Safer Pedestrian Crossings Program

The Safer Pedestrian Crossings Program is a community driven process for requesting and implementing new or improved bicycle and pedestrian street crossings in Salem.  This new program was a recommendation of the Pedestrian Safety Study and has been created to increase the efficiency and transparency of safety improvement projects in our community. The Safer Pedestrian Crossings Program creates an online platform for the Salem community that:

• Documents all requests for new crossing installations and safety upgrades
• Prioritizes requested projects by the same criteria
• Tracks the project status of requested installations and safety upgrades

How it works

The Safer Crossings link takes you to a simple online form and interactive city map. Type the safety concern and street location to submit a request.  Once the request has been submitted it will be added to the map and assigned a project status.  If the request meets the basic Eligibility Criteria it will then be prioritized based on defined scoring criteria.

​Submit a pedestrian safety concern

Crossing installations

All intersections are crosswalks, whether or not they are marked.  The Safer Crossings program is intended to help identify and prioritize safety enhancements at existing pedestrian crossings or to consider adding new mid-block crossings. All requests must meet the minimum eligibility criteria.

Safety upgrades

Safety upgrades to existing or new crosswalks can include the following improvements:

• Flashing beacons:  These are pedestrian activated warning beacons that increase driver awareness of pedestrians at unsignalized or mid-block pedestrian crossings, particularly on multi-lane roads where a stopped car in one lane may block the view of the pedestrian for drivers in the adjacent lane.

• Improved lighting:  Safety at existing crossings may be improved by adding additional street lights at crosswalks.

• Traffic signal:  A traffic signal controls the movement of vehicles at an intersection to allow a protected pedestrian crossing.

• Curb extensions:  Expanding the sidewalk or curb face into the on-street parking lane at intersections or mid-block crossings can shorten the pedestrian crossing distance and draw driver attention to pedestrians waiting to cross.

• Signage/Additional markings:  Warning signs and markings can draw attention to existing crossing locations. It is City policy to not mark unsignalized crosswalks unless supplemental safety enhancements are provided.

• Median islands:  These islands enable pedestrians to break up a crossing into multiple segments, allowing pedestrians to judge conflicts with vehicles traveling in each direction separately, while also providing a resting location so that slower pedestrians can wait for a break in traffic. Median islands also draw driver attention to the crosswalk.

Prioritizing requests

Each requested crossing or safety upgrade is evaluated according to two sets of criteria.

Eligibility criteria

The request must first meet the following in order to qualify:

• Location must be within Salem City limits.

• Location must be greater than 300' from an improved crossing.  An example of an improved crossing is a signalized crosswalk. Requests for making upgrades to existing signalized crossings will be evaluated on a case by case basis, but not scored as part of this program. 

• Existing road geometry (curves or hills) cannot create an unsafe condition due to limited visibility at the location.

Scoring criteria 

Once the location is deemed eligible it will be prioritized according to the following scoring criteria:

• Proximity to schools
• Traffic volume
• Posted speed
• Proximity to transit stops
• Pedestrian volume/Zero car households
• Number of lanes to be crossed
• Distance to nearest improved crossing
• Crossing distance
• Pedestrian activity
• Equity
• Pedestrian crashes over last 5 years
• Lighting

Additional information on the scoring criteria can be found in the Safer Pedestrian Crossings Program map.

Project status

• Requested - Location has been requested to be reviewed

• Scored - Location has been requested, scored, and is awaiting funding

• Funded - Construction is scheduled

• Constructed - Construction has been completed

• Not eligible - Location does not meet eligibility criteria

Current or future upgrades

• Kale Road NE at Bayne Street NE will soon have school zone flashing beacons, ADA ramps, and striped school crosswalk/pedestrian crossing signs.

• The Union Street Family Friendly Bikeway will continue with bicycle supportive improvements from Commercial Street east to connect with the Winter Maple Greenway and the North Capitol Mall.

• Commercial Street SE, Oxford Street SE to Madrona Avenue SE will have buffered bike lanes, street lighting, a pedestrian crossing median island near Triangle Drive SE, and a bike signal at Commercial/Liberty split.               

• Marion Street NE will have a rectangular rapid flashing beacon crossing at 13th Street NE. 

• Broadway Street NE (Pine Street NE to Tryon Avenue NE) will be reconfigured to add bike lanes.

• Crossing improvements at Scotsman Lane NE and Sunnyview Road NE; Pine Street NE at Maple Avenue NE; Fairgrounds Road NE at Norway Street NE; Jones Road SE at Judson Middle School; and Pringle Road SE at Copper Glen Drive SE.

• Brown Road NE now has new sidewalks, bike lanes, and a dedicated left-hand turn lane at Sunnyview Rd NE.

• Crossler Middle School recently received new ramps and striped school crosswalk/pedestrian crossing signs on Davis Road S. 

• New ramps and audible pedestrian signal buttons were installed at Connecticut and Rickey Streets SE for Houck Middle School.

• A school zone flashing beacon was installed on Mousebird Avenue NW south of Royal Crown Avenue NW.

• Buffered bike lanes were added to High and Church Streets NE/SE between Ferry Street SE and Union Street NE.

• Improvements to the intersection of Union Street NE and Commercial Street NE as part of the Union Street Family Friendly Bikeway.

• Replaced and widened the Court Street NE pedestrian bridge.

• Added three median pedestrian crossing islands with rapid flashing beacons on Portland Road NE.

• The Winter-Maple Neighborhood Greenway connects roughly 2.5 miles between the Salem Parkway and downtown Salem in an attractive, safe and convenient route. Several projects are now complete including additional signs, and speed humps. More improvements are planned.

A project advisory committee was established in order to assist with the development of the program.