A couple of points:

Yes, SE 82nd has more accidents than East Burnside. It doesn't have more than WEST Burnside, however, which is the project this blog comments on.

Also, we just asked for -and received- a package of over $6 million from One-Time General Funds to address a host of projects, most of which are in East Portland, specifically on SE 82nd and SE 122nd, which -while their crashes are spread out over a larger span, as opposed the very concentrated crashes on Burnside- are very dangerous streets.

You can take a look at our requests here- note that SE and NE 82nd, as well as SE 122nd are on multiple lists and will soon be getting new crosswalk lights, pedestrian islands, and other safety improvements.
Project List

You can also take a look at the data on where most crashes occur and also look at a map that shows what specific intersections we proposing projects for. You'll see that East Portland, long neglected, is getting far more projects than any other part of the city.
One-time Blog link with documents
One-time fund project map

Lastly, if this post wasn't clear about it, this project is going to have to pay for itself. We expect that most of these funds will be raised via Urban Renewal dollars and Local Improvement Dollars that are collected from property owners adjacent to the project.