Street Safety: Portland Warns of Darker Roads After Halloween
The city's transportation bureau reports higher pedestrian crash rates from October through March and is installing lighting on high-crash corridors.
By Adam Richardson ·
Halloween trick-or-treating begins tomorrow night in Portland, and the city's transportation bureau is warning that pedestrian crash rates climb once days get shorter. The Portland Bureau of Transportation said pedestrian crashes rise in fall and winter, when darkness arrives earlier, compared to spring and summer.
Over the 10 years through 2024, Portland averaged 23.3 pedestrian crashes per month from October to March, compared with 16.9 per month from April to September. PBOT said both drivers and walkers tend to overestimate how much can be seen at night.
Several conditions reduce visibility for drivers. The A-pillar, the post supporting the windshield, creates blind spots at intersections. Rain, wet windshields and glare from other vehicles can also obscure the view, as can areas with little lighting.
Hit-and-run driving has increased since the pandemic. A national study found that 25% of pedestrian deaths in 2024 involved hit-and-run drivers, up from an average of 20% between 2015 and 2019. One common crash type on Portland's High Crash Network involves a pedestrian in a crosswalk struck by a left-turning driver.
PBOT's Vision Zero Action Plan Addendum 2026-27 calls for lighting improvements on high-crash corridors, prioritizing streets in areas with higher populations of people of color and people with lower incomes. New street lighting was completed in 2025 on four High Crash Network streets: NE Halsey from 114th to 162nd avenues, 82nd Avenue from Killingsworth to Clatsop streets, NE Glisan from 82nd to 162nd avenues, and SW Capitol Highway/49th Avenue from Barbur Boulevard to Stephenson Street.
Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 1. PBOT reminds people that reflective clothing is visible to drivers up to 500 feet away, compared with 55 feet for dark clothing without reflective gear or lights.
As fall rains return, PBOT's Traffic Signs and Markings team is installing 32,000 new high-visibility street name signs across the city. Crews replaced signs east of 82nd Avenue from 2023 to 2025 and have been replacing signs west of 82nd Avenue in Northeast and North Portland since 2025.
Source: City of Portland News
