To the Editor:
Portland’s leadership does not get what Vision Zero means in real life. It means that the east side of the city has Zero Vision at night. There are fewer than one quarter of the light poles on the vast majority of east side streets than there are on the west side of town.
And the east side is active 24 hours a day. More people out, more people and vehicle movement equals more accidents and deaths—added, of course, to fewer police officers on the street at night to enforce the speed limits that do not kill people.
The excuse that light poles are too expensive is bogus if you compare the cost of lighting to the loss of lives. Let’s get creative folks and turn the lights on—especially in the high crash corridors.
Nancy Chapin (Born here, lived and worked in Portland 50 of my 85 years.)
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor are to be less than 300 words. The Southeast Examiner reserves the right to edit for length or content.