I recently stayed with a friend while my apartment was being renovated. He lives near the corner of Portland Street and West 25th Avenue. It took less than two days for me to notice frequent horn blasts due to the near misses in that intersection.

Multiple people daily fly past the stop signs on 25th. Drivers speed down Portland like it’s I-5. Portland runs in a straight line only between 23rd and 27th. Yet people get up enough steam to reach what looks to be 45 or 50 mph. This is a residential street with kids, pets and pedestrians who must walk in the street due to the lack of sidewalks.

I could take the tack of not caring because it’s not where I live. But I do wonder what — if anything — the city could actually do about this. In my past, dealing with a city counselor over a local issue in my ward, she couldn’t brush me off fast enough. I know straight out the cops aren’t going to come and sit there, although if they did, and issued fines, the city would make some serious money. Those mobile signs that display the speed of approaching cars sometimes work, but only temporarily.

Seriously, how does a location go about getting a quieting roundabout? Has anyone out there made this happen in their neighborhood? From my observation, one placed on Portland Street at 25th would go a long way to problem solve, and possibly save lives.

Alex Li

Eugene 

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