The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) have partnered with NovoaGlobal to enhance the city’s Speed and Intersection Safety Camera program. This initiative plays a vital role in furthering Portland’s Vision Zero program, aimed at eliminating traffic deaths and reducing serious injuries across the city.
Under Oregon state law, municipalities can implement speed and intersection safety cameras to bolster traffic safety, and the financing of this program will be sustained through revenue generated from camera citations and traffic safety diversion class fees.
As the sole supplier and operator for this program, NovoaGlobal will manage 32 safety cameras in Portland. This includes 15 speed safety cameras dedicated solely to monitoring speeding and 17 intersection safety cameras that ensure compliance with both speed limits and traffic signals.
NovoaGlobal has established a presence in various cities throughout the United States and South America, including Washington, D.C., Tacoma, and Beaverton. The company offers an array of comprehensive traffic safety solutions, such as red light and school zone speed enforcement systems, aimed at combating the pervasive crisis of traffic-related injuries and fatalities.
Currently, the installation of NovoaGlobal’s advanced technology at the existing camera sites and two mobile vans is in progress, with completion scheduled for November 1.
As part of this updated initiative, three new camera locations will now be integrated into Portland’s safety network:
1. SE Powell Boulevard at 34th Avenue (westbound)
2. NE 82nd Avenue at Fremont Street (southbound)
3. NE 82nd Avenue at Klickitat Street (northbound)
To prepare for these new cameras, the city will implement a 30-day warning period prior to the issuance of citations.
Moreover, the city plans to install two speed safety cameras on SE Powell Boulevard, near 60th Avenue, by January 2026. Additionally, two more cameras are being designed for installation along SW Barbur Boulevard in the 5900 to 6100 blocks.
This fall, PBOT and PPB will commence a planning process to further expand the camera program beyond the existing and upcoming 40 locations. New camera sites will be selected based on thorough analysis of traffic crash data and site suitability.
All safety cameras in Portland are strategically placed on the city’s High Crash Network, which consists of just 8% of Portland’s streets but accounted for an alarming 70% of fatal crashes reported in 2022.
The critical issue of speeding is increasingly recognized as a significant factor in deadly crashes across the Portland region. Research has demonstrated that even marginal increases in speed can lead to higher crash risks and more severe injury outcomes.
For instance, a pedestrian struck at 20 mph faces a 20% chance of severe injury or death, compared to an 80% likelihood of severe injury or death when struck at 40 mph.
Portland’s speed and intersection safety cameras have proven to be an effective method for mitigating dangerous speeding behaviors. Since the initial installation of speed safety cameras in 2016, there has been a notable 59% reduction in speeding incidents across all monitored locations, with top-end speeding (exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 mph) seeing a dramatic 88% decline.
Supported by a national study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it has been established that utilizing speed safety camera enforcement can lead to a reduction in injury crashes by 20 to 25%. More recently, an assessment from the public health network Cochrane indicated that such cameras could decrease total crashes by up to 49%, alongside reductions in deadly and serious injury crashes by as much as 44%.
In a survey conducted by PBOT in November 2024, findings revealed that 82% of nearly 2,000 Portland residents support intersection safety cameras, while 76% expressed backing for speed safety cameras, and 72% showed approval for the use of mobile enforcement vans.
The integration of these cameras is part of PBOT’s multifaceted safety strategy, which also emphasizes roadway redesign, lowering speed limits, and public education efforts. This comprehensive approach has significantly contributed to a decrease in speeding—the primary cause of traffic fatalities in Portland—leading to a 10 mph or 22% drop in the 85th percentile speeds at speed safety camera locations from 2015 to 2024.
By leveraging cutting-edge automated technology, Portland is committed to making its streets safer for all users.
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