A pedestrian waves to oncoming traffic while crossing Northeast Fremont Street, Sept. 1, 2025. Pedestrian safety flags have been attached to several crosswalks, like this one, to alert drivers when people are crossing.
Riley Martinez / OPB
The city of Hoboken, New Jersey, has had no traffic deaths for nine years straight. This streak is not an accident or a fluke. It’s the result of focused efforts by the city’s planners and concerted leadership from elected representatives.
Portland and other cities in Oregon are making some progress in their efforts to reduce these same kinds of deaths, which transportation planners like Lake McTighe say are largely preventable.
McTighe is the principle transportation planner for Portland’s regional government, Metro. She also manages the Safe Streets for All program, which aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes.
We sit down with McTighe to hear about the best practices that Hoboken and some other cities in the U.S. and other countries have used to eliminate traffic deaths — and get an update on the region’s progress toward that goal.
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