Portland traffic enforcement effort catches more cellphone use than speeding
Traffic on Forest Avenue in Portland on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)
Portland police handed out 64 citations Monday during the first day of an enhanced traffic enforcement operation tied to the city’s Vision Zero effort to eliminate pedestrian injuries and deaths.
The majority of motorists were pulled over for using cellphones, with 21 given citations for distracted driving. Other citations were handed out for failing to stop at stop signs or lights and failing to yield to pedestrians showing intent to enter a crosswalk. Officers also gave 42 warnings.
According to a department news release, police focused on known high-crash areas and places where the city often hears speeding complaints.
“Our goal is to change driving behavior and prevent crashes before they happen,” Chief Mark Dubois said in a written statement.
The police operation follows a spate of crashes involving pedestrians that have resulted in injuries and deaths, which has put public pressure on officials to address traffic safety and intersection design.
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The city’s Vision Zero plan commits the city to a long-term goal of ending traffic injuries and deaths, but advocates have called on officials to do more to increase safety in the short term. In June, the city began a public awareness campaign in partnership with the state, and is working with the Greater Portland Council of Governments on a safety demonstration on Commercial Street.
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Advocates are also calling for more robust measures, including a “20 is Plenty” campaign to lower speed limits on most city streets to 20 mph. Those in favor of the proposal have pointed to other cities that have seen immediate results by lowering speed limits, and that average speeds slowed without increased police enforcement.
Police spokesperson Brad Nadeau said the operation that began Monday will continue throughout the coming weeks and months, with police focused on speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving and “other violations that place motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists at risk.”
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Here are the numbers from the first day:
∙27 stopped for improper use of handheld device
∙24 stopped for failure to stop at stop sign
∙13 stopped for failure to stop for stop light
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∙10 stopped for failure to yield to pedestrians showing intent to enter a crosswalk
∙21 citations for distracted driving
∙7 citations for no proof of insurance
∙3 citations for speeding
∙39 citations for “other violations,” which includes failure to stop.
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Andrew Rice is a staff writer at the Press Herald covering the city of Portland. He's been working in journalism since 2012, joining the Sun Journal in 2017, then the Press Herald in 2026. He lives in. More by Andrew Rice
