Pedestrian friendly Portland (Lebanon, Dallas, Jacksonville: neighborhoods, to buy, living in)

[tigerlily]

It doesn't come as surprise that the Portland-Vancouver area ranked at No. 9 is among the safest regions in the nation for pedestrians due in large part to the sidewalks and small blocks found in both its oldest and newer suburban neighborhoods. I have family in the south and was interested in moving to that part of the country, but non pedestrian friendly streets were definitely a drawback.
Portland metro among U.S. top 10 for pedestrian safety | Oregon Local News - - OregonLive.com

[Minervah]

Well I for one am surprised.

[Leisesturm]

Pedestrian safe and pedestrian friendly are terms for very different qualities. There may be some overlap but by and large small blocks and sidewalks do nothing for safety but do make for a more enjoyable pedestrian experience. The culture of pedestrian awareness exhibited by a majority of drivers is, however, directly biased towards Portland being pedestrian safe. The friends I've made in this area don't think that its all that safe to be out in traffic in PDX, especially cyclists but IMO thats because they haven't ever lived somewhere where drivers completely rule the road and there are, in NYC for example, intersections where literally dozens of people are maimed and killed each week.

H

[Minervah]

I will elabotate on my previous comment. I am a "professional Pedestrian." I have never owned a car and have always biked, walked or bused wherever I needed to go. When I first move to Portland back in the 70's I intended to buy a bike because I was used to getting around in Chicago on one.

After a couple months in Portland I decided against it. I saw how drivers treated cyclists and it was pretty appalling. But many of the cyclists were no prize when it came to following traffic rules either. Today there seems to be an ongoing battle between cyclists and drivers.

So where do the pedestrians come in? Very cautiously. I have been nearly run down by both on more than several occasions. Each time I was minding my own business in the cross walk when a wheel driven vehicle tried to mow me down in their attempt to get where they were going.

I have to cross Hawthorne and 27th each day to get home. I have kept count on the drivers who run the red light and I would say it is around 2-3 a month. Cyclists even more running of the red. Downtown drivers seem to love to block the crosswalk rather than stopping when they see the light is turning red as they approach the intersection. This forces the pedestrian to either stand on the curb and wait for the next green light to cross or take their chances going around the crosswalk-blocker an into oncoming traffic.

Lots more examples but this is enough. And before anyone says it. I'll say it first. Pedestrians are not great traffic rules observers either. But the difference is we have less of a chance of survival when cyclists and drivers don't follow the rules of the road.

[philwithbeard]

Pittsburgh is 4th!!!!!

No Way, Dude.

Maybe downtown and maybe over by the Hospitals (dozens of them in a small area), but really the entire city of Pittsburgh?
Oh, maybe they don't count some suburbs, but only the Mt. Lebanon's and Monroville's

Phil

PS: for those who haven't been to Pittsburgh, most of the city is very hilly. In Winter, it is very common to have freezing sleet or snow that melts on contact with the ground. My personal experience with Pittsburgh: walking in winter the streets and sidewalks are very slick and dangerous not only because of falling down, but also because cars can loose control.

[malachai23]

I find this article's "slant" interesting. 9th safest? Try 44th most dangerous. Yah yah, one in the same. But the source report is completely focused on the dangers faced by pedestrians in particular metro areas. Not "pedestrian friendly" cities. Just an observation. Perhaps I've had too much coffee this evening Anyhow - if anyone hasn't opened the pdf and read the report yet, there is some interesting state-by-state data at the end of it that actually ranks some smaller cities with the larger metro areas.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by malachai23

I find this article's "slant" interesting. 9th safest? Try 44th most dangerous. Yah yah, one in the same. But the source report is completely focused on the dangers faced by pedestrians in particular metro areas. Not "pedestrian friendly" cities. Just an observation. Perhaps I've had too much coffee this evening Anyhow - if anyone hasn't opened the pdf and read the report yet, there is some interesting state-by-state data at the end of it that actually ranks some smaller cities with the larger metro areas.

After living in Oregon where I found the drivers to be very courteous to Florida (which takes 4 of the top slots for not being safe) Orlando, Tampa, Miami and I believe Jacksonville in that order.

You don't know how lucky you have it in Portland. I will not even ride a bike or walk here unless on a bike or walking path.

It is that bad.

[tigerlily]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

After living in Oregon where I found the drivers to be very courteous to Florida (which takes 4 of the top slots for not being safe) Orlando, Tampa, Miami and I believe Jacksonville in that order.

You don't know how lucky you have it in Portland. I will not even ride a bike or walk here unless on a bike or walking path.

It is that bad.

You're right. I've lived in Dallas, Texas where cars rule and have family in Florida. There's no comparison to how safe it is for pedestrians here compared to those states. Pedestrians in downtown Dallas would get jaywalking tickets if they did not cross at the lights and crossed against the lights. I've seen it firsthand.

[rogercobb]

You don't want to cross at a crosswalk in Florida, that's asking for trouble because hardly any cars will yield to the pedestrian. Where I live it is far safer to jaywalk while wearing a suit of armor.

[Aorre]

Wow, that's an interesting read.

If I couldn't jaywalk I would move. It's a complete deal breaker to some people.