giving us a platform to speak.

1:06:28I appreciate what you do.

1:06:31Thank you so much.

1:06:32And this is a good way to get a conversation like this started, just in answer to your question.

1:06:37If there are councilors who are interested in working with you to bring this forward, they can now reach out and follow up.

1:06:41And we do have your information posted online as well.

1:06:45Thank you.

1:06:47Next up we have Joshua Trotter.

1:06:57Joshua Trotter.

1:06:58Why don't you go on to the next person and then come back?

1:07:05Uh, Lauren Quarter.

1:07:13Lauren Quarter.

1:07:15Christopher Olson.

1:07:20Welcome, Mr. Olson.

1:07:22Hi, thank you.

1:07:22Good to see you.

1:07:23Good to see you too.

1:07:26Well, hello, councilors.

1:07:27Uh, my name is Chris Olson, for the record.

1:07:29I live in District 2, and I'm a member of the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and one of the leaders of the Housing Working Group.

1:07:36I was not planning to speak today, but I signed up for council communications back in January September, you gotta jump on it when it happens.

1:07:45So it should come as no surprise that my topic for today is the housing crisis.

1:07:49And as a member of the Housing Working Group, I've been canvassing renters across the city and tabling at major events in support of our Renters' Bill of Rights campaign.

1:07:57This year, I've talked to— we've talked to thousands of people and knocked over 2,000 doors and gotten over 1,000 signatures from everyday Portlanders endorsing the Renters' Bill of Rights.

1:08:07Thank you.

1:08:08So far we've held 2 renters town halls, one in District 3 and another in District 2, where I've heard stories about the increasing cost of rent in the city, but not just that, but the failures of landlords to meet even basic requirements for human dignity.

1:08:22For example, I remember a story of a landlord who failed to make the required ADA changes to a disabled person's apartment.

1:08:29For them to use the restroom, the tenant must leave their wheelchair outside the bathroom and is forced to scoot themselves across the floor to use the toilet.

1:08:37This kind of inhumane negligence is unacceptable.

1:08:41There are many more stories where that came from, and as much as these stories break my heart, this is not the hardest part of the work.

1:08:49The hardest part of the work is getting people to believe that our city government can make a difference, that our city government in particular can work for them and not just the billionaires and the Portland business elite.

1:08:59Thank you.

1:09:00Over the past 60 years, the neoliberal agenda has told American people that we cannot rely on the government for help, that we must put our trust in private corporations and the so-called free market to meet our needs.

1:09:11But the system has failed to provide enough housing for everyone.

1:09:15Case in point is this photo that I took.

1:09:17You can see displayed on the screen at Northeast 21st and Pacific.

1:09:22This is a brand new 7-story apartment building.

1:09:25With dozens of empty units, and right across the street from it are 2 tents for our unsheltered neighbors to live in.

1:09:33This is the example of our broken housing system, and it must be remedied.

1:09:37No matter what caucus or group you find yourself in on this council, you were elected to serve the people of Portland, and that means pushing back against the landlords and the business class whose insatiable greed has created the crisis that we find ourselves in today.

1:09:50Thank you.

1:09:51You need to take seriously the proposals of Councilors Avalos, Dunphy, and Green, and what they learned about social housing from their recent work trip to Vienna.

1:10:00At the end of the day, it is up to all of you to solve this problem.

1:10:04And if you are unable to do so, we will elect individuals who will.

1:10:09To that end, I'd like to invite the council to our Third Renters Town Hall this Saturday at PCC Southeast over in Districts— bordering Districts 1 and 3.

1:10:19From 2 to 4 PM to hear from their constituents directly about the struggles they are facing.

1:10:24I know due to quorum rules, not all of you are able to attend, and I understand that, but I would at least ask that you send a representative in your stead.

1:10:31Thank you for your time, and I hope you join us.

1:10:35Thank you very much for being here.

1:10:40Council President, we can check to see if the other 2 are here, and then—.

1:10:43Yes, please.

1:10:45Joshua Trotter.

1:10:48Lauren Quarter.

1:10:51Okay, that completes communications.

1:10:54Thank you very much, and thank you to the folks who are here tonight to speak to us who signed up.

1:11:00Colleagues, the next item on the agenda is the committee referral list.

1:11:05Um, we have a long, long list tonight.

1:11:08It is posted online.

1:11:10Um, adopt Public Street Plaza Program was referred to Transportation and Infrastructure.

1:11:17Authorizing exception to Title 17 underground wiring was referred to Transportation and Infrastructure.

1:11:24I'm sorry, but we have times to speak to you about this.

1:11:30I would love to make, but I'm not able to do so when you keep interrupting.

1:11:35Your conduct right now is disrupting our meeting.

1:11:38We have people who are here to do the business of the city tonight.

1:11:42This is a warning that if there is continued or further disruption, we will have to remove you from the meeting.

1:11:49Remove the permit!

1:11:51Remove the permit!

1:11:52I'm going to ask our security team to please remove the 2 individuals who are standing leading chants from the meeting so that we can continue doing the business of the city.

1:12:49Colleagues, I have a brief statement I'm going to read so that people who are here and are not disrupting our meeting have a sense of the conversation that is happening.

1:13:00We are done with it.

1:13:01Portland Permitting and Development has been investigating complaints that were made surrounding the ICE facility.

1:13:07A notice of violation will be sent tomorrow.

1:13:12I understand the urgency here, but I anticipate that this could result in a land use process that will come before council, and under Portland City Code, prior to rendering a decision, this council must refrain from ex parte communication or any communication that shows bias.

1:13:32Ex parte communication occurs when we engage with— when we engage in communication regarding a pending matter outside of the land use hearing.

1:13:41And bias is when we do so in a way that shows that we would be unable to make a fair and impartial decision based on the evidence before us.

1:13:49There cannot be— in order to protect you're gonna hear from—.

1:13:53Our ability to participate in a potential future land use hearing, in order for members of this council to be a part of that process, we are not able to review all of the evidence right now, and we are not able to express opinions on this matter because if we do so, we will not be able to participate in the important decisions that may come before us you're gonna hear— we understand the urgency, but there are limitations to what we can do today in order to be able to continue moving this process along over the next few months.

1:14:35I'm going to return now to reading our committee referral list.

1:14:41Amend transportation fee schedule for fiscal year '25-'26 to reflect changes in the plaza use permit program referred to Transportation and Infrastructure.

1:14:50Establish a charge to fund city payment of flood safety benefit fee and the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District to the Finance Committee.

1:14:57Authorize the Bureau of Transportation to require temporary rights necessary for construction at Northeast 122nd and Beach Street to the Finance Committee.

1:15:09Require the city administrator to develop a plan to establish a storefront support program to arts and economy.

1:15:15Amend sidewalk vendors code to Arts and Economy.

1:15:19Reappoint Serena Stoudemire-Wesley to the Prosper Portland Board to Arts and Economy.

1:15:24Amend city code to adopt State of Oregon Building Code changes to Homelessness and Housing Committee.

1:15:30Reappointments to the River Community Advisory Committee to Homelessness and Housing.

1:15:35Research disparities in public contracting workforce and employment to the Labor and Workforce Development Committee.

1:15:42Approve the comprehensive plan map, zone map, and Title 33 amendments to climate resilience and land use.

1:15:48Direct the city administrator to approve the Portland Gresham Services IGA to climate resilience and land use.

1:15:54Adopt the Portland Urban Forest Plan to climate resilience and land use.

1:15:59Authorize Bureau of Transportation to acquire temporary rights for construction at Northeast Shaver between 102nd and 115th to finance.

1:16:07Second.

1:16:08Initiate foreclosures, a number of initiate foreclosures to the Finance Committee.

1:16:14I am not going to read each address individually.

1:16:16They are posted online.

1:16:18Declare property located at Southeast 21st and Powell as surplus and authorize its disposal to finance.

1:16:27Colleagues, the next item on our agenda is the consent agenda.

1:16:30I will remind you that agenda item 4 has been sent back to the mayor, and agenda item 5 has been taken off consent and placed at the end of the agenda.

1:16:41I will note that under the rules that we have considered and adopted, agenda items are not started after 9 o'clock at night unless it is an emergency or a 9/12 agenda item.

1:16:52If we do not get to this item that has been placed at the end of the agenda, we will carry it over to tomorrow's recess meeting.

1:17:00Keelan, could you please take the roll on the consent agenda?

1:17:04Aye.

1:17:06Aye.

1:17:08Aye.

1:17:09Aye.

1:17:13Aye.

1:17:17Aye.

1:17:18The consent agenda is approved with 12 yes votes.

1:17:23Thank you, colleagues.

1:17:26We're now moving on to the regular agenda.

1:17:28Keelan, could you please call the first item on the agenda.

1:17:31Item number 7, reaffirm council commitment to the Vision Zero action plan and convene a cross-bureau Vision Zero task force.

1:17:40Thank you.

1:17:41And we do have a committee staff summary from Claire.

1:17:44Claire, please go ahead.

1:17:47Madam President, councilors, for the record, Claire is a policy analyst and staff to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

1:17:54The resolution before you, document number 2025-204, was heard in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 19th, where it was referred to council with a recommendation it be adopted.

1:18:05The resolution directs the deputy city administrators of Public Works, Public Safety, and Community and Economic Development to convene by September 2025 a Vision Zero task force focused on identifying actions to meet the city's goals in eliminating traffic deaths.

1:18:21The task force is to be comprised of city bureau, program, and technical staff, and its work must include collaboration with external external public agencies and community-based subject matter experts where appropriate.

1:18:31The deputy city administrators identified in the resolution shall provide City Council with quarterly reports on the work of the task force and progress toward meeting Vision Zero action plan goals.

1:18:42The resolution directs the Bureau of Transportation, or PBOT, to update Vision Zero action plan goals as guided by the task force, and it also directs PBOT to develop and implement data-informed traffic safety infrastructure that is guided by PBOT's matrix.

1:18:56The full impact statement on this item includes information on community impacts and community involvement.

1:19:018 People testified during the committee meeting on May 19th.

1:19:042 People submitted written testimony on this item prior to committee action, and 12 people submitted written testimony prior to this council's agenda posting.

1:19:14The general themes of the testimony the committee heard included investment in— investment and political leadership needed to support Councilmember Herbold.

1:19:20Thank you, Mayor.

1:19:20I would like to support PBOT in completing this work, prioritizing safe bike and transit infrastructure and safe routes to schools, traumatic experience and ongoing advocacy of families who have lost loved ones to traffic crashes, urging PBOT to focus current work on speed enforcement, traffic cameras, and road design, modeling the work after cities outside the U.S. that have successfully reduced traffic deaths, dedicating state funding needed to support local investments, expanding water transit options among other modes, And finally, ensuring the efforts of the proposed task force are implemented.

1:19:51And that concludes the committee staff summary.

1:19:52Thank you.

1:19:54Thank you, Claire.

1:19:55Councilor Clark, you were the chair during this committee meeting.

1:19:58Do you have anything you'd like to add?

1:20:00Actually, I would just hand this over to Councilor Koyama Lane to provide the background and really express my appreciation for her leadership in getting us all on board.

1:20:10Councilor Koyama Lane, your carrier report, please.

1:20:13Thank you, Chair Clark.

1:20:14Thank you, Council President, colleagues, and community members.

1:20:1810 Years ago in 2015, our City Council pledged to make Portland a Vision Zero city.

1:20:26So tonight, as councilors, we have an opportunity to reaffirm that commitment.

1:20:32This resolution before us is not— it not only recommits us to eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries, But also directs us to bring together leaders and staff across bureaus to act with both urgency and coordination.

1:20:47The goals of Vision Zero are simple yet profound.

1:20:51Every Portlander deserves to make it home safely at the end of the day.

1:20:55Saving human lives is at the core of this work.

1:20:59Achieving these outcomes will take collaboration.

1:21:03I'm really— I'm truly grateful To the collaborative co-sponsors of this resolution.

1:21:09From District 4, Councilor Clark has been so excited to join in on this work, and Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee from District 3, Councilor Murillo.

1:21:21And this resolution is actually co-sponsored by the entire Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

1:21:28That includes Councilor Smith from District 1, And Councilor Green from District 4.

1:21:34And Councilor Kanal from District 2 has also added his support as a co-sponsor, giving this piece of legislation support from councilors in all of our districts.

1:21:45I've learned a lot over the past months in this new job and also working on this legislation, and I can honestly say I've been grateful to everyone on this dais.

1:21:57For the different conversations, support, questions, curiosity.

1:22:03From Councilor Novick being interested into looking into data around traffic cameras, from Councilor Ryan graciously taking time to discuss this topic with our new citywide Vision Zero lead and DCA for Public Works, to Council President for hopping on the bike her bike and joining bike buses in her district.

1:22:26To Councilor Dunphy's support around ensuring Vision Zero was prioritized in our most recent budget.

1:22:33And to Councilor Zimmerman's Mike Bennett traffic signs that I love to see every time I go by your office.

1:22:38I've seen—.

1:22:38I see those.

1:22:40The legislative and administrative branches have to come together to work on this.

1:22:45Vision Zero demands that we break down silos, prioritize high-crash corridors, corridors and protect the places where our loved ones walk, bike, drive, ride transit.

1:22:58This legislation is an example of what it looks like when the city works together across bureaus and service areas on a common goal, which I believe is really what our constituents want of us.

1:23:09You'll see clearly that there is widespread commitment to collaboration from all of our DCAs, from Public Works community and economic development, public safety, and operations.

1:23:21This resolution is more about transportation— more than transportation.

1:23:24It's about prevention, and it's about people.

1:23:27It's about listening to our constituents who move through our streets every day and listening to those who have lost loved ones.

1:23:34So tonight, I hope you'll join me in voting yes, not just to reaffirm our commitment to Vision Zero, but to take that next step forward to increase collaboration between different service areas.

1:23:44Thank you, Councilor Jamie Dunphy.

