A report published in December from the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) investigated the impact of LSVs on transportation infrastructure and safety on Oregon.
The purpose of the research was to determine positive and negative impacts that LSVs, which include Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) and Medium-Speed Electric Vehicles (MSEVs), are likely to have for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon communities. In addition, the research explores whether adjustments in current state regulations are needed to ensure that LSVs do not negatively impact road safety and traffic operations, or expose the LSV operators to undue risk.
The results of the research included three major recommendations:
- The State of Oregon’s regulations for LSVs should be amended such that LSVs are limited to public roadways with a maximum operating speed of 25 mph, and they are restricted to crossing higher-speed roadways at four-way stops or traffic-controlled intersections.
- Local transportation authorities should work with LSV users and members of the bicycle community to develop parallel or secondary low-speed transportation networks that connect residential neighborhoods with major activity centers that include education, employment, retail, medical and recreational facilities.
- LSV users need to be educated about the safety risks of LSVs, in particular those that have a “car-like” appearance, and the safety risks of modifying the speed regulator on LSVs.