Community Walk Audits Target Safety on Highway 99 and River Road

Better Eugene Springfield Transportation has scheduled a one day series of walk audits and community meetings on November 13, 2025 focused on two of Eugene’s most dangerous corridors. Highway 99 and River Road are both on the city High Crash Network, and the advocacy group is convening morning and afternoon walk audits at key intersections followed by two town hall style community meetings, one for each corridor. The group’s announcement includes specific times and meeting locations for the audits and town halls.

The events come as local advocates and officials confront a rise in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, a trend BEST highlighted in public materials as motivation for the outreach. By documenting conditions on the ground and compiling resident testimony about crossings, visibility, signage and traffic behavior, organizers say community input will help shape practical safety interventions. Those interventions typically fall into categories such as engineering changes, enforcement strategies and education programs, which are implemented by multiple agencies depending on the jurisdiction of a roadway.

The choice of Highway 99 and River Road is significant for planning and funding. Highway 99 is a major city corridor with heavy through traffic, and River Road carries a mix of residential, commercial and commuting flows. Both corridors are under scrutiny in Eugene’s transportation planning processes, and community findings from the audits could influence priorities in the city budget, capital improvement planning, and grant applications. Because responsibility for road improvements can fall to different entities at city, county and state levels, resident-generated documentation can be critical for persuading agencies to reallocate resources or to seek state and federal safety funds.

From an institutional perspective the events underscore how grassroots engagement interfaces with formal decision making. Walk audits produce empirical observations that can be translated into policy recommendations by advisory committees and brought before the Eugene City Council and public works staff. In the run up to budget cycles and transportation project updates, town hall input can affect which projects receive design attention or accelerated timelines. For residents who frequently cross or bike these corridors, participation is a direct means to influence where limited funds and staff attention are focused.

Civic engagement will be key to turning audit findings into action. The audits and meetings offer a moment for neighbors to document recurring hazards, prioritize fixes and demand timelines for implementation. For voters, the process connects with broader accountability questions about how local officials and agencies manage road safety and allocate transportation investments. Reporting on the events will follow the outcomes of the audits and any concrete proposals that emerge from the community meetings.

This coverage is based on reporting by Michael Zhang for Lookout on November 11, 2025 and the announcement from Better Eugene Springfield Transportation. Residents seeking exact meeting times and locations should consult the group’s release or the Lookout report for full details.