1:23:45I know that together we can ensure that Portland can be a leader in saving lives and preventing traffic deaths.

1:23:52Thank you.

1:23:54Thank you, Councilor.

1:23:56Colleagues, we have a lot of people signed up to testify, but are there any technical questions?

1:24:02We'll have our discussion after public testimony, but questions for the carrier, the chair, Claire, or technical pieces we need to find out from the bureau before we hear from the public?

1:24:17Okay, seeing— oh, Councilor Koyama Lane.

1:24:21I do have a question, and this is something that I have heard from other folks, is exactly how the different, uh, service areas plan to work together and what that would look like.

1:24:33If there is someone available to speak to that, I think that would be helpful going into public testimony.

1:24:38And I believe Dana Dickman is the right person for that, if you want to come up and introduce yourself.

1:24:46Hi, good evening.

1:24:47I'm Dana Dickman in the Public Works Service Area.

1:24:50I'm the new Vision Zero Policy Manager, although I've worked with the city on Vision Zero for 9 years, so this is very close to my heart.

1:24:59This is somber work, but important work.

1:25:03I have spoken with all the DCAs.

1:25:05We've met together to talk about what this collaboration could look like.

1:25:10We're still in the early stages, but we already have a lot of examples of working across service areas.

1:25:17PBOT and police work together regularly.

1:25:20They talk sometimes almost daily, but have regular collaboration meetings talking about fatal crashes, talking about co-managing the speed and intersection.

1:25:33Thank you.

1:25:35We have a lot of opportunities like that to build and to lift up the work that's already happening and to also find additional connections.

1:25:46Is there anything specific that you want to know other than we have support across the service areas and we are really looking into digging into it further over the next couple of months?

1:25:58I think that's helpful.

1:25:59Thank you.

1:26:01Thank you very much.

1:26:01And I'll note when we come back for discussion later that I do believe we have all of the DCAs here if there are questions about the other service areas.

1:26:09Uh, Councilor—.

1:26:12Portland City Council, revoke non-governmental organizations' charter!

1:26:19Oh, we are about to move into public testimony.

1:26:22I would like us to be able to hear from your fellow Portlanders who are here to testify on the item before us.

1:26:31You are cutting into the time that your fellow Portlanders have taken out of their evening.

1:26:42Your conduct is disrupting this meeting.

1:26:46We have responded.

1:26:49This is a warning, and if there is continued disruption We will have to have you leave our meeting this evening.

1:26:56You need to know how much pain this is putting our people through.

1:27:00You guys can protect us.

1:27:02You guys can help us make the change.

1:27:04Thank you.

1:27:05Thank you for making your comment and sitting down.

1:27:08Keelan, could you please call up our first, uh, panel of public testifiers on Vision Zero?

1:27:16Yes, thank you.

1:27:17We have Kate Connolly, Joseph Perez, Zachary Lauritzen, Rob Galanakis, Eric Escada.

1:27:27Please come up to the testimony table when I call your name.

1:27:32And we do have some folks coming down from upstairs, so if you are downstairs, feel free to go ahead and, uh, begin.

1:27:39While you guys are getting seated, do you guys know that Indigenous women are getting beaten up outside I feel like you're just protesting.

1:27:47I mean, interrupting time, but you're white guys.

1:27:49You guys love white guys.

1:27:52But, you know, honestly, you guys got to know what we're doing out here.

1:27:55Serious.

1:27:56I know what you're doing.

1:27:57We know what you're doing.

1:27:57Go right ahead.

1:27:59Kate, is Kate here?

1:28:02Okay, thank you.

1:28:06Um, my name is Joseph Perez.

1:28:08I live in District 2.

1:28:09I'm speaking today on behalf of myself.

1:28:13Most people in Portland want to ride transit, and many people want to ride bicycles.

1:28:2060.2% Of Portlanders want to ride transit, and 45% want to ride bicycles.

1:28:26Just close your eyes for a moment and imagine what that would look like, how amazing it will be, how amazing Portland will be.

1:28:35And the data to support this statement that I just made can be found in the 2022 Portland Insights survey delivered to the city budget director on July 1st, 2023, before many of you were sworn in earlier this year.

1:28:50Tonight, the Portland City Council will once again make official commitments to a Vision Zero goal for all road users, including drivers.

1:29:00Tonight's vote will help empower all city bureaus in Portland to identify actions to achieve zero road fatalities.

1:29:07Thank you, Mayor.

1:29:08As well as the stakeholders who will make this happen.

1:29:12After tonight, the mayor and the city council need to fully fund a Vision Zero program that deliberately chooses safety over speed and community over convenience.

1:29:22Portland has a capital improvement program, but it does not have a capital safety program.

1:29:27Portland has not assigned strategies, initiatives, targets, or timelines to any other city bureaus besides PBOT, and the police.

1:29:36That will change tonight.

1:29:38The current mayor and council will begin their fiscal year '26 and '27 budget processes next month.

1:29:44Elections for council districts 3 and 4 are next year.

1:29:47It is time for the mayor and the city council to develop a budget across city bureaus that delivers safe infrastructure at high-crash intersections and on high-crash corridors.

1:29:59The Portland community needs safety programs and safety projects with a focus on equitable outcomes everywhere in the city.

1:30:07City employees and bureau directors are just some of the stakeholders in Vision Zero.

1:30:11The city has a lot of volunteers like myself who want to pitch in and help, so please engage with us.

1:30:18Portland City Council and the mayor must create a budget that builds safe sidewalks, safe transit stops, and safe bicycle infrastructure.

1:30:25We need more than just signs warning people of curves ahead and more than just painting crosswalks where none existed before.

1:30:32We need safer systems.

1:30:33And as I said a few months ago, I think signs and paint are like thoughts and prayers.

1:30:39We need to build safer infrastructure.

1:30:42The city has the data and knows where the problems are, and now the mayor and city council need to budget for the programming and projects using this data.

1:30:51Portland City Council should make sure members of the community are present when safety projects are in early design stages.

1:30:57The Vision Zero task force should re—.

1:30:58Thank you.

1:30:59Meet regularly with community.

1:31:01And finally, the city and PBOT should commit to Vision Zero statistics.

1:31:04Please engage with your Bicycle Advisory Committee, your Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and other community advisory committees.

1:31:10I look forward to community reports, quarterly reports, from the Deputy City Administrators on Vision Zero Task Force and Vision Zero Action Plan.

1:31:18My wish for all of you on the dais is to remember a time when people smoked in restaurants.

1:31:22Did a wraparound.

1:31:22And did not wear seat belts.

1:31:24And our government decided this was not safe, and they made changes for a better future.

1:31:29Now it is your turn to change the future, to make Portland a safer city for all road users.

1:31:34Thank you very much.

1:31:35Thank you.

1:31:39We still have 3 other people up here and many more panels.

1:31:44We have heard your concerns.

1:31:48I would like us to be able to hear from everybody who's here tonight.

1:31:57Now causing a disruption.

1:31:59We have given a warning.

1:32:02If you are not able to sit down so that we can continue our meeting, I will ask our security team to remove you from chambers.

1:32:13Security team to please remove the person standing up and leading chants so that we can continue hearing from members of the public who are here to testify about our Vision Zero action plan.

1:32:42Thank you all for your patience.

1:32:43Please go right ahead.

1:32:47Good evening, City Council.

1:32:48My name is Rob Galanakis.

1:32:49I'm a parent in District 3.

1:32:51My 2 kids are back there as well, be going to sleep a little later than their normal bedtime tonight.

1:32:58Portland committed to Vision Zero 10 years ago, and since then we've moved backwards.

1:33:02The most frustrating thing about this lack of progress, other than the fact that over of our neighbors were killed in those 10 years is that we know exactly how to end traffic violence.

1:33:12We know we need to reduce speeds because speed kills.

1:33:15Research is clear that street design, not education or enforcement, plays the primary role, but we continue to rebuild streets that prioritize speed.

1:33:24We know that nearly every road death involves someone deciding to drive, whether home from the bar or just to the store for kale.

1:33:31We need better transit and bike lanes.

1:33:33So we have better options in how we get around.

1:33:35We also know that cities with fewer traffic deaths subsidize their drivers less than Portland does.

1:33:41We subsidize parking and attempt to preserve an impossibly large number of lane miles.

1:33:46Drivers need to start paying for the true cost of their trips, including the $6.5 billion represented by those 500-plus lives stolen since we adopted Vision Zero.

1:33:57We know these things work.

1:33:58Because cities like Stockholm, Oslo, and Helsinki have largely eliminated traffic deaths in the last decade.

1:34:05So why don't we do the things we know will save lives?

1:34:07Why are too many Portlanders still dying in our streets?

1:34:11Because, I hear you saying, Portland is not Scandinavia.

1:34:16So how about Barcelona, which has 1/15th of our traffic fatality rate?

1:34:20Well, Portland's not Barcelona.

1:34:23What about Hoboken?

1:34:24Which hasn't had a traffic death in 7 years.

1:34:27Portland also isn't Hoboken.

1:34:30Apparently, when it comes to traffic violence, Portland can't be on par with Northern Europe, Northern Spain, not even Northern New Jersey.

1:34:39You're right, of course, because Portland isn't any of these places.

1:34:44Portland is just Portland.

1:34:46Portland, one of the first U.S. cities to build light rail.

1:34:49Portland, Portland, the first U.S. city to launch the modern streetcar.

1:34:53Portland, the first U.S. city to invest in bike lanes.

1:34:56Portland, the first U.S. city to replace a highway with a park.

1:35:00Portland, the first major U.S. city to establish an urban growth boundary.

1:35:05Portland, the first U.S. city to cancel a major freeway.

1:35:09When we say we can't do what other cities have done, we need to remember that for decades Portland was the aspirational that so many other cities compared themselves to.

1:35:20Leaders across the country would tell their residents, well, we can't achieve that.

1:35:24Who are we, Portland?

1:35:26So I hope when casting your vote today and when this task force weighs in with recommendations that include adding diverters, painting bus lanes, and removing parking, you will say, yes, I will make those hard decisions that save lives.

1:35:41Because Oslo is in Portland, Barcelona is in Portland, even Hoboken is in Portland.

1:35:48Because my Portland and your Portland is the Portland that leads, the Portland that others look to, the Portland that can and will end traffic violence and deliver the safe streets we all deserve.

1:36:00Thank you.

1:36:01Thank you very much.

1:36:04Go right ahead.

1:36:05Hello, my name is Kate Connolly, and I'm a survivor of traffic violence.

1:36:11In 2018, while riding my bike, a teenager driving almost 40 miles per hour assaulted me head-on.

1:36:17This is a model of my spine after my emergency spinal surgery I had during my ICU stay.

1:36:247 Years later, I'm alive, I'm walking, but I manage chronic pain every day.

1:36:31The pain from my spinal reconstruction and permanent nerve damage Still wakes me up at night.

1:36:39Despite this, I love biking.

1:36:42I never blame my bike.

1:36:44I blame dangerous policies, outdated design codes, and car manufacturers.

1:36:50The way we design our city doesn't just affect me; it affects the next seven generations who will inherit the city that we build today.

1:37:00Today, Portland's transportation plans and new infrastructure projects.

1:37:03Rely on the conscientiousness of all drivers to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe.

1:37:09Alternative modes of transportation, that is non-motor vehicle methods, are too often an afterthought, from poorly considered TSPs to 6-inch curbs with flaccid plastic wands on protected bike lanes.

1:37:24Ironically, I drive more now than ever.

1:37:28I drive because I can't trust drivers on the streets that we have today.

1:37:32And I often don't have the extra hours that our current public transit system requires.

1:37:37Often I can't bring myself to submit my health and my life to the attention of people texting behind the wheel, rushed drivers, angry drivers, drivers in trucks larger than my bedroom.

1:37:49They all terrify me, and usually there's nothing between me and them besides the hopeful wishes of paint and road signs.

1:37:57Councilmember Before I get on my bike, I ask myself, are you ready to die today?

1:38:03On the days I take my bike instead of driving, I say yes.

1:38:07Yes, I am ready to die today.

1:38:09I will take that risk.

1:38:11And that is what it takes for me to ride my bike in the city of Portland.

1:38:15If you seriously consider the injuries and deaths of pedestrians and cyclists, it's not hard to see that traffic violence is a public health crisis.

1:38:24Councilors, it does not have to be this way.

1:38:27You can decide to prioritize walking and biking and public transit.

1:38:32You can make Portland's roads safer for everyone.

1:38:35You don't have to treat driving as an untouchable right.

1:38:39This resolution you're here to recommit to today is the ground zero for creating this new reality, and I urge you to find your courage now to do the right thing and protect the most vulnerable road users of Portland.

1:38:49Thank you.

1:38:50Thank you.

1:38:52Thank you very much for being here.

1:38:55Go right ahead.

1:38:55Hi, my name is Eric Escueta.

1:38:57I'm the president of the Mt.

1:38:59Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association in Southeast Portland, which is bound to the north by Foster Road.

1:39:04As a lot of people know, in 2018 it was redeveloped to have a road diet, increased pedestrian crossings, improved signalization, all that sort of stuff.

1:39:13And if a lot of people will remember, it was very controversial at the Foster having been a 4-lane road, many considered to be a major highway through Southeast Portland.

1:39:22Local residents were concerned that there would be inexorable gridlock and traffic, that it would be unnavigable for the foreseeable future.

1:39:30And local businesses saw that decrease in traffic as a decrease in revenue for their businesses.

1:39:35Now, almost 10 years later, we came to find out that that didn't happen.

1:39:40The introduction of bike lanes, improved pedestrian crossings, among other things, has rejoined our neighborhoods from the north and south.

1:39:47My neighborhood, Mt.

1:39:48Scott-Arleta, with Foster-Powell.

1:39:50The addition of those bike lanes has created a new thoroughfare for alternate modes of transportation, which I take every day.

1:39:56I biked here, I biked to work 7 days a week.

