Maine
Lakes Region towns to test traffic-calming measures
The intersection of Routes 11 and 85, Webbs Mills in Casco, is one of several intersections in the Lakes Region that will receive temporary traffic-calming measures in 2025. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly
The Lakes Region towns of Gray, Casco and Sebago will install temporary traffic-calming measures next year as part of a wider initiative to curb vehicle crashes in Maine.
These installations, which will last from June to October, allow planners to test out potential safety measures in the real world, and are part of the wider Vision Zero effort. In development for about a year, Vision Zero is focused on reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Maine’s roadways, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them entirely by 2045.
The Greater Portland Council of Governments has completed two plans as part of this effort. One of these plans is specifically designed for the city of Portland and its surrounding suburbs, while the other, tailored towards rural and island communities, is the basis behind the upcoming Lakes Region projects.
According to GPCOG Transportation Director Christopher Chop, the new projects are among several traffic-calming demonstration projects that have been implemented throughout the Portland area and some of the surrounding area. Within the Lakes Region, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine previously worked with Gray to install advisory bike lanes as a way to indicate that a street is designed for all modes of transportation.
These pilot projects, both in the urban area and the Lakes Region, will help GPCOG collect data to inform decisions on the most effective measures. Should the measures prove successful, GPCOG plans to replicate them elsewhere. However, if the measures are unsuccessful, Chop hopes that they can understand the reasons why (for example, if they used the wrong tool for the wrong area, or if there were maintenance issues) and avoid them in future projects. These measures, Chop noted, not only make travel safer for cyclists and pedestrians, but for everyone just by slowing traffic down.
The Lakes Region project costs $100,000, funded by a grant from the United States Department of Transportation. Chop said that the temporary measures provide a low-cost opportunity to test out different treatments, as opposed to the more expensive prospect of immediately installing permanent infrastructure. If successful, the GPCOG could look to provide permanent infrastructure to make the region safer.
“In the long run,” Chop said, “the Greater Portland Council of Governments and the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System … both are very committed to the Vision Zero effort, and there’s a number of different strategies to make our roads safer for all transportation users.”
Public reception to the traffic-calming measures has been mixed. While the measures were only recently made public in Gray, Town Manager Michael Foley noted that over the years, many residents have been pushing for safety improvements, and that they will be designed and shared with the public before being put into place. In Casco, Town Manager Anthony Ward said that while some in the town are very supportive of the measures, others are a little more hesitant because a previous traffic-calming effort was not well received.
However, Ward remained optimistic and said, “There was some hesitation about (the measures), but I think the vast majority will support (them).”
Ward also noted that since most of the roads in Casco where the temporary measures will be implemented are state highways, full implementation would take place in conjunction with the Maine Department of Transportation.
The efforts in Gray will focus on the area of Gray Village where three state highways converge, and will likely involve West Gray Road, Portland Road, Yarmouth Road, Main Street, Shaker Road and Brown Street. While Casco has not finalized the areas in which the measures will be implemented, it also plans to focus around the village, with some of the proposed areas including Pike Corner, Webbs Mills, and Cook Mills. Sebago will see measures implemented in East Sebago Village, Mac’s Corner, and a 2-mile section of Route 11 connecting the two areas.