Salem, Ore. — The City of Salem continues to focus on making it safer and easier to bike, walk or drive in Salem. In late September 2018, the City will seek community input and participation from Salem’s 18 neighborhood associations in a Project Advisory Committee to help develop a Safer Crossings Program. The committee will consist of community members and City staff who will work together to provide final program recommendations to City Council by Spring 2020.

Once complete, the Safer Crossings Program will allow community members to:

• Formally identify pedestrian safety needs;
• Request projects to address those needs, such as installation or improvement of crosswalks, rapid-flashing beacons, or radar signs;
• Easily see the criteria that are used to prioritize pedestrian safety projects and track project status.

The Safer Crossings Program is one of the recommendations from the Pedestrian Safety Study completed in March 2018. The study looked at a combination of crash data, police reports, and field observations to find ways to make it safer for everyone who drives, walks, or bikes in Salem. Other recommendations include upgrading certain traffic intersections and corridors, strategies for citywide application, and specific policy updates. 

In addition to police enforcement, since January 2018, the City has also improved pedestrian safety in multiple areas around the city, including:

• Installing rapid-flashing beacons on Portland Road;
• Installing stop signs and radar speed signs along Fisher Road NE;
• Installing stop signs at the intersection of D Street NE and Winter Street NE, and at six intersections along Maple Avenue NE, completing the first phase of the Winter-Maple Neighborhood Greenway; 
• Building a new traffic signal, lighting, crosswalks, and median island at the intersection of Union Street NE at Commercial Street;
• Making improvements to sidewalks and street lighting on 12th Street SE Southbound.

Those interested in learning more about the Safer Crossings Program, other transportation improvement projects, or the Pedestrian Safety Study can call 503-588-6211 or email publicworks@cityofsalem.net. All Salem residents automatically belong to a neighborhood association. To learn more about neighborhood associations, go to http://bit.ly/salem-neighbors.