1:39:58I find myself on Foster connecting to our neighborhood greenway system.

1:40:02So it's, it's become a major lifeline through the neighborhood, and the businesses see as much traffic as they did before.

1:40:08Um, and in fact, a lot of the businesses through the heart of Foster have actually Thank you.

1:40:12We've seen the Roseway expanded, see more traffic, and that investment was a direct driver in that happening.

1:40:19Now, to say it's all positive is, you know, for the most part accurate, but I think there's work to be done that can't necessarily be done through just basic roadway design.

1:40:30I live off 82nd Avenue and was fortunate that around my neighborhood at 82nd and Woodstock, there's a traffic camera installed.

1:40:36And since that was installed, we've noticed a lot Aye.

1:40:39I also live near Woodstock Boulevard, for which it had a reduced speed limit imposed and a couple of speed bumps put in.

1:40:47But unfortunately, there is an aspect of this that goes beyond design that will need to rely upon both enforcement and maintenance.

1:40:55Maintenance already falling under PBOT scope, but I guess the ask today to council as we get into this cross-bureau task force is effectively partnering with other city bureaus to enact that sort of collaboration between departments that'll allow improved safety through the entire city.

1:41:14I know no matter what you do to the paint on the road, to the enhanced pedestrian crossings, the Vision Zero data shows that 69% of fatal crashes involve impaired drivers.

1:41:24And no amount of protective roadways, no amount of paint is gonna sober up a driver.

1:41:29And as it goes for pedestrian deaths, we find that over half of pedestrian deaths in the city are among our unhoused population.

1:41:36And it doesn't— again, doesn't matter what paint you put on the road, it doesn't matter what you do to the curb or how you redevelop the ADA accessibility ramps and the sidewalks.

1:41:44That doesn't get people out of harm's way through PBOT scope.

1:41:48So again, reiterating the ask to council today, as you consider this cross-bureau task force, to really fold in as many bureaus as you can, pulling upon the success of what I've seen in my neighborhood from Foster-Powell.

1:42:00Thank you.

1:42:00I would love if you could do Hollywood.

1:42:03That would be great.

1:42:05But again, taking those lessons and then leveraging that into relationships with other bureaus in the city.

1:42:11Thank you.

1:42:12Thank you very much.

1:42:14Thank you all for being here.

1:42:18I missed the party.

1:42:21Should I wait for someone else to join me?

1:42:23Do you want to call some folks?

1:42:23Go ahead.

1:42:23You sure?

1:42:24Okay.

1:42:25Good evening.

1:42:26My name is Zachary Lauritzen.

1:42:27I work at Oregon Walks.

1:42:28We're a pedestrian advocacy group.

1:42:28Advocacy organization.

1:42:30This morning I was at a World Day of Remembrance planning meeting, and if you've been there— many of you have— to that event, it's incredibly sobering and it's difficult to be there because we are remembering people who were killed on our streets.

1:42:46The people who put that on are Families for Safe Streets, and they are the real heroes in this because they have lost someone in their lives, and then they turn around and they dedicate time and energy so that other people don't have to.

1:42:58And that is incredible work.

1:43:01And we are here hopefully tonight to link arms with them and all together so that they're not alone, so that we do not have to continue to have World Day of Remembrance events.

1:43:11Um, there's a now famous quote, uh, that Charlie Kirk said.

1:43:15He said something along the lines of, uh, we have to have some gun deaths in order to protect the Second Amendment.

1:43:23And I've been in this job long enough that I'm afraid there's a lot of people who think we have to have some deaths on our streets to protect our transportation system.

1:43:32And we reject that framing.

1:43:35We don't think that you have to accept that.

1:43:37And so tonight we're here to encourage you to say we can have mobility and we can have safety at the same time.

1:43:47There are trade-offs.

1:43:48Right.

1:43:49You can't drive 55 miles an hour on Powell or Sandy or 82nd or 122nd.

1:43:54It may mean removing some parking at intersections so people can see pedestrians.

1:43:59It may mean that we have to, like we heard earlier about Foster, doing some road diets.

1:44:04These are the trade-offs that we have to do, and those are the things that we believe are trade-offs worth making.

1:44:11If you're thinking, I'm for safe streets, this is a kumbaya moment.

1:44:16Hooray.

1:44:16I would urge you to vote no.

1:44:19This is going to take political leadership.

1:44:21It's going to take political capital.

1:44:22It's going to take actual capital, real money.

1:44:26And so tonight, when you make your decision to vote, I hope you vote yes, but I hope you vote yes with the full understanding that it's going to take some energy and it's going to take some real effort from all of us, you all included, to make the changes that are necessary to eliminate traffic deaths on our streets.

1:44:41Thank you very much.

1:44:47Keelan, could you please call up our next panel?

1:44:51Next up, we have Glenn Fielding, Joe Rowe, Connor Lennon, Garrett Pryor, Alyssa Pumas.

1:45:07Thank you for being here tonight.

1:45:09I think we may be waiting for some folks to come from upstairs, so go right ahead.

1:45:15You want us to start?

1:45:16Yeah, go right ahead.

1:45:17Good evening, Madam President and councilors.

1:45:20My name is Glen Fielding.

1:45:22I live in Forest Heights in District 4, and I'm a volunteer with AARP.

1:45:28Not very visible, but, um, AARP asked me to be here tonight To convey its enthusiastic support for Vision Zero.

1:45:38For those of you who don't know much about AARP, it's a nonpartisan nonprofit organization with more than 500,000 members in Oregon, including about 80,000 Portlanders.

1:45:53Its, its mission is to empower all of us to choose how we live as we age.

1:46:03I'm going to concentrate on just one reason why AARP stands fully behind Vision Zero.

1:46:12I have an expanded rationale in written testimony if you have time to look at that, but tonight just one reason, and that is that Vision Zero promises to protect older adults.

1:46:24People age 60 and older 65 and over are among the most vulnerable to traffic crashes.

1:46:32We're more likely to die or to sustain serious injuries when struck.

1:46:38Vision Zero promises to result in safer street design and safer streets.

1:46:48And I wanted to convey just a personal experience.

1:46:54About the importance of increasing safety on our streets for pedestrians.

1:47:01About a year and a half ago, while I was walking on my regular walk in my neighborhood, I was hit by a car.

1:47:10I broke my neck and sustained other serious injuries, and I'm very grateful that I've had a good recovery.

1:47:19Thank you.

1:47:20But it, it really brought home to me how vulnerable pedestrians are to reckless driving.

1:47:34And I think that is one reason why AARP is fully invested in the work of Vision Zero.

1:47:48I think I'll stop there and just say that we, ARP, has worked with the city in the past.

1:47:54Okay, I'm done.

1:47:55Thank you.

1:47:57Thank you so much for being here.

1:47:59Yeah.

1:47:59Please go right ahead.

1:48:02Thank you, Council.

1:48:03For the record, my name is Connor Lennon.

1:48:05I'm a resident of District 4.

1:48:07I'm here today in support of reaffirming Vision Zero.

1:48:11I moved to Portland about 4 years ago in 2021, and 3 months after moving here, I experienced a car crash.

1:48:19I was a pedestrian on the road, and it took everything in my life that I had had up until that moment.

1:48:26Before that moment, I was a violinist of 13 years, and in the moment I was hit, everything I had ever known was taken from me in a way that I could not ever get back.

1:48:34And while I can say that I am lucky to be Standing here today, sitting in front of you, talking to you.

1:48:40There are many days after this accident that I had wished I was not.

1:48:44I walked away from this lucky, but I had many, many months of recovery where I could not lift a can of soup.

1:48:50Yeah.

1:48:51Nonetheless, pursue the passions that I had been pursuing since I was 4 years old.

1:48:57Vision Zero doesn't mean reducing our accidents.

1:49:00It doesn't mean reducing our deaths.

1:49:02We need zero to mean zero.

1:49:04This is going to take some very hard decisions from each and every one of you up here, and it's going to take some very hard decisions from all of us sitting here today as well.

1:49:12But we need to make those decisions, and we need to make them confidently.

1:49:15We need zero to mean zero.

1:49:18We need to stop removing our diverters.

1:49:20We need to stop getting rid of our pedestrian-safe infrastructure, and we need to add more.

1:49:25I do not wish what happened to me on anybody else in this world, and we need to make sure that Portland is a leader in stopping our traffic accidents.

1:49:35So thank you for your time, and let's really make zero mean zero.

1:49:39Check.

1:49:39Thank you.

1:49:42Please go right ahead.

1:49:43Thanks.

1:49:45Good evening, councilors.

1:49:46My name is Alyssa Kumas.

1:49:47I'm a District 3 resident, parent of 2 PPS students, and a bike bus captain, among other things.

1:49:53Thank you to Vice President Koyama Lane and other council members who are reaffirming Thank you, Mayor.

1:49:57Thank you, Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney, for confirming our commitment to Vision Zero and the opportunity to speak.

1:50:00I'm here to show my full support of all aspects of Vision Zero, but wanted to focus my testimony on neighborhood greenways.

1:50:07We are so fortunate to have this network of streets designed to prioritize people biking, walking, and rolling through our city.

1:50:14Greenways pass by our schools, parks, libraries, and business districts.

1:50:19They take us on a tour of the best of Portland.

1:50:22Unfortunately, they aren't living up to their full potential.

1:50:24Thank you.

1:50:25And as is, they are giving bicyclists and pedestrians a perception of safety that is dangerously false.

1:50:32Almost 3 years ago, my preschooler was run over by an SUV while biking with my husband on a neighborhood greenway.

1:50:39A driver went past them.

1:50:40My child wobbled, hit the side of the car, and fell underneath.

1:50:44The car ran over his pelvis and ankle, resulting in multiple fractures, 5 days in the hospital, and a whole lot of suffering.

1:50:52Over time, he has healed, but I can't tell you how often I've replayed how tragically different our story could have gone if things had been only slightly different, and how heartbroken, enraged, and urgently motivated I feel when I hear a story when it ended in tragedy.

1:51:09Even though neighborhood greenways are promoted to bikers, they currently serve as convenient cut-through streets for cars trying to avoid stop signs and Traffic.

1:51:18Speed bumps and signage do very little to stop people from driving on them, especially when Google Maps and other wayfinding apps are sending them there to shave off time.

1:51:26Street markings tell bicyclists they can take the lane to avoid car doors, but they don't prevent cars from passing too closely when they become impatient.

1:51:34In PBOT's 2020 Neighborhood Greenway Status Report, they highlighted this increase in car traffic and concluded that traffic diversion should be used proactively to protect neighborhood greenways from higher traffic volume.

1:51:47I have been both the biker and the driver, and I know that without physical barriers that guide cars off greenways, more tragedies will occur.

1:51:54It needs to be foolproof.

1:51:56We can't have this many cars using our greenways and still call them bike streets.

1:52:00As PBOT noted, most people won't bike with cars passing them frequently.

1:52:05They will choose to drive, leading to more cars on the road and more pollution.

1:52:09Everyone wins when more people walk or bike instead of drive.

1:52:13If we make these changes and bikes really are prioritized, not only will we protect those who already bike and walk, but we will see more people use them.

1:52:21The bike bus I lead to our neighborhood school will be 40 kids instead of 10.

1:52:25There should be a reasonable expectation that you could bike with your family on a greenway and not have to worry a car is going to run over your child.

1:52:32I hope our story can serve as a wake-up call for actual change that protects the most vulnerable users on our streets.

1:52:37We must provide the basic right of safety for all people as they move about our community.

1:52:42Thank you.

1:52:42Thank you.

1:52:45Thank you all for being here today and sharing your stories.

1:52:48Thank you.

1:52:48Thank you.

1:52:49Uh, we'll check for Joe Rowe, Garrett Pryor.

1:52:55Okay, our next panel includes, uh, Fisher Jemison, Jordan Lewis, Skyler Cruz, Alex Morell, Sid Morell.

1:53:14Go ahead, go ahead.

1:53:25Right ahead as we wait for others.

1:53:28Um, you go ahead.

1:53:28I brought my—.

1:53:29Uh, hello, Council.

1:53:31My name is Jordan Lewis.

1:53:32I'm with Portland Democratic Socialists I'm here today in support of the Vision Zero resolution.

1:53:38Today I'm gonna talk about 3 separate incidents that happened within a block of my apartment.

1:53:42A year ago, I was crossing Southwest Morrison around 19th with my partners when a few boys in a sedan swerved north, screamed a 6-letter word out the window, and flipped us off before speeding through a red light.

1:53:53A few months later, I was crossing Northwest 19th with my partner when we saw a car south of the intersection pointed the wrong way.

1:54:00The car sped through the intersection, almost hitting us, before heading north up 19th, which is the wrong way.

1:54:07Last month, after a Thorns match, I was crossing Burnside with a family of 5 who had clearly just gotten out of a game.

1:54:14And during the signal, a huge lifted truck lurched right from 19th into the crosswalk before flipping us off and doing a burnout west down Burnside.

1:54:25So speed was a factor in all these incidents.

1:54:28Easy wide turns were a factor in 2 of them.

1:54:30So these near misses are exactly what Vision Zero tries to prevent if it's taken seriously.

1:54:36We can't talk about Vision Zero without talking about the Northwest diverter situation too.

1:54:41Portlanders spent years getting those installed only to see them almost removed with little to no public outreach or process.

1:54:49And I recall, I do recall Councilor Zimmerman and Clark speaking out in favor of the removal.

1:54:53I did.

1:54:54I hope supporting the removal— I hope this removal would've been followed by commensurate improvements in bike safety somewhere else in the city.

1:55:03Recently, I attended one of the Portland Solutions PMO meetings because I consider whether or not I get hit by a car to be a matter of public safety and livability.

1:55:12It literally affects my ability to live.

1:55:15When someone brought up the removal of a traffic diverter on Northwest 20th, I was told— they were told this meeting is about public safety, not that bike lane.

1:55:22Councilor Bike stuff.

