Mayor Wheeler restores Old Town’s carfree zone in an effort to reduce violence

(Source: Mayor Wheeler’s Office)

Beginning tonight, a 12-block area of downtown Portland will be closed to cars for two nights per week.

It’s part of an effort from Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office to improve safety and reduce gun violence in Old Town Chinatown’s entertainment district. To announce the plan, Wheeler held a press conference Tuesday at Kells Irish Pub. “As we emerge out from the pandemic, the crowds in Old Town have returned by the tens-of-thousands. The streets are jamming up — particularly on weekends — and people need more room to spread out,” Wheeler said. “We need bigger sidewalks. We need more space for pedestrians. In lieu of that, we’re going to close lanes and streets to give people the elbow room they need to move around more freely and enjoy themselves.”

If this sounds like deja-vu, that’s because the City of Portland first made the connection between crime and cars in this area in 2009 And then expanded it further in 2012 Former Mayor Sam Adams urged Adams to do so. Adams worked on the issue last summer as a Wheeler advisor. According to The OregonianSafety in Old Town fell to its lowest point after the pandemic. A temporary solution was reached after a lengthy discussion with the transportation bureau, local business owners and the administration regarding the authorization of barricades to stop violence.

Wheeler’s announcement This week brings a more permanent solution for the ongoing issues.

The new entertainment district will double the size of the old one. Wheeler has authorized the Portland Police Bureau’s ban on vehicles from NW 1st Avenue to NW 5th Avenue, West Burnside to NW Everett Friday and Saturday evenings. The carfree zone will likely be in effect from around 9:00 pm to 3:00 am (I haven’t heard back on requests to clarify the exact times).

In addition to not allowing vehicles into this 12-block area, Wheeler said the PPB will deploy a “small” team of officers to patrol the area and will install additional lighting. It also “builds upon work to remove problematic encampments that block the right-of-way,” Wheeler said Tuesday. They hope that the new zone, which is car-free, will encourage people to take transit instead of driving.

Jo Ann Hardesty (City Commissioner) is not mentioned in the story. She oversees the Portland Bureau of Transportation. It seems that the effort aligns perfectly with many of her top priorities including the use of street-based interventions to reduce gun violence the creation of carfree zones downtown.

Back in July, Wheeler’s office validated some aspects of Hardesty’s approach to street-related violence when he announced a new gun violence reduction plan. His new plan also echoes an approach endorsed by the Old Town Community Association in September 2021 More street and sidewalk activations in the area.

Bike riders were not permitted to enter the entertainment district in the past. Now that it’s twice as large, and would impact major cycling routes like SW 3rd and 4th avenues, we’re curious if bike traffic will be permitted. We’ve reached out to Hardesty and Wheeler’s office to find out more and have yet to hear back.

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