As a resident of the Riverton community, I’m writing to express my concern and frustration with a specific traffic issue. For years (literally over 30, based on conversations with neighbors) we’ve escalated awareness of non-adherence to the four-way stop at the corner of Dorothy and Hicks streets. The majority of vehicles don’t stop – often it seems they don’t even notice the stop signs. Drivers go through the intersection at a high rate of speed and continue that speed on Hicks Street.

We now see more children in the neighborhood and a significant number of dogs and their owners walking. It’s not unusual to hear car horns beeping based on near misses, or frustrated residents calling out when we witness someone speeding through without stopping.

We’ve reached out to the city for years (city councilors, city manager, police, Public Works, etc.) and receive the same general response, which equates to “nothing has happened at the intersection, so we aren’t going to do anything.” We’ve asked for flags on the stop signs, but that apparently isn’t an option. We’ve asked for speed bumps and have been welcomed to pay for them ourselves.

Please know I think highly of our public servants and recognize there’s never enough time or money to address all citizen escalated issues. With that said, I urge the city to take the time and truly research this concern.

Let’s do something before anyone is hurt (or worse).

Monique Lachance
Portland