1:55:23We can have a conversation about that bike stuff later.

1:55:27When I brought up the right turn incident I described on Burnside, my concern was similarly shrugged off.

1:55:32I'm tired of this idea that not getting hit by a car is some fringe special issue.

1:55:37It's not.

1:55:38Vision Zero can't be a ratchet where forward progress is impossibly frictional and backsliding is just effortless.

1:55:46It's not enough to make another performative gesture like we did 10 years ago.

1:55:50Please back up your words with action.

1:55:52Thank you.

1:55:53Thank you very much.

1:55:58Thank you, councilors.

1:55:59For the record, my name is Fisher Jemison, also a member of the Portland Democratic Socialists.

1:56:05I'm testifying today in support of the Vision Zero Task Force, and to explain why, I'd like to talk about the Outer Division Safety Project Evaluation Report, a document published by PBOT that I'm sure everyone here has read.

1:56:17Between 2021 and 2023, the city rebuilt a couple miles of roads on the outer Southeast Division to improve safety and create infrastructure for the FX2 bus rapid transit line.

1:56:28The benefits of the project are significant.

1:56:30Crash rates dropped and Southeast Division bucked the trend of increasing traffic deaths on Portland streets.

1:56:36But reading PBOT's report on the project, I have some concerns.

1:56:40The initial version that the city released before crash data was available included the sentence, quote, reducing vehicle speeds was not a specific goal of the Outer Division Safety Project, end quote.

1:56:51If you're familiar with the city's Vision Zero commitments, this should be surprising.

1:56:55Safe speeds is the most foundational principle of our Vision Zero plan, and it's also the foundational principle of Vision Zero programs worldwide.

1:57:04Last month, when the report was updated after ODOT released crash data for 2023, We saw the result that deaths and serious accidents only slightly increased after the project was completed.

1:57:15Against the background of Portland's huge spike in traffic deaths during COVID that's absolutely a positive result.

1:57:21But the way the report discusses safety sounds less like a Vision Zero approach and more like traditional US traffic engineering, where human lives are merely one outcome to be weighed against other priorities like maximizing traffic flow.

1:57:34I'm left with a lot of questions that aren't answered in the report about how this project was planned and how we'll adjust our approach in upcoming projects based on what we learned from Southeast Division.

1:57:45And digging into the details here has left me concerned about if we're following our own stated values on Vision Zero at all when we're designing streets.

1:57:53And if we aren't implementing Vision Zero in projects like Outer Division with large budgets where we have a Yeah.

1:58:00Free rein to change street design, clearly we don't just have a problem with lack of resources.

1:58:06So to me, that's what this resolution is about.

1:58:09Vision Zero doesn't happen just because we proclaim it as a value of the city.

1:58:13And leaving our Vision Zero program on autopilot for the last 4 years has been a failure.

1:58:19But in restoring this task force, we also need to do better than the old task force.

1:58:23We need more accountability around Vision Zero, and we need the City Council to give PBOT the political backing Thank you very much.

1:58:33Go right ahead.

1:58:35Hello, City Council.

1:58:36My name is Skylar Cruz.

1:58:37I'm a pedestrian, transit user, and cyclist in downtown Portland.

1:58:42I have rewritten my testimony multiple times today, and as I struggle to put my thoughts into words, one thing remains clear to me: political violence should not be tolerated.

1:58:51Now, that's a hot-button issue right now, and I know that we're all aware of the recent events in Portland.

1:58:54Political violence.

1:58:55I think that phrase needs some investigation.

1:58:58Most political violence is quiet, practically invisible.

1:59:02When it comes to Vision Zero, not committing and not creating a task force is a form of political violence that you will be imposing on the citizens of Portland.

1:59:11The decisions you make, peaceful decisions, have lasting impact.

1:59:16I imagine everybody here either has been, has been, or knows somebody who has been harmed or killed from a vehicle, whether that be behind the wheel, on foot, on a bike, or any other mode of transit— transport.

1:59:29Every time it happens to my friends, family, and colleagues, it's truly heartbreaking.

1:59:34We can stop this cycle of needless death on our streets.

1:59:37If the city is to commit to Vision Zero, I want to see that commitment.

1:59:41No more rubber stamps.

1:59:43No more yanking the football out from under us after just a few years.

1:59:46Thank you.

1:59:46Please reaffirm your commitment and reaffirm it strongly.

1:59:50Lastly, I want to thank each and every person who showed up today.

1:59:54Everybody here is fighting political violence, and with that in mind, I want to extend solidarity.

1:59:59I urge City Council to do their best to fight all forms of political violence.

2:00:03I hope that subtext comes through clear.

2:00:06If we don't fight political violence now, I worry that worse political violence becomes inevitable, and that scares me.

2:00:11Thank you.

2:00:12Abolish ICE.

2:00:13Free Palestine.

2:00:15Thank you.

2:00:21Hi, City Council.

2:00:22Thank you so much for your time.

2:00:24I'm Alex Morell.

2:00:25I live in District 3.

2:00:27I'm a Portland native.

2:00:29I own a restaurant, Stickers Asian Cafe, for the last 27 years.

2:00:33My wife runs it now with our family.

2:00:36I'm executive director of Dream Big City.

2:00:39It's a community-driven nonprofit.

2:00:43I love Portland because it's full of creative people, creative government, creative bureaus in the, in the whole city.

2:00:54Dream Big City brings people together through creativity, music, skating, basketball, and community engagement.

2:01:01We, we've done over 150 events all over Portland.

2:01:04Thank you.

2:01:06All the way from Zoomies at Pioneer Square to big block parties, Portland Hip Hop Week, where we bring 1,100 people.

2:01:16Everything is free.

2:01:17People are discriminated by dollars all week long, and so everything is free.

2:01:23We believe in— we really just engaging the community where the community runs our nonprofit.

2:01:30This summer has been pretty amazing working with PBOT and getting our streets safer.

2:01:34Thank you.

2:01:35We're in 2 pilot projects with PBOT.

2:01:37One is with Play Streets where we close 2 streets every week on 9th and Taylor, and we do what's called Fam Jam, skating, basketball, music, art, free food for all.

2:01:48We have anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people every week.

2:01:51And then we also were given a street plaza, and I really didn't want to do a street plaza.

2:01:58I wanted to do an outdoor community center.

2:02:00Yeah.

2:02:01Built by the community for the community.

2:02:03So we put in skateboard ramps, 126-foot skateboard mural, basketball hoops.

2:02:10And before, there was drug dealers, guns, machetes, bulletproof vests, a guy named Powder.

2:02:16And I went and talked to him and I'm all, bro, you gotta go.

2:02:19We're bringing kids in here.

2:02:22He moved to a different block.

2:02:24We brought love to the street.

2:02:26There's a street closed sign at Portland Dream Plaza.

2:02:29Yeah.

2:02:30But the community member who comes there daily said, you didn't close the street, you opened the street.

2:02:35So it was really powerful.

2:02:38PBOT has been so amazing with PBOT Play Streets, the Street Plaza program, also with support from Central Eastside Industrial Council.

2:02:48We have over 300 people visit the street daily, Portland Dream Plaza.

2:02:52It's barricaded off, it's safe.

2:02:55Thank you.

2:02:56It's, it's just, we have picnic benches.

2:02:59Uh, I'm a father of 2.

2:03:02My kids go to school in Portland.

2:03:04I believe Vision Zero is so important.

2:03:08Even if, even if we save one life, it's worth voting yes.

2:03:12And so deaths are preventable.

2:03:14We need real action.

2:03:16Our vision in Portland is to be safe, vibrant, creative, and inclusive spaces where kids feel Thank you very much.

2:03:32And this is my kid, Sid.

2:03:35Hi, City Council.

2:03:37I'm Sid.

2:03:38I'm 11, and I'm born and raised in Portland, and I love skating, basketball, art, and piano.

2:03:44I'm lucky and grateful Portland has safe places for me to be who I am.

2:03:50This summer we opened Portland Dream Plaza at Southeast 9th and Taylor, a safe, alcohol, drug-free space built by the community for the community.

2:04:01Before, this block wasn't really safe.

2:04:03It had drugs, alcohol, tents, and even a drug dealer on the next block.

2:04:11But now people have I visit like every day with skate— or with skateboarding, basketball hoops, and all that.

2:04:22I go to Northwest Academy and I'm crossing streets a lot, so I'm crossing like about 5 blocks every day, so a lot of traffic.

2:04:35I want kids to get to school, parks, and friends Oh wait.

2:04:39I want kids to get to school, parks, and friends safely.

2:04:42Traffic deaths can be prevented, but we need some more action.

2:04:49I also love seeing Vision Zero signs and safety measures near my old school, Sunnyside Environmental School.

2:04:57I hope Portland can have more fun, creative, and safe places— spaces like this for kids and families.

2:05:06Thank you all for being here, and Sid especially, thank you for taking the time to come downtown tonight.

2:05:18We appreciate hearing from you.

2:05:20Thank you.

2:05:21I personally witnessed his skating.

2:05:23He's pretty good, much better than Councilor Green.

2:05:30Thank you.

2:05:32Garrett Pryor has joined us online.

2:05:38Thank you for being here.

2:05:38Go right ahead.

2:05:41Yeah, and, uh, well, what a tough act to follow there.

2:05:43Uh, my name is Garrett Pryor, he/him pronouns.

2:05:45I'm the Senior Policy Advisor on Infrastructure and Workforce for Chair Vega-Peterson, and I'm here tonight on behalf of Multnomah County Chair Vega-Peterson to express our support for this resolution.

2:05:56We applaud the city's continued work to enact a Vision Zero strategy that best coordinates and identifies actions to achieve the vision of no transportation-related deaths.

2:06:07Vision Zero's work has long been championed by the chair.

2:06:10She's been in front and center as an advocate for safety measures that save lives, stepping into the political— since stepping into political office.

2:06:19We have multiple county departments— health, transportation, homeless services, and the sheriff's office— Working on this issue.

2:06:25We're always looking for new opportunities to team with other governments and community partners to better support our neighbors, neighborhoods, and larger community.

2:06:34In the near future, we'll have 2 reports coming forward: our Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health, or REACH, Traffic Safety Report, and Urban East Multnomah County Transportation Safety Action Plan.

2:06:46We look forward to seeing how this information from these efforts can contribute to the conversation And the broader work the city is undertaking.

2:06:54Finally, Chair Vega Peterson has prioritized her work as an elected official, increasing funding and political awareness for transportation safety, because this work is about supporting people in our neighborhoods, making our streets and neighborhoods safer for everyone, but especially those living in high-crash corridors who are often overlooked.

2:07:12The county appreciates our shared focus and look forward to next steps.

2:07:16Please feel free to reach out to me as needs or partnership opportunities arise.

2:07:21Thank you so much, Council, for this, uh, the work you're doing here tonight.

2:07:26Thank you very much.

2:07:27We appreciate you joining us.

2:07:29Our next panel includes Michelle Duberry, Mark Sherman, Mishaw Johnson, Ernie Munch, Vicki Payne.

2:07:45Good evening, Councilors.

2:07:46My name is Michelle Dewberry, and I reside in Zone 2.

2:07:51Um, I'm the board chair of the Portland chapter of Families for Safe Streets, but I am speaking for myself tonight.

2:08:00I am the mom of Seamus Dewberry, a 1-year-old boy who was killed by a careless driver while being pushed in a stroller by his dad through a marked crosswalk in North Portland.

2:08:13In 2010, Seamus was one of 26 people to be killed on Portland streets.

2:08:202010 Is the year a longtime downward trend in traffic fatalities began to reverse.

2:08:27Last year, 58 people were killed in traffic violence in Portland.

2:08:33This trend is reflected nationwide, but even so, Portland is an outlier.

2:08:38Thank you.

2:08:39Seattle, a city with 100,000 more people than Portland, had 20 fewer traffic deaths in 2023.

2:08:48I didn't know this at the time, but the road where Seamus was killed is very typical of the type of street where pedestrians are most likely to die.

2:08:57North Lombard is a multi-lane state highway that cuts through a residential neighborhood.

2:09:03On the corner where he was killed, There's a school, a grocery store, light rail stations, and 2 busy bus stops, but there is no physical infrastructure to slow cars or protect pedestrians.

2:09:17On paper, Portland has committed to prioritizing pedestrian safety above all other modes, and PBOT policies clearly direct leaders to prioritize walking, biking, and transit over driving.

2:09:31Portland committed to Vision Zero 10 years ago, but our budgets and our actions have never aligned with the goal of zero traffic deaths.

2:09:40I am heartened by this resolution because I know that it is in response to calls from the community for a renewed commitment to Vision Zero, but I want to qualify my support.

2:09:53I'm going to share a quote from Stephen Fulop, who's the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey.

2:09:59He said, if you just do a resolution and say we are supporting Vision Zero, you should expect no results from that.

2:10:13But if you are committed to it, you will save lives.

2:10:16Thank you very much.

2:10:19Thank you for being with us.

2:10:25Please go right ahead.

2:10:27Oh, um, good evening or good afternoon.

2:10:32Uh, my name is Mishaw Johnson.

2:10:34Um, I am the agriculture and skate director for an organization called Dream Big City PDX.

2:10:42Um, with Sid and Alex, um, we, um, pretty much like stabilized, um, a community, uh, that was Definitely full of a lot of just unsafe situations.

2:11:01And by coming together with the City of Portland, PBOT, we were able to conduct a closure on some streets and kind of like build it out into a more safer environment.

2:11:17You know, it's a— I feel like it's I think this is a good stepping stone to Vision Zero due to just kind of, as my buddy Alex said, we close the streets to kind of open the streets up a little more.

2:11:34You know, I'm born and raised in Portland and I've been a bike commuter my whole life out here.

2:11:41And I've seen a lot of the, Downfalls of drinking and driving and just the way that people getting hit by cars, on their bikes, whether it be biking home from work or even just crossing streets by feet.

