Lane County announced on May 18 that Marcola Road and Clear Lake Road will be designated as Safety Corridors, doubling traffic fines from May 25, 2026, through May 25, 2028. The new designation aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving and excessive speeding.
The county said the move is intended to deter dangerous driving behaviors after multiple fatal and serious injury crashes occurred in recent years. Most of these incidents involved excessive speed or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The doubled fines will apply on Marcola Road from Hayden Bridge to Parsons Creek Road, and on Clear Lake Road from Territorial Highway to Green Hill Road.
Under the new rules, presumptive fines for speeding violations will increase significantly within these corridors. For example, a Class A violation (30 mph over the speed limit) will result in an $875 fine instead of $440. Lower-level violations will also see enhanced penalties.
The county highlighted that one of its top priorities is ensuring safe travel on county-maintained roads. “That’s why, when the state established a pilot program to test safety corridors aimed at improving rural traffic safety, Lane County was one of two counties in Oregon that chose to participate.” The earlier London Road Safety Corridor pilot reduced fatal and serious injury crashes between 2021 and 2023 through doubled fines, road signs, and outreach efforts.
Following this success, House Bill 2154 was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2025 allowing counties—not just state highways—to designate up to two safety corridors at a time. The law took effect January 1, 2026. On February 10, the Board of County Commissioners approved a permanent program enabling rotation of corridor designations every two years based on crash data.
Active corridors will have “Safety Corridor / Fines Double” signs posted for two years before being moved elsewhere as needed. New signs stating “Our Community Values Safe Driving” will replace them afterward as part of ongoing public awareness efforts.
“We need everyone to make safety a priority,” Lane County said in its announcement. “To prevent speeding, please plan travel times realistically… To prevent driving under the influence, coordinate with friends and family to designate a sober driver.”
Lane County provides essential public services including public safety programs across more than 4,600 square miles encompassing urban and rural communities according to the official website.
