Coming to a Neighborhood Near You: 20 MPH Speed Limits!

Here's some great news for anyone who walks and/or bicycles in Portland. At a press conference up in Northeast this morning, Mayor Sam Adams, State Senators Ginny Burdick and Jackie Dingfelder, and ex-State Representative Ben Cannon unveiled the city's first 20 mph speed limit sign.

The fanfare came two days after Portland City Council a new Bureau of Transportation plan to lower speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph on some 70 miles of eligible "neighborhood greenway" streets. Permission to pursue the reduced limits was on high the city's wish list during the 2011 legislative session in Salem.

Why is that a big deal? Maybe because of this.

Check out BikePortland's coverage from last month for even more stats—and diagrams—on safety.

And if you want to see which streets near your house will soon be a bit more safe, the agenda packet from Wednesday's council meeting has a larger (and actually legible) version of the map right here (pdf).