2:12:08And so I guess I'd wanna say that Vision Zero is very important.

2:12:14Thank you.

2:12:16To vote for to kind of like just stabilize safety in our community.

2:12:26It's kind of been a big vision of Dream Big to kind of like block down the streets or, you know, we do an event called Fam Jam.

2:12:36I help curate that and we, you know, kind of—.

2:12:39Yeah.

2:12:40You know, shut down the streets and bring in, you know, skate, art, basketball community, and just to kind of give, you know, make it feel like a safe place for a lot of Portland and just a lot of the community.

2:12:56And so, yeah, with that being said, Vision Zero should live on.

2:13:05And yeah.

2:13:06Thank you.

2:13:08Much more to say.

2:13:11Thank you so much.

2:13:11Really appreciate hearing about that work.

2:13:14For sure.

2:13:18Go ahead, Vicki.

2:13:21Hello, my name is Vicki Payne.

2:13:23I want to thank you all for your recommitment to Vision Zero tonight.

2:13:26Uh, while I've missed some of the conversations you've all had in committees and whatnot, um, what little documentation I have seen seems to be missing some key pieces to be successful in this recommitment.

2:13:36But I apologize if, uh, I'm speaking incorrectly about anything.

2:13:41Uh, the biggest thing I don't think I've heard anyone talk about is the law enforcement component.

2:13:46You cannot change driver behaviors with infrastructure alone, which is often confusing to all modes of transportation users and therefore unsafe.

2:13:53I myself walk, cycle, sometimes risk using transit again, and drive, and I find some of these new parking setups or intricate bike lanes confusing as both a cyclist and a driver.

2:14:02So that's not safe to me.

2:14:03Thank you.

2:14:05The, the Safe Systems Approach has 5 pillars: safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, safe users, and post-crash care.

2:14:13PBOT seems to only be focusing on the infrastructure piece of this European model and somehow expected it to just work without the other 4 pillars.

2:14:21Studies have shown that lowering speed limits alone does not change driver behavior.

2:14:25I think most of us have seen this around the speed cameras in particular.

2:14:29While I do greatly appreciate those and the red light cameras, most drivers know that they are there.

2:14:33Councilmember Loretta Smith.

2:14:33And they only slow down to avoid the camera and speed back up again.

2:14:37If a driver does get a speeding ticket, behavior only changes for about 6 months before reverting back to speeding again.

2:14:43This is compounded in Portland where it's well known we don't have a robust traffic enforcement arm in our police bureau.

2:14:48I'm glad to hear Mayor Wilson has PBOT cracking down on illegal RV parking and not letting folks drive off and park somewhere else illegally if they aren't legally driving to begin with, and getting them into real shelter and a pathway to housing instead.

2:15:00Thank you.

2:15:00The RV and trailer, no parking except for unloading and unloading logs, is for safety reasons.

2:15:06I've heard anecdotal stories about children being hit by cars that couldn't see around RVs parked at an intersection.

2:15:11PBOT's own fatality statistics show that the largest 2 causes of traffic fatalities, over 70% of them, are speeding and/or intoxicated drivers and homeless residents who are often also impaired or mentally ill entering lanes of traffic at night and not at crosswalks.

2:15:26These are preventable deaths that have nothing to do with road infrastructure.

2:15:30Mayor Wilson is right when he says we need to get back to basics.

2:15:33Clean, smooth roads where laws are enforced are safe roads.

2:15:37We need to focus on basic road maintenance and traffic enforcement before we continue to fund nice-to-have infrastructure that has to date shown to be expensive and ineffective at ending traffic fatalities.

2:15:47Thank you.

2:15:49Thank you very much.

2:15:54Mark Sherman is joining us online.

2:15:58Good evening, folks.

2:15:59I want to thank you for your vision, zero effort.

2:16:04When I looked over the documentation, I found what I consider to be some bias in the assumptions from which you're going to proceed, which may reinforce what others have said before me.

2:16:15One of the biases I noticed is that The documents I saw assume that we're not going to try and reduce the number of cars on our roads at all.

2:16:24Another bias I saw was that cars and bikes can coexist, and as is the case of Division and Foster, where bike lanes were added to busy roads, even if the cars pass me at 25, I still have to navigate cars and buses.

2:16:40I don't see a lot of bikes on those roads because they're not I think the assumption of throwing more lanes on for bikes on busy streets is not an assumption that will get you closer to Vision Zero.

2:16:53I think that you cannot assume that bikes and cars can coexist without barriers or some kind of physical division between them.

2:17:03That just won't work.

2:17:04Well, it hasn't worked, as you've heard tragically from people before me.

2:17:09Uh, there was no talk that I— or no mention I saw of road hazards.

2:17:14And if you put your 2 hands together and make a ball or a fist, that pothole can knock a bicycle rider off their bike if they don't see it.

2:17:27A lot of roads you have, especially on Main Street, are on the sides where leaves collect, so not rideable for 2 or 3 months of the year when the rains start.

2:17:38I don't see, uh, road maintenance included in the Vision Zero, um, comments that, uh, PBOT and the rest of the people did, uh, put together for it.

2:17:49If you consider the Springwater Corridor is a great place for bikes and pedestrians, it is too narrow to support both bikes and pedestrians, as pedestrians are always upset that bicyclists are going too fast.

2:18:01It's just not wide enough to support The kind of traffic that's on there.

2:18:08Let's see, there was also a comment that you were hoping PBOT could lead.

2:18:13I haven't seen that.

2:18:14That's a big assumption.

2:18:16And as far as I can tell, PBOT has been the lead in putting up new infrastructures that don't work.

2:18:23So I would really ask you to reconsider that.

2:18:28And I also didn't notice that we're Considering other forms of transportation.

2:18:33I didn't see any goals to increase the number of bikes on the road, increase the number of pedestrians on the road, and increase the number of bus riders on the road.

2:18:43So assumptions I believe should be in there but are not.

2:18:47And finally, I know you folks are out there with ICE signs.

2:18:50I totally appreciate that and support that.

2:18:54Keep it up.

2:18:54Thank you.

2:18:55Councilor Thank you very much.

2:19:03Okay, let's check, um, Ernie Munch.

2:19:09Nope.

2:19:09Okay, our next panel is—.

2:19:11Thank you very much for being here with us tonight.

2:19:15I think we're going to call up the next panel now.

2:19:17Thank you.

2:19:20Uh, next up we have Jacob Appanis, Andrea Hamburg, and RJ Shepherd.

2:19:38Welcome, Jacob.

2:19:38Go right ahead.

2:19:40Thank you.

2:19:41Um, hello, Portland City Council.

2:19:44For the record, my name is Jacob Appanis.

2:19:46I'm a District 2 resident and a member of Sunrise PDX.

2:19:49Yes.

2:19:49We're a local youth-led climate justice organization here in our lovely city.

2:19:53I'm here to show my support personally for the Vision Zero amendment being brought to council today.

2:20:00No one should be injured or killed while on our streets, whether you're driving a car, on a bike, or walking.

2:20:06All people of all modes of transportations have risks for being out on our streets.

2:20:15And our epidemic of road violence is claiming lives from all modes of transportation.

2:20:19We must be diligent in fighting this epidemic and constructing streets that are safe for all.

2:20:24On top of this Vision Zero resolution, I just had one thing I wanted to add.

2:20:28Our level of success for safe streets will fully depend on the financial investment we add for Vision Zero.

2:20:35Thoughts and prayers won't actually build sidewalks or bike lanes.

2:20:40As we re-up our commitment to Vision Zero, Please do the hard work of finding the money that will save lives.

2:20:46Whether that money comes from new fees, taxes on the wealthy, a redistribution of public safety funding, or some other kind of funding, you must all research and acknowledge the price tag needed to achieve Vision Zero and work to acquire the funding necessary.

2:21:00Thanks so much.

2:21:02Thank you very much.

2:21:06Hello everyone.

2:21:06Thank you, Council.

2:21:07My name is RJ Shepherd.

2:21:09I'm a resident of District 3.

2:21:10I'm here today to ask for your support for reaffirming Vision Zero, establishing the Vision Zero Task Force, and promoting the Vision Zero lead to the mayor and city administrator's office.

2:21:26I'm very excited about that.

2:21:28All across Portland, hundreds of students have been riding on bike buses these past few weeks, with now 30 schools participating across every district.

2:21:37We are seeing a surge in demand for getting students safely to school with pedal power.

2:21:42Just this morning, I arrived with over 70 students to Abernathy Elementary with the music pumping, students with smiles on their faces, ready to learn.

2:21:50And while we do our best to make it a rolling party, for many students, the bike bus is the only way they would bike to school.

2:21:59And that's just because our transportation system is still Unfortunately, not safe enough for many students to bike on their own.

2:22:06And that's why I volunteer as a corker on the bike bus.

2:22:09I put my body in front of cars to ensure that students safely get through intersections that, quite frankly, are pretty dangerous even for myself as a 30-something-year-old average height man on a good day.

2:22:24When I cork—.

2:22:27When I cork on the Lents Bike bus, for instance, we're crossing 4 high crash corridors, Division, Powell, Holgate, and 82nd Avenue.

2:22:36Now try that with 6-year-olds, you know, parents that are just getting their bikes outta the garage.

2:22:42It's a little harrowing.

2:22:45And frankly, few students would ride this route otherwise.

2:22:49So why are we here?

2:22:50Obviously, Vision Zero is this vision to eliminate fatalities.

2:22:54Yes.

2:22:54Fatal crashes.

2:22:55But I see Vision Zero as not just that.

2:22:58It's a vision for where we have people of all ages, all abilities, being able to ride and walk and scoot all around our city, where our youths are not limited to backyards and playgrounds where they can have independent mobility, where our students don't need adults to chaperone them literally everywhere they go.

2:23:22In my view, this vision is not only within reach, I firmly believe this vision is the path to Portland's recovery.

2:23:30And so with that, I just wanna thank you for your support for Vision Zero and for this bigger vision for Portland.

2:23:35And I hope you will all swing by a bike bus very soon.

2:23:38Thank you very much.

2:23:40Thank you very much for being here and for the work that you do.

2:23:43Andrea Hamburg is joining us online.

2:23:47Welcome.

2:23:47Thank you so much.

2:23:50Good evening, Council President, Council.

2:23:52My name is Andrea Hamburg, she/her.

2:23:55I'm the Environmental Health Services Director for the Multnomah County Health Department.

2:24:00As you consider this reaffirmation of Vision Zero, I urge you to consider it as a public health issue.

2:24:08Unintentional injury, including injuries from traffic crashes, is the 3rd leading cause of death in Multnomah County after cancer and heart Multnomah County Health Department has documented inequities in the burden of these deaths, which disproportionately affects younger residents, Black residents, unhoused residents, and residents of East, East Portland.

2:24:32Troublingly, the trend in traffic crash deaths has gone the wrong way, greatly increasing in the past decade and remaining high.

2:24:40This combination of a leading cause of death with unjust inequities and a trend heading the wrong direction makes this a public health priority.

2:24:50Since Vision Zero was adopted, the Health Department has collaborated with PBOT on this shared priority.

2:24:57Our staff have done thorough analyses of public health data to understand risk factors like housing status, speed, and the use of intoxicants.

2:25:06We've shared data on impacted populations like people experiencing houselessness and Black residents.

2:25:13Our staff have worked side by side with PBOT to learn the nuances of a safe systems approach and worked with PBOT and our Multnomah County Public Health Advisory Board to develop health— public health-based recommendations.

2:25:27In this work, we have found our colleagues at PBOT to be ready collaborators, open to innovation, And compassionate civil servants who are genuinely committed to making Portland safer.

2:25:39We view the work of Vision Zero to date as effective.

2:25:43Where PBOT has intervened, there has been improvement.

2:25:46The Safe Systems Pyramid emphasizes changes to the built environment and socioeconomic context as the most impactful types of interventions, which is consistent with public health evidence and practice.

2:26:00But the numbers tell us that this work is not over and the investments made have not been sufficient.

2:26:07As your local public health authority, the Multnomah County Health Department is committed to continuing to collaborate with PBOT and the City of Portland to understand the epidemiology of traffic crash injuries, the effectiveness of prevention, post-crash care, and other solutions that cross the I strongly support the reaffirmation of Vision Zero and look forward to continued partnership with PBOT to address this public health priority.

2:26:34Thank you.

2:26:37Thank you very much.

2:26:39That concludes testimony.

2:26:41Okay, thank you, colleagues.

2:26:45That is the end of our public testimony.

2:26:47We are moving into council discussion and debate.

2:26:50Councilor Avalos, did you have a, a question or a comment?

2:26:55Yes.

2:26:56All right, thank you.

2:26:57Um, so thank you so much to Councilor Koyama Lane for your incredible work here.

2:27:05Um, as we can hear from the folks that testify, this is urgent work and it impacts people every day.

2:27:12Um, and so I just want to start by saying I strongly support reaffirming our commitment to Vision Zero and creating this cross-bureau task force.

2:27:19Eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries is a responsibility that we all share, and we need to approach it with urgency, uh, particularly for District 1.

2:27:27The data is clear that East Portland residents continue to bear the heaviest burden of traffic violence, with 30 of 31 high-crash corridors just in East Portland.

2:27:36And I agree with one of the testifiers who said that traffic safety is public safety.

2:27:42These communities are disproportionately represented in fatalities and serious injuries And their voices must guide our solutions.

2:27:48So I think that the task force brings in advisory committees and subject matter experts, and I want to emphasize how critical it is that District 1 voices are at that table, because if we fail to center these perspectives, we risk reproducing the inequities that Vision Zero was created to address.

2:28:04So on that note, colleagues, I want to offer a friendly amendment that will strengthen the resolution by making explicit our commitment to community partnership.

2:28:12Second.

2:28:13We've heard from community members that their voices must help shape the work, and this amendment hopefully ensures that meaningful engagement is built into the Vision Zero Task Force analysis and action plan.

