PBOT has installed the first in a series of ‘speed cushions’ along SW Broadwy Dr; the rest should follow over a week or so weather permitting. These cushions and placements are designed to slow auto traffic while allowing emergency vehicles to maintain speed.
For over 100 years, SW Hills residents have been asking the city for improved pedestrian and auto safety on this busy road; the first of many petitions to city council asking for sidewalks – promised when Portland took it over from Multnomah County in the 1920s – was filed in 1930. SWHRL has been advocating for safety improvements since the early 1970s. This road (along with SW Vista, SW Patton and SW 16th Ave) has become a major cut-through for suburban traffic avoiding the 26 tunnel to Downtown, and continued growth to our west will only make it worse.
Recently, residents have complained about a marked increase in street racers as well.
In addition to residents, commuters and PSU students who use this road to reach downtown, several schools have bus stops along SW Broadway Dr., and children must often wait for their bus on an unpaved shoulder, mere inches from cars going well over the speed limit. SWHRL thanks PBOT and Safe Routes To School for these efforts to improve their safety.
Over the last decade, SWHRL has worked with PBOT, Safe Routes To School, PPS, St. Thomas More and other groups to improve pedestrian, cyclist and driver safety in our neighborhoods – with the support of these efforts in the new city council, we look forward to more.
https://www.swhrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/T01399-Broadway-Letters.pdf