Temporary Installation in Bangor Aims to Slow Down Vehicle Traffic, Improve Crossings

In response to concerns from residents, Bangor added some temporary infrastructure to State Street on Thursday meant to slow traffic and create shorter crossings for pedestrians.

The joint effort between the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, AARP Maine, Walk-n-Roll, and the City of Bangor included improvements to crosswalks at State Street’s intersections with Forest Avenue and Birch Street, and created visible pedestrian landings to help residents safely traverse the road.

These traffic-calming features are part of the BCM’s ongoing “Imagine People Here” demonstrations, and follow recently completed projects in Westbrook and North Yarmouth.

“The Bangor installation aims to improve pedestrian safety by creating visual cues to slow drivers and minimize the distance pedestrians have to travel to cross the street,” said Eliza Cress, a member of the Imagine People Here team and a staff member of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.

The project is temporary and will be removed upon the arrival of winter weather. Based on feedback from residents, the city can then decide whether or not the changes were successful and practical, and if they want to install a permanent version of the installation next year. Those who live in or travel through Bangor are encouraged to complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BangorDemo2020

Although the Bicycle Coalition of Maine has been conducting Imagine People Here demonstrations since 2015, the installations are also an important aspect of the BCM’s Slow ME Down anti-speeding campaign, which was launched in June 2020.

For more information about Slow ME Down, please visit bikemaine.org/slow-me-down.

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Bicycle Coalition of Maine