2:28:24So the amendment would add the following clause: Be it further resolved that the Vision Zero Task Force shall ensure meaningful community engagement in the development of its analysis and action plan.

2:28:37This addition underscores the That the voices Portlanders, that the voices of Portlanders will guide both the analysis and the solutions that we hope to advance.

2:28:47So is that accepted, Councilor Koyama Lane, as a friendly amendment?

2:28:51Absolutely.

2:28:52I am very excited to accept this.

2:28:55And as I mentioned earlier, as I'm learning a lot in this process, I'm learning a lot more about the different pillars of Vision Zero.

2:29:04We can post this, but I just Thank you.

2:29:06We shared with councilors this 9 components of strong Vision Zero commitment.

2:29:11And I'll say I want to especially thank Sarah from Families for Safe Streets who, after this passed through Transportation Infrastructure, said this is great.

2:29:20You have like— you're going to bring a multidisciplinary leadership team, which is one of the 9 components for a strong Vision Zero commitment.

2:29:28And we need to know that there is also going to be Connection to stakeholders from the community, especially folks who have lost loved ones.

2:29:36So that is really the transparency, community engagement, cooperation, and collaboration piece.

2:29:41And so I'm really grateful you're bringing that forward.

2:29:43And if our Vision Zero lead is able to talk about what this could look like at some point, I don't know if you want to know more about that, but we can also hear from her.

2:29:56I think she's Yeah, go ahead.

2:30:04And kind of what is that difference?

2:30:06Yeah, sorry, go ahead.

2:30:08Again, hello, Dana Dickman.

2:30:11What a powerful night of testimony.

2:30:13I'm still just kind of sitting with it.

2:30:16I think with this amendment, it's something we've already been thinking about.

2:30:20The task force is intended to be comprised of staff from all the different service areas to kind of move the new action plan forward.

2:30:28But we don't want to develop the next set of actions without community stakeholders.

2:30:35So I see that as a huge opportunity for community stakeholders to be brought into working groups on specific topics and also more broadly in development of the new action plan.

2:30:46I also think there's an opportunity for community to engage in the new call for more reporting and transparency.

2:30:53Councilor Loretta Smith.

2:30:53Transparency on Vision Zero.

2:30:54What does that look like?

2:30:56How can we develop new tools to have transparency both internally within the city, but also things that are shared with the public?

2:31:03And also through that process of the action plan, really digging in deep on maybe some potential structure and definition of what accountability and transparency should mean for us moving forward in Vision Zero.

2:31:16Yeah.

2:31:19Thank you.

2:31:20Councilor Avalos, do— does the clerk have in writing the amendment that you read?

2:31:26No.

2:31:27Or does she?

2:31:28Yeah.

2:31:28Okay.

2:31:29I can send that to you over chat.

2:31:31Is that the best way?

2:31:32And then for folks at the dais who are just following this, where in the resolved clauses would that go?

2:31:44Councilor Koyama Lane, what would be best for you?

2:31:53I don't know if I have, uh, if I really thought that through.

2:31:56I have a preference, and I know there's going to be another friendly amendment coming also.

2:32:00Can I think about that for a second?

2:32:03We're going to need to know before we vote on it where it goes.

2:32:05Yeah, yeah, okay, okay.

2:32:07Um, think about that.

2:32:08And Councilor Avalos, if you can get that to the and if it's possible for you to send that to all of the councilors as well so that we have it in front of us, that would be great.

2:32:16And then whenever we can get it posted.

2:32:18Yeah, great.

2:32:19And we—.

2:32:19Because it is a substantive addition to the resolution, we will need a motion and a second, and we'll need to vote to amend the resolution.

2:32:27Okay, and we have a motion from Councilor Avalos.

2:32:30Do we have a second for it?

2:32:32Second.

2:32:36Working on getting the language.

2:32:38I wanna make sure we have a motion and a second so that we know it's on the table.

2:32:41And then if folks need time to review it before we consider and vote on it, Councilor Avalos, if you are comfortable with us moving on to hear from other councilors, we'll come back to voting on it so people have a chance to look at it.

2:32:57Yes, I just have one more thing in my statement to mention.

2:32:59Okay.

2:33:01Lastly, I just wanted to flag for, uh, my colleagues that my office is looking into proposing a resolution on affirming our commitment to the Rose Lanes as well.

2:33:12So, um, that would contribute to our, uh, Vision Zero goal.

2:33:16So just want to flag that, um, that's some legislation we're working on, and we'll bring that to a future committee.

2:33:22Thanks.

2:33:23Thank you, Councilor.

2:33:26Councilor Koyama Lane, did you have—.

2:33:27I was just going to say I can email it to everyone if that's helpful.

2:33:31If you could email it, that would be great.

2:33:33And colleagues, so that we don't have to take a recess to give folks time to look at this, I want to hear from our next councilor in the queue, Councilor Zimmerman, and we will come back to a discussion on the amendment and a vote after we hear from Councilor Zimmerman.

2:33:50Okay.

2:33:51I just want to say thanks.

2:33:53I appreciate this.

2:33:53It's been an important night.

2:33:55I think that There's a lot of important work that has happened to kind of make sure that this program has, you know, there was 10 years ago and then there's been refining since.

2:34:06So Councilor Koyama Lane, thanks for your leadership on that.

2:34:09You know, I think I've been, I've told Councilor Koyama Lane this before.

2:34:14I think sometimes we have a lot of bike advocacy in the community, but I'm always in the pedestrian advocacy space as well because In my district and where I used to live in the district, it's very much a walking area.

2:34:26And we heard some really important stories today, both from constituents in District 4 as well as other places.

2:34:32And I highlight that a lot.

2:34:34And so I think it's important.

2:34:38Some of the stuff that makes some of our most wonderful neighborhoods, right, the big tree canopies that are wonderful during the day, are also the hardest places to see people In the fall when it's raining.

2:34:50And if you're a driver through the windshield, if you're a walker trying to understand, you know, the different lights that are coming at you in the different lanes.

2:34:58So that's really important.

2:35:00One of the things that, you know, I really appreciated about the report was also just the highlight in such a discrepancy in District 1.

2:35:10I was just out in District 1.

2:35:12I shared with some of you that I was— Councilor Dan Ryan.

2:35:14Yes.

2:35:16You know, dealing with some vandalism, and I was out there getting things repaired.

2:35:20And so I was walking around, and, and just in that short afternoon, I avoided getting hit in a crosswalk.

2:35:27I watched multiple people avoid getting hit in a crosswalk.

2:35:30And in one afternoon, I think I saw 4 cars on one red light.

2:35:344 Of them went through continuously, and then that kept happening the rest of the afternoon that I was there dealing with that repair.

2:35:40So it's, you know, it's real.

2:35:41And I know that not everybody feels it and recognizes it, but it really is real.

2:35:46And District 1 is just so overrepresented in this data.

2:35:49So it's really important.

2:35:51I've sent to all you another proposed amendment, and I would hope for— and I consider it a friendly amendment.

2:36:00Councilor Crammond Lane and I have spoken.

2:36:02If you look at the pedestrian deaths, 50% of the pedestrian deaths are homeless folks.

2:36:08That for me is incredibly concerning given our conversations even earlier, some of the stuff that was said today.

2:36:14So I'm proposing an amendment and I hope it's considered friendly.

2:36:17Be it further resolved, and I would put this in the, I think it's the 3rd be it further resolved, that the Vision Zero Task Force shall specifically examine the overrepresentation of traffic fatalities involving people experiencing homelessness, conduct an analysis of the If you do 15,000 out of 675,000, that's 2%, but it's 50% of the pedestrian deaths.

2:36:45And so I think overrepresentation is a very clear term that's appropriate here, and I think we should get very specific.

2:36:53So I hope for your support on that.

2:36:54I appreciate the conversation with Councilor Koyama Lane.

2:36:57Thank you.

2:36:57Councilor Wilson.

2:36:59And that's my proposal.

2:37:00Second.

2:37:01Okay, and a second from Councilor Kanal.

2:37:03And Councilor Zimmerman, would that go after the current 3rd be it resolved, in between be it resolved that the Deputy City Administrator and be it resolved that the Vision Zero Task Force will invite community advisory committees and community subject matter experts?

2:37:17Is that what you're asking for?

2:37:19Yes, that's correct, between the 2.

2:37:20Okay.

2:37:21Thank you.

2:37:22Thank you.

2:37:22So colleagues, we have We have 2 open amendments on the table.

2:37:26I believe you have both in your inboxes.

2:37:29So I'd like to go back to the first one that was put on the table for debate.

2:37:33We'll move from that into the second one that was put on the table for debate, and then we will go back to the queue on the main motion.

2:37:41I'm gonna write down the order of folks who are in the queue for the main motion so that you all can leave the queue while we debate.

2:37:49Other motions now on the table.

2:37:51So I have Councilor Smith, Councilor Kanal, Councilor Novick, Councilor Clark as the order when we come back to the main motion.

2:38:04And then Councilor Ryan, did you just jump in for the main motion as well?

2:38:10I was in there for the main motion, then I went out.

2:38:12Now I went back in because we have these 2 new amendments.

2:38:14Okay.

2:38:16I'm assuming other people are in the same place.

2:38:20Perhaps.

2:38:20That's the order I have when we get back to the main motion.

2:38:23So we are going to go back to Councilor Avalos's proposed amendment, be it further resolved that the Vision Zero Task Force shall ensure meaningful community engagement in the development of its analysis and action plan.

2:38:36And Councilors Avalos and Koyama Lane, do you have a sense of where you would want that located at this point?

2:38:44Yes, um, right after the third, be it further resolved, right after that, the Vision Zero Task Force will invite community advisory bodies and community subject matter experts to engage in this work where appropriate.

2:38:59Thank you.

2:38:59After that makes sense.

2:39:01Perfect.

2:39:03Councilor Smith, are you in the queue to discuss this amendment?

2:39:06Yes.

2:39:06All right, go ahead.

2:39:07Thank you very much.

2:39:10I'm very much in support of having meaningful community engagement, but I need to find out what is the definition of meaningful.

2:39:18And the other issue is, do we not have engagement with Vision Zero right now?

2:39:25I thought we did do engagement.

2:39:27So I'm trying to figure out what are we doing that's different than what we're already doing?

2:39:36Dana, would you like to come up and answer that question, or if there's somebody better to answer that question, let us know?

2:39:45We do already, and when I say we, I'm going to be speaking mostly for PBOT because that's who's been leading most of the work.

2:39:52There is a lot of engagement that is already happening around Vision Zero, both around projects, also just with a focus on East Portland and particularly Black Portlanders.

2:40:03There is specific engagement that isn't around projects.

2:40:07That's really talking about the work that is happening to change streets, why we might do different things on our streets.

2:40:15Right.

2:40:17So that work is already happening.

2:40:19My understanding of this amendment, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is that the idea is that we are committing to bringing community members into the process of updating the that it isn't specifically called out anywhere else in the resolution.

2:40:36We have advisory committees, which are community bodies.

2:40:39We have those called out, but we didn't specifically have anywhere where—.

2:40:42Why don't we say that?

2:40:44What was that?

2:40:44Why don't we say that instead of saying meaningful?

2:40:46You're giving me the imagination of what meaningful is, and my meaningful may not be your meaningful.

2:40:53But if what you're saying, what you just said, bringing the community back and updating them of the new initiatives as it relates to Vision Zero, then I can understand that.

2:41:03But just meaningful is just a blanket statement to me.

2:41:06And so I don't get what's different because it— because if you all were not doing outreach right now, I would be really concerned.

2:41:15And so it suggests— this amendment suggests that you all are not doing anything.

2:41:20Yeah.

2:41:21I'm going to have to leave that to you to change.

2:41:25No, that's my thought.

2:41:26That's my thought.

2:41:28So are you proposing an amendment to your own work?

2:41:31Well, I'm, I'm proposing a, I guess, a friendly amendment to the friendly amendment that would say that you would go back out into the communities that we originally have been reaching out to to let them know we have new updates.

2:41:46Or to bring them into—.

2:41:48Update of the action plan, right?

2:41:50Update of the action plan.

2:41:52Director Williams, if you'd like to join us up here, you're welcome to.

2:41:55Good evening, everyone.

2:41:58Millicent Williams, Director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

2:42:00Thank you so much for bringing forward this really important opportunity for the community to recommit itself to the work of Vision Zero.

2:42:08What I was sharing was that, to answer your question, Councilor Smith, yes, PBOT has been for the past 10 years engaging pretty significantly and intentionally.

2:42:17And you felt that it was meaningful.

2:42:18And it was meaningful, and it does bear It continues to be.

2:42:22It continues to be.

2:42:24And it bears out— your identification of the need for us to more clearly articulate what meaningful means is something that we will make sure that we provide as it relates to the work that will continue to happen at PBOT relative to Vision Zero.

2:42:37What I was sharing with Dana was that part of what I'm thinking about as this resolution, or as the amendments are moving forward, is that There are 2 things that are happening here.

2:42:52We are a city committing to bureaus, largely PBOT, continuing in its work around Vision Zero.

2:42:59However, with Dana being moved into this different space, there needs to be the acknowledgment of that continuation of the outreach from the space that she's now residing, which is outside of PBOT and now housed within the Deputy City Administrator's office.

2:43:15Yes.

2:43:15So there's an additional layer of outreach that will differ, or— but it will be complementary to what's happening with PBOT's work, but it's more related to the Vision Zero Task Force, right?

2:43:26Um, more specifically.

2:43:27Yeah, I think—.

2:43:28Thank you for articulating that.

2:43:29I think it's—.

2:43:30That was, that was very good because— so that, that makes a difference because it just, for me, I— it didn't sit well with me because it gave the appearance that you all weren't doing anything.

2:43:41I know you were.

2:43:42So, and I want you to be able to— I want us to be able to clearly state what we want you to do in this resolution and in this, in this amendment, because I think it's important.

2:43:55All right, thank you, Councilor.

