The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Miles of Improvements for Bicyclists in Maine

May 27, 2009 - PORTLAND -- Fresh out of a bicycle and pedestrian conference the state held recently for town officials, Dan Stewart was a fountain of facts and statistics that prove Maine is one of the nation's premier biking destinations.

This month, the League of American Bicyclists – for the second year in a row – ranked Maine among the top 10 bike-friendly states. Vacationland climbed from No. 6 to No. 3 this past year, trailing only Wisconsin and Washington.

The league determines the ranking based on a 75-item survey. From the federal money Maine has received to improve off-road paths to its state law requiring drivers to maintain a 3-foot berth between a bike and a car, it's a very biker-friendly state, said Stewart, the Maine Department of Transportation's bicycle and pedestrian program manager.

"Forbes just announced Portland was the No. 1 most livable city, I believe in large part because of how walkable and bikeable it is," Stewart said. "There is lots of synergy between the economic development and the improved quality of life and the health benefits here."

Bicycle advocates in Maine are doing all the right things, he said.

They just need to keep doing more to make it even better: applying for grants, identifying places to build trails, creating laws that keep bicyclists safe and spreading awareness to "share the road."

"There are always things we can do, always improvements within any community. But people ask what makes Maine different. There are a lot of things," Stewart said.

Stewart said his agency regularly seeks funds for bicycle and pedestrian paths in transportation bonds, such as the most recent request for $1 million in the upcoming November transportation bond for $127 million.

However, the transportation department can't simply allot funding to help bike paths and trails grow, Stewart added. Communities and bicycle advocacy groups have to apply for funding and grants, which many do.

"In Portland, the off-road trail that extends the Eastern Prom to Tukey's Bridge and around the Back Cove is the result of people understanding how to create a vision, and then how to become successful at implementing it," Stewart said of the work done by Portland Trails.

As a result of statewide efforts by towns, state officials and nonprofits to add safe bike paths and lanes, there are 600 miles of off-road trails in Maine, with more to come.

Stewart said the 86-mile Down East Sunrise Trail that runs along a rail bed from Ellsworth to Calais will open soon.

Almost five miles of the Mountain Division Trail from Gorham to Sebago Lake Village will be paved this summer by his department, extending that trail by nearly seven miles.

And the best yet is about two years out, Stewart said.

"That (Gorham trail is) exciting. What's more exciting is seven miles of trail from Biddeford to Kennebunk is going out to bid in June, and construction will begin this summer," Stewart said. "The bridge over the turnpike will open in 2011."

That seven-mile off-road trail through built-up southern Maine will mean a huge new stretch on an existing bike path that runs from Bug Light in South Portland to just about the Scarborough town line, and from parts of Scarborough into Old Orchard Beach.

Soon cyclists will be able to travel almost completely off-road from the Casco Bay Bridge in Portland to Kennebunk, more than 30 miles away.

Allison Vogt, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, which teaches bicycle safety to about 10,000 schoolchildren each year, said at this point all that is needed to make bicycling better in Maine is getting more people out riding.

"More bicyclists breeds more bicyclists because there is a perception it is safe and enjoyable and it inspires more people to get out there," Vogt said.

But what does Maine need to do to be the nation's No. 1 biking destination?

"It's just continuing to do what we're doing," Stewart said. "I don't think there is anything we are missing."

DEIRDRE FLEMING, Portland Press Herald, May 21, 2009


Lakes:
Regions: Sebago, Sanford, Mid Coast


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News