Portland Traffic Deaths Report Expected To Bring Emergency Order

PORTLAND, OR —The Portland Bureau of Transportation says that 70 percent of the pedestrians killed in 2021 were people living on the streets. That's spurring action by the city.

On Friday, Mayor Ted Wheeler is expected to announce an emergency order that will make it easier for the city to move homeless camps that are set too close to the road.

The plan, whose details are still being worked out, will focus on encampments not just located too close to the road but also those in what the Transportation Bureau considers "high crash areas."

In addition to the report from PBOT, the plans for an emergency order come on the heels of a survey by the Portland Business Alliance that showed the number of people concerned about conditions downtown is growing.

Part of the problem in preventing some of the camps is that while the Oregon Department of Transportation can deal with homeless camps outside the city limits, within the city, it's Portland's responsibilities.

Using an emergency declaration would allow Wheeler to act without having to get approval from the city council, where there is expected to be opposition.

The Oregonian, which first reported the plans for an emergency order, reported that nearly all people living on the streets who were swept up in relocations said no one offered to help them find shelter.