2:43:56Yeah, thank you.

2:43:57Um, would you be willing to accept a, a, um, friendly amendment to the friendly amendment?

2:44:04Can you repeat what the wording of that would be for us?

2:44:08Well, it sounded like to me that they said that there was different outreach that was being done in PBOT that is now going to be done in the, in the DCA's office that will include going back out to the community to update them on the task force plan.

2:44:26So right now what Councilor Avalos is proposing is, be it further resolved that the Vision Zero task force shall ensure meaningful community engagement in the development of its analysis and action are you proposing something like—.

2:44:39So, and it should include reaching back out to the community and updating them on the new plans of Vision Zero.

2:44:49So a comma where the period is and then adding that clause you just said?

2:44:53Yes.

2:44:54Okay, I believe unless Councilor Avalos— we have 2 options.

2:45:03Councilor Avalos can change her amendment, or we can vote on the underlying and then either adopt it and have an amendment to add this as well, or reject it and propose a new amendment.

2:45:15Councilor Avalos, let us know where you're at here.

2:45:18I guess I also want to see it in writing.

2:45:20I don't— I didn't catch exactly what the, what the addition is.

2:45:22So Councilor Smith, can you send that to Councilor Avalos?

2:45:28I can also try to type it up if you'd like, Councilor Smith.

2:45:31Okay, okay, is that helpful?

2:45:33Let me see.

2:45:38Comma.

2:45:39We're going to pause for a minute, colleagues, so that we can get this down and make sure we know what we're all debating and voting on.

2:45:49Okay, so we would put a comma behind the action plan and it would yes.

2:45:58Say development of its analysis of the action plan and to include updating of all communities of the new action plan.

2:46:29Is, is that okay?

2:46:34Well, I just want to— so when you say meaningful and you leave it standing there, I mean, what does meaningful mean?

2:46:40I just want to know what that meaningful is.

2:46:42What's the difference between what we have right now and what we don't?

2:46:47I—.

2:46:47This is the first time that I saw this, but it, it's, um, it's a powerful statement, but it, um, it doesn't give us direction in terms of what that, what that exactly means.

2:46:59With the, the Zimmerman one, it says specifically homelessness, and to— it gives you a direction.

2:47:06I don't— let's stick to the one we're debating right now.

2:47:11I think, do we have in writing that change to get to Councilor Avalos?

2:47:17I can send it.

2:47:18Councilor Smith, just to clarify, it just, it adds on in the development of its analysis and action plan and to include updating of all communities of the new action plan.

2:47:30Yes.

2:47:31I believe there was something about the communities that had been previously engaged in the work, something like that.

2:47:36Right.

2:47:40No, no, I'm just—.

2:47:41Would it make more sense to put something in the reporting and transparency parts of the resolution?

2:47:47No, I'm trying to deal with this, this blanket statement.

2:47:50Okay.

2:47:51On the amendment.

2:47:52That's what I'm trying to deal with.

2:47:53And so if you put it somewhere else, it won't have any meaning to this statement right here.

2:47:59Um, I just sent a basic Hold on just a second.

2:48:14I sent— I just sent this to you, Candace, and to include updating, updating of all communities of the new action plan.

2:48:23Okay, Councilor Avalos, why don't you take a quick look at that?

2:48:26And Councilor Novick, let's hear your thoughts while we wait for Councilor Avalos to consider the language that Councilor Smith has put forward.

2:48:36Yeah, first of all, I was pleased to hear Eric Oskeda of Mt.

2:48:39Scott-Arleta talk about the success of the Foster Streetscape Plan, which was quite controversial 10 years ago, as he mentioned.

2:48:47I also wanted to be a broken record and agree with those folks who said that it's not all about infrastructure.

2:48:55We haven't had— our infrastructure hasn't gotten worse in the past 10 years, but the fatalities have gone way up.

2:49:01And part of that, I think, as Councilor Zimmerman has indicated, is that we have a larger and very vulnerable homeless population.

2:49:07Part of that is that cars are bigger and more dangerous.

2:49:13But also, as some folks have said, I think that drivers— many drivers went insane during the pandemic, and they have not become less insane since then.

2:49:22So enforcement, I think, does matter.

2:49:24The speaker who talked about cities that do better than us, including Hoboken, home of Frank Sinatra, Sinatra.

2:49:30Another city that does better than us is New York City, which has a third of the fatalities per capita that we do.

2:49:37There's a variety of reasons for that, but one thing to note is that New York has 3,000 speed and red light cameras.

2:49:45We have 30, even though we have a third as much lane miles as New York City.

2:49:51And I've been pleased to hear in the past couple of months that PBOT believes that hiring a new contractor who should be more efficient for the speed and red light cameras could mean that in the future adding more cameras won't actually cost us any additional money.

2:50:07I also talked with the administrator of the Multnomah County Circuit Court who said that although right now they have some constraints in terms of how many speed and red light camera citations they can handle, she gave me reason to think that actually They would be able to get more personnel from the legislature if necessary to handle that, especially because the legislature gets— the state gets a chunk of the money from those cameras.

2:50:31So I will continue to pound away at calling for 1,000 speed and red light cameras while supporting the rest of the Vision Zero agenda.

2:50:41Thank you, Councilor.

2:50:43Councilor Avalos, have you and Councilor Smith worked this out?

2:50:46Okay.

2:50:46We'll get there.

2:50:48Councilor Clark, are you speaking to the amendment on the table?

2:50:52I will speak to one of them.

2:50:54The Avalos amendment is the one that we're currently debating.

2:50:56Oh no, I'm not speaking to that.

2:50:58Okay.

2:50:59Councilor Koyama Lane, are you in the queue to speak to the Avalos amendment?

2:51:02So we got it.

2:51:03You got it?

2:51:04Yeah.

2:51:05Okay.

2:51:05Councilor Avalos, where are you at on this?

2:51:07Are you changing your amendment or should we vote on your amendment?

2:51:13And then come back to what Councilor Smith has proposed.

2:51:15The final language is going to be adding a comma at the end of how it's currently written, and it will say, and to inform communities of the new action plan.

2:51:24Be it further resolved that the Vision Zero Task Force shall ensure meaningful community engagement in the development of its analysis and action plan and inform communities— what was the last part?

2:51:37Inform communities of the new action plan.

2:51:39And inform communities of the new action plan.

2:51:43Um, who was your second, Councilor Avalos?

2:51:47Who was your second?

2:51:48Who was the second on your amendment?

2:51:49Second.

2:51:50Councilor Koyama Lane, are you okay with this change?

2:51:52Yeah.

2:51:53Okay.

2:51:54Colleagues, would you all like this in writing?

2:51:58Okay, we're good.

2:51:59Councilor Ryan, are you in the queue for Councilor Avalos's new amendment?

2:52:04No.

2:52:05Okay, seeing no one else in the queue for Councilor Avalos's new amendment as changed by Councilor Smith.

2:52:12Keelan, could you please call the roll?

2:52:18Coyamaline?

2:52:19Aye.

2:52:20Murillo?

2:52:21Aye.

2:52:22Novick?

2:52:22Aye.

2:52:23Clark?

2:52:23Aye.

2:52:24Green?

2:52:25Aye.

2:52:26Zimmerman?

2:52:26Aye.

2:52:27Avalos?

2:52:27Aye.

2:52:28Dunphy?

2:52:28Aye.

2:52:29Smith?

2:52:30Aye.

2:52:30Kanal?

2:52:31Aye.

2:52:32Aye.

2:52:33Aye.

2:52:35The amendment is approved with 12 aye votes.

2:52:40Thank you, Keelan.

2:52:42Colleagues, we have Councilor Zimmerman's amendment open on the table.

2:52:47It has been seconded, I believe, by Councilor Kanal.

2:52:50Um, Councilor Smith, are you in the queue to discuss Councilor Zimmerman's amendment?

2:52:56Yes.

2:52:57Go right ahead.

2:52:59I think this is important because I think our homeless community is probably one of our most Councilor Smith.

2:53:04I'm going to talk about the most vulnerable communities in the city.

2:53:06And I was just on Division at the Division Alliance last week doing a business tour last Friday, and they had me walking along Division Street from 117th all the way past 123rd.

2:53:19So I stopped at 119th and I said, you all, I'm getting ready to go get my car and I'll meet y'all down there.

2:53:27And so they said, well, we— it's only 7 minutes, but I'm really triggered right now because I know cars are going really fast down Division Street and understanding how important it is.

2:53:40And it is a high crash corridor.

2:53:41And I had to insist to them that I'm going to go back and get my car.

2:53:46And so I went back and got my car.

2:53:47And so Director Williams, and I was going to call you and tell you about this, I was on the corner of Division and 119th.

2:53:53And so there is a walkway there.

2:53:55Yes.

2:53:56And there's a median in the middle of the street of Division.

2:53:59So I was waiting, and it goes— the light goes so quickly, so I had to quickly— it was not enough time for me to cross the street, so I had to do it in 2 phases.

2:54:09I had to cross the street and get to the median, and then the light changed again, and then I had to run to get across to the other side of the street to, um, so that I would not be hit.

2:54:20And if you're looking up Division Street as, as they're coming down.

2:54:24Oh my God, it is a scary thought.

2:54:27And people were speeding, and I was like, I don't think there's enough time for people to walk across the street.

2:54:34And I'm sorry I didn't— I was supposed to call you and tell you about this, but it was, it was really scary.

2:54:40So I really do support what, um, Councilor Zimmerman is talking about, because just imagine folks who are, who are homeless.

2:54:48Some of them have mental health issues and crisis and trying to get across the street.

2:54:54I just can't imagine how you can do that.

2:54:57And I had half of my wits with me, and I was frightened to cross the street.

2:55:02Thank you, Councilor Smith.

2:55:03I will share that the city traffic engineer, Wendy Cully, is here.

2:55:07She can speak to signal timing and why things are currently staged the way that they are on certain corridors.

2:55:15As it relates to medians and signal timing, part of why on Division there is a median is because it is wide.

2:55:24And so it provides a respite for people if in fact the light does change before they would need to wait a cycle to cross to the other side of the street.

2:55:33But—.

2:55:33But you cannot get across that whole street on one light.

2:55:36You cannot.

2:55:37We recognize that that is a challenge that we have in terms of yes.

2:55:41Understanding and balancing how we move people who may be walking or rolling and how we continue to move folks who may be motorists or riding transit or going in the other direction.

2:55:51So it is a significant challenge.

2:55:54And when we speak to road diets and road reconfigurations is actually a better way to state that.

2:56:02Part of why that is done is to reduce the amount of crossing distance that people would have so that they can make it across the full width of a street within a single signal timing period.

2:56:16Okay.

2:56:17Did I get that right, Wendy?

2:56:18Thank you.

2:56:18She's coming to actually say the right thing.

2:56:21Okay.

2:56:22I didn't mean to expand this whole conversation.

2:56:24No, I'll be quick.

2:56:26I think you described it best, and I've taken a note to just check in with our signal folks to check that signal to make sure that it is operating the way intended.

2:56:35And this is Wendy Cully, City Traffic Engineer.

2:56:38Excellent.

2:56:39And so I do support, um, Councilor Zimmerman's, uh, amendment, and I will be voting for it.

2:56:46Thank you, Councilor.

2:56:49Councilor Clark.

2:56:51Oh, thank you, Madam Chair.

2:56:52Um, I think this is a very complex issue.

2:56:55There are lots of different pieces to it, and so I'm very pleased with Councilor Zimmerman's amendment that will actually, uh, add in the analysis of all the components, all the complexities of this issue.

2:57:08Having, uh, worked at TriMet, I can tell you that a significant number of the deaths involving transit are homeless people, are intoxicated people, and are people who were in the right-of-way, you know, mistakenly in the right-of-way, or in— and there's also the distracted people that— and your amendment doesn't address that, but we can deal with that at a different time— but people who are walking in a distracted fashion on their cell phone or whatever.

2:57:34But I think this amendment is very valuable and will help us with our analysis.

2:57:40Thank you, Councilor.

2:57:41Councilor Koyama Lane, to Councilor Zimmerman's amendment?

2:57:44Yes, thank you, colleagues.

2:57:46I intend to vote in favor of this amendment.

2:57:48I would have accepted it as a friendly amendment.

2:57:50Thank you to Councilor Zimmerman for bringing this forward and for being willing to do a little back and forth, uh, talking about this.

2:57:57I'll be candid, when I first saw the language, I— my hesitation came from a history.

2:58:03This is not connected to Councilor Zimmerman, um, but with the language, I was— my hesitation came from the history of how at times data like this has been used in the past, particularly to justify actions like clearing camps.

2:58:18And that's not what this resolution is about.

2:58:20So I do believe it's fair and important to call out the overrepresentation of people experiencing homelessness in traffic fatalities.

2:58:29And it's also important to be clear, this is one part of the problem, not the whole problem.

2:58:34The commitment through this amendment is to understand why is this happening at such high rates, to identify strategies that actually improve safety and save lives.

2:58:43And so as written, I really—.

2:58:45Councilor Smith.

2:58:45I think this amendment is helpful and it directs the task force to bring forward information and solutions.

2:58:51It does not direct the council or the mayor to take action outside of that process.

2:58:55And I think that distinction is key.

2:58:57And I believe framing this is going to help us move forward responsibly.

2:59:01And I'm again grateful for both amendments that have been brought forward today.

2:59:08Thank you, Councilor.

2:59:09Councilor Ryan.

2:59:10Yes, thank you, Madam President.

2:59:11Thank you, Councilor Zimmerman.

2:59:12This adds a lot of value to this.

2:59:14Thank you.

2:59:14Thank you, Councilor Smith, for this resolution.

2:59:15I appreciate it.

2:59:16I've been asking about this, like, get to the real why on this.

2:59:21And so if we don't include this component, we'll never get to the why.

2:59:26I think we could also add more dialogue to this in the appropriate conversations that PBOT will have.

