On Labor Day 2025, my middle-school-aged son was struck by a vehicle while crossing at the ADA ramp on NE 47th and Fremont. He was using the infrastructure exactly as intended, but a legally parked car blocked the sightline between him and the driver. What should have been a safe, accessible crossing became a point of failure.
This traumatic experience highlighted “daylighting” gaps in our neighborhood that often go unnoticed. Daylighting is the practice of removing obstructions near intersections so pedestrians and drivers can clearly see one another. At 47th and Fremont, the presence of an ADA ramp implies a safe place to cross. However, current parking rules did not account for sightlines at this and many other ramps along the corridor, where vehicles are allowed to park so close that pedestrians remain invisible to drivers until they step into the roadway.
The conditions that contributed to this crash are built into the design of the Fremont corridor. The corridor between 40th and 50th avenues experiences predictable surges of pedestrian activity tied to a middle school and nearby businesses, yet it lacks consistent crossing infrastructure. Crosswalks along this corridor are too few and unevenly placed. For example, no striped crosswalk provides access to the north side of the 47th Avenue block, where bike parking and student-frequented businesses draw regular pedestrian traffic. There are also no pedestrian-activated crossings anywhere along the corridor. As a result, high pedestrian activity mixes with drivers who often maintain higher speeds as they push through the neighborhood.
I initially shared these concerns with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) in October, and there was no follow-up until late January, when the city communicated it had issued a work order to add sightlines near select curb ramps. (See related article on page 8.) While this step is welcome, improvements that could have been built into the street from the start are now being addressed slowly and incrementally.
Our infrastructure must match the reality of how we use our streets. Safe crossings require more than ramps; they require visibility, clear markings, and tools that allow pedestrians, especially children, to be seen and anticipated. We need a comprehensive review of parking setbacks, crossing consistency, and pedestrian-activated safety measures to ensure that “Safe Routes to School” and PBOT’s “Vision Zero” are realities, not just policy goals. We cannot afford to wait for the next collision to address these visible, preventable gaps.
Michael and his partner have lived in the neighborhood for 10 years. They have two sons; one attends Beaumont Middle School, and the other attends Grant High School.