2:59:33And that would include where's the coroner information?

2:59:35Like, when people are perishing on the streets, let's get more data on what happened.

2:59:41And I just think we've been lacking that critical data.

2:59:44So in all, it's our 10-year milestone and no one's pleased with where the results are today.

2:59:49So unless we get to the critical why, we're not gonna be able to move forward with solutions.

2:59:54So this is very additive.

2:59:55Thank you.

2:59:56Thank you, Councilor.

2:59:58Councilor Kanal.

2:59:59Thank you, Madam President.

3:00:00Yeah, I seconded this.

3:00:01I support it.

3:00:02And I think, you know, you do ride-alongs.

3:00:04I've done 2 fire stations with 2 fire stations and they talk They talked about how half of the calls they're dealing with are related to homelessness.

3:00:12I did ride-alongs with police officers.

3:00:15Half the people that are arrested are houseless in the city.

3:00:19There's— without getting into the blame, I think it's very— or the causes at this moment, and because this is about looking into those causes, I think every single thing we look at, there's an overrepresentation.

3:00:30And this is a major issue that we obviously all know about.

3:00:33Thank you.

3:00:34As a city to deal with, but it's important that we are addressing it as part of just about everything else.

3:00:40And so I think it's a really good precedent to set that in the context of looking at traffic violence and traffic deaths, we're also having that specific focus to understand the causes here.

3:00:51And I appreciate the context given by the Vice President on the specific text, and that was meaningful to me.

3:00:58Thank you.

3:01:00Thank you, Councilor.

3:01:02Councilor Morillo.

3:01:05Thank you, Council President.

3:01:07I'm certainly in favor of us getting more data on all of these issues.

3:01:11And because I worked in City Hall before when this happened the first time, I guess I just, I appreciate the context that you added, Council Vice President.

3:01:20But I remember when back in 2022, Mayor Wheeler issued an order preventing camping along high-traffic corridors.

3:01:26Councilor Smith.

3:01:26Thank you, Mayor.

3:01:26So I think that the ordinance is a good step in the right direction.

3:01:26It's a good step in the right direction in that it's going to help us identify high-risk traffic areas under the guise of protecting people from getting run over or harmed by vehicles.

3:01:34But what we found out later that ended up happening was that those people had fewer places to be and often ended up in even more dangerous areas.

3:01:42So they ended up having to cross multiple highway lanes to sleep along the highway, that sort of thing.

3:01:49And so I am all for getting more data.

3:01:53And I want to just put it on the record that I would hate that that data be utilized against our houseless neighbors, because at the end of the day, if you are living literally on the streets, you are going to be on the streets more, which means that you are going to face traffic violence more.

3:02:07The only solution to people on our streets not facing higher rates of traffic violence is going to be getting them into long-term housing.

3:02:14And I just want to make sure that that's on the record.

3:02:16But overall, I'm in favor of getting more data, and I I'll be happy to support the amendment, but I just wanted to make that clear for PBOT staff in the room that that is the critical eye with which I will be looking at that with.

3:02:27Thank you.

3:02:32Thank you, Councilor.

3:02:33Colleagues, seeing no one else in the queue to debate this amendment, Keelan, could you please call the roll?

3:02:43On the amendment, on the Zimmerman amendment.

3:02:48Aye.

3:02:48Aye.

3:02:50Aye.

3:02:50Aye.

3:02:51Aye.

3:02:52Aye.

3:02:52Aye.

3:02:53Aye.

3:02:54Aye.

3:02:57Aye.

3:02:58Aye.

3:03:00Aye.

3:03:01The amendment is approved with 12 yes votes.

3:03:06Thank you, Keelan.

3:03:10Colleagues, I said we would go back to the order in the queue before Before we moved to amendments, uh, Councilor Smith, you were next in the queue to debate the, uh, now amended resolution.

3:03:22Thank, thank you.

3:03:25On the first weekend of August, 2 Portlanders were struck in preventable car accidents, sadly ending in fatalities.

3:03:32And reports say that Willie Talamo lost his life while crossing the street on Southeast 122nd Yes.

3:03:41Patsy Lee Miller lost her life on Northwest Yeon, and I want to give my sincere condolences again to the families and the loved ones.

3:03:52These major crashes occurred in District 1 and District 4, which continue to lack safe pedestrian infrastructure.

3:04:04Excessive speeds Yes.

3:04:05And distracted driving remains citywide.

3:04:09Cultural challenges that require community solutions.

3:04:12I know this to be true because I have been out there, and I've already explained to you what happened to me when I was touring businesses in the, uh, Division Alliance District.

3:04:25And so I can say these tragic events demonstrate that we must continue to be vigilant And stay the course by reaffirming our commitment to Vision Zero, a policy that has yielded a lot of traffic fatalities since the peak in 2023.

3:04:45But I think with additional work and additional eyes and a reaffirmation as we're trying to do with this resolution, it will give us an opportunity to, um, to decrease the number of fatalities on the streets.

3:05:07So I want to say I support this, and thank you for your leadership, Tiffany.

3:05:13This is great, and, um, let's see what we can do.

3:05:19Thank you, Councilor.

3:05:21Uh, Councilor Kanal, I had you next on my list.

3:05:24Thank you, Madam President.

3:05:25Today, and every day, but specifically today, I'm grateful to Councilor Koyama Lane for her leadership in bringing Vision Zero back to life through this resolution, and I'm proud to be a co-sponsor.

3:05:36I agree with the comment that everyone deserves to get home safely, and I think that's a comment that applies to just so— a principle that applies to so many issues, not just Vision Zero.

3:05:45As we saw earlier, there's a lot of folks who are passionate about ensuring everyone deserves To get home safely who are here today.

3:05:51And while we will have other items to talk about, I appreciate the opportunity to keep the focus on the 58 poor owners who didn't make it home last year, including 19 in District 2.

3:06:02Just starting by speaking to data and reasoning for my support, and I appreciate that the supplemental documentation shows this.

3:06:09For far too long, our communities, particularly Black and brown, Indigenous, and other already vulnerable communities, have carried the heaviest burden of traffic violence.

3:06:18In District 2, we have the top 3 deadliest, top 5 most injurious streets for people, whether that pass at least in part through the district, whether as pedestrians, bicyclists, or vehicle drivers.

3:06:31We see that Marine Drive, Interstate, Columbia, Killingsworth, Broadway.

3:06:36And also in my capacity, not just as a district councilor, but as co-chair of the Community and Public Safety Committee, I see the need here to connect these threats much more strongly.

3:06:46So Vision Zero requires cross-bureau collaborations, cross-service area collaborations.

3:06:52I'm really grateful to see all 4 DCAs here in support.

3:06:56I think that's particularly notable.

3:06:59We've seen Portland Fire having a 5-layer safe system approach, timely emergency response.

3:07:04We have police and high-visibility enforcement.

3:07:06I'll note and be appreciative to Chief Day for supporting as well.

3:07:09Thank you.

3:07:10And then there's plenty of things in the planning process between water, transportation, BES to ensure that, and welcoming in emergency first responders to provide comments in how that develops to ensure physical infrastructure is as safe as possible.

3:07:26Beyond the data though, obviously these 58 folks' lives were cut short while crossing the street, going to work, waiting for the bus.

3:07:33And so I'll—.

3:07:34Thank you.

3:07:35Pivot here and say that the recommitment to Vision Zero is ultimately a commitment to prioritizing people's lives over convenience and speed and over budget priorities as well, because that should be our top priority, is protecting human life.

3:07:48I'll leave it there for now.

3:07:49Thank you, Madam President.

3:07:50Thank you, Councilor.

3:07:51Councilor Novick.

3:07:57I actually said what I had to say over earlier, thinking that We were— while the Avalos-Smith Amendment was being refined, we were back to the main motion.

3:08:06So I have nothing further to say.

3:08:07Councilor Clark.

3:08:09Thank you, Madam Chair.

3:08:11I just want to say that incredible, excellent testimony tonight.

3:08:16Very moving.

3:08:18Actually very informative.

3:08:20Really, really enjoyed it.

3:08:22This has been a great night.

3:08:23I feel very proud of Councilor Koyama Lane.

3:08:28I'm very proud of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee and actually all of my colleagues tonight who are operating together, pulling in the same direction on something very important.

3:08:39I also want to agree with my friend to the right here about the scofflaws.

3:08:45I think that during COVID we did create a lot of scofflaws, a lot of speeding, and we, and we created some awful thing.

3:08:53I'm also very partial to the cameras, and I do think we should have a lot more cameras.

3:08:58But we'll wait for the analysis and see what comes back to us after this resolution is implemented.

3:09:04But thanks to everyone.

3:09:08Thank you, Councilor.

3:09:09Colleagues, before we move on, Councilor Ryan, I apologize.

3:09:15There are some folks chatting with people here in the room, but I want to make sure in case there's anybody online watching, At this point in the evening, I think it is pretty certain that agenda item 5, which is pulled off of consent, will be carried over to tomorrow.

3:09:31I suspect we will be able to do agenda item 8 tonight.

3:09:36I am not yet sure if we'll be able to do agenda item 9, but if you are here for agenda item 5, we will be carrying that over to tomorrow's meeting.

3:09:46I don't want to keep you here tonight any later than we already have.

3:09:48Thank you.

3:09:52Yeah, thank you, Madam President.

3:09:54Thank you, Councilor Koyama Lane, for bringing this forward.

3:09:57I also want to thank staff leadership.

3:09:59Dana, I appreciate our dialogue we had a couple weeks ago and for building and stewarding that collaborative network that we formalized.

3:10:07Um, and I also want to thank the passionate testimony, um, here at Council After Dark, um, hearing about the bike buses and the good work by Dream Big thank you.

3:10:16Your speech about the city was especially inspiring, and we really did need some hope in the room tonight, so thank you.

3:10:22You know, I will continue to support this.

3:10:24I'm behind Vision Zero.

3:10:26Who isn't?

3:10:27But I want to join, and I want to join the majority in supporting this resolution.

3:10:31But at this milestone, we've got to evaluate and be bold to move forward to get better results.

3:10:35This is rather embarrassing where we stand as a city 10 years later on this.

3:10:40I want to be clear that I don't I think in its current form, it represents the complete effort for our roadways to be safe.

3:10:48Sadly, just let's just say it, deaths are up 56 to 85% the last few years from when this started.

3:10:55That's the opposite direction we wanted to go.

3:10:57So what is the bold reset at this 10-year mark to move the needle forward?

3:11:02And I hope that that's what I hear from you going forward in further dialogue.

3:11:06Thank you.

3:11:07Because if we keep doing the same thing we've done the last 10 years, we're just not going to get there.

3:11:12To date, the focus has been to reduce traffic deaths, and the actions have been largely focused on road and traffic design and attempts to reduce car reliance.

3:11:22I'm proposing that the program has missed critical components of roadway safety efforts, and it seems logical and should be included in the scope of the work.

3:11:30We need proactive and visible enforcement of traffic laws.

3:11:33Thank you.

3:11:33And we need to address unsafe activities occurring in our roadways, including street takeovers, racing, and camping in the right-of-way.

3:11:41Let's just say it, that's part of this equation.

3:11:45Not to mention, we lack critical data about pedestrians perishing on our streets.

3:11:48I'm glad that Commissioner Zimmerman, or sorry, Councilor Zimmerman got to that point, and I thought that was a really additive amendment.

3:11:55I'm talking fast.

3:11:57I thought we'd have more time to do dialogue, but we had some friendly amendments.

3:12:01All Portlanders want to see Vision Zero to get these results.

3:12:05Let's include all who require transportation infrastructure, infrastructure to be safe and efficient.

3:12:11There's no utility in shaming people who need to drive cars to get to jobs, parents who need to take their kids to school, elders who don't currently feel safe in our public transportation and need to get to medical appointments or grocery stores, or businesses that move goods and services across our city so many can stay home and work and live virtually.

3:12:30I also hope to see the inclusion and tolerance of transportation advocate world of all modes of transportation, including motorcycles, delivery vehicles, cars, and trucks in this dialogue.

3:12:42If we don't include them, then I think we're going to continue to see these dismal results 10 years later.

3:12:48The questions that I will write— that I want to raise that I'll put in writing to you later will be In the 23-25 annual report, it states that 55% of pedestrians killed, 30 out of 55, were unhoused when they died.

3:13:02What measures is the city and our partners in the county taking to address the overrepresentation of homelessness and traffic deaths?

3:13:10And what about the thousands who become disabled?

3:13:13We heard from one testimony tonight.

3:13:15We're only talking about deaths, but a lot of people are disabled by all these accidents.

3:13:19Thank you.

3:13:19And that was not mentioned tonight.

3:13:21The annual report also shows that speed safety cameras— thank you, Councilor Novick— reduce speeding significantly.

3:13:28So let's be more like Hoboken, who also has daylighting quite throughout their system as well.

3:13:36The stated goal is zero traffic deaths and serious injuries.

3:13:39These are certain initiatives that Vision Zero in '21 and '22 regarding restrictions.

3:13:44Thank you.

3:13:44We added restrictions on police traffic enforcement activities, specifically profiling, limiting traffic stops.

3:13:51It was not clear how these are related to Vision Zero's original mission, but can you explain how these help to meet the goal of zero traffic deaths?

3:14:02Actually, that is a question.

3:14:05Are you asking specifically about the restrictions on enforcement?

3:14:10In '21 and '22, we added restrictions on police traffic enforcement activities.

3:14:16It was not clear how these related to the Vision Zero's original mission, but can we explain how these met the goal of zero traffic deaths?

3:14:26Have they been helpful?

3:14:28And maybe someone from the Police Bureau needs to speak to that.

3:14:30Data that we would be able to—.

3:14:32Right.

3:14:33And I'm not entirely sure what it's referring to in that timeframe.

3:14:38So what happened is midway through this, That was added.

3:14:42And you do notice when you look at the trends around that time, the deaths went up.