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And as the days grow shorter, remember to make yourself visible in the dark if you’re walking or biking.

By SHOSHANA HOOSE – Posted October 25

[Ed. note: Be sure to read this entire article – the Eastern Trail is specifically mentioned near the end]

You can do two things in the next week and a half to improve bicycling and walking in Maine.

First, vote for the $85 million state transportation bond on the November ballot. A small portion of that money will pay for bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Read on to learn details.

Second, ask those running for office in your city or town where they stand on bicycling and walking issues. For example:

• Does your town have a plan to create more multi-use trails and/or bike lanes?

• Would candidates support using local funds to match state and federal money so that your town qualifies for new sidewalks, improved crosswalks and other infrastructure?

• Do they support having your city or town adopt a Complete Streets policy that takes into account the needs of all users, not just motorists, when planning road projects?

• What would they do to improve your village center or downtown so that more people can walk and bike to do shopping and other errands?

• How would they make transportation in your town or city more accessible for Maine’s aging population?

Just asking those questions will get candidates thinking about the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. If they’re elected, you’ve already begun a relationship that you can build on as issues arise.

The state transportation bond on the ballot includes $68 million for roads and bridges. The Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) adopted a Complete Streets policy last year that requires all road and bridge projects to be built with bicyclists, pedestrians and other non-vehicle users in mind, in addition to motorists.

Anyone who has crossed the Martins Point Bridge between Portland and Falmouth or the Veterans Bridge between Portland and South Portland can see how that approach pays off. Both bridges have wide paths for cyclists and pedestrians that are separated from the roadway.

Last session, the Maine Legislature considered a bill sponsored by Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, that would have set aside $13.9 million of bond money for standalone bicycle-pedestrian projects. Had it passed as proposed, it would have allowed the state to move forward with 50 projects. Maine DOT already has approved many of those projects, and local matching funds have been allocated.

In the final weeks of the session, legislators combined all of the transportation bond bills into a single one that does not specifically allocate any money for bicycle-pedestrian projects.

Instead, it says that $17 million of the bond will be used for “ports, harbors, marine transportation, aviation, freight and passenger railroads, transit and bicycle and pedestrian trails” – in other words, everything other than roads and bridges.

If the bond passes, DOT will have discretion about how to spend the $17 million. Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Nass said one project that might be funded is a segment of the Eastern Trail between the Nonesuch River and Pleasant Hill Road in Scarborough. That would provide a continuous segment of the bicycle and pedestrian trail from South Portland to Saco. DOT would provide up to $1.5 million in matching funds for the trail.

Read the entire article online here.

Shoshana Hoose is a freelance writer who bicycles in Greater Portland and beyond. Contact her at shoshanahoose@gmail.com.

Opinion – Fosters.com – A service of SeacoastOnline.com – Posted Oct. 14, 2015

A review of great places to go and things to do to enjoy the colorful fall foliage in southern Maine, including on and around the Eastern Trail!

Ah, October. That time of year is finally here again. Time to take in the bold and beautiful colors of fall. There’s plenty to do in our area during the fall season, but if you’re looking for a relaxing, leisurely adventure, take a drive and enjoy the foliage.

Here in Sanford-Springvale, there are plenty of sights to see, from the five brilliant maples at Holdsworth Park, also known as the REC, in Springvale, to the canopies that provide endless shade along the miles of the Mousam Way Trail. All you have to do is leave the downtown or the overall, populous stretch of Main Street, and you’ll find all sorts of small neighborhoods and quaint, winding rural roads brought to life with the kaleidoscopic hues of autumn.

This being New England, the season’s breathtaking sights do, of course, extend well beyond Sanford and Springvale. Our sister newspaper, the York County Coast Star, has compiled a list of foliage faves throughout southern York County that would make for a nice weekend drive or even a relaxing long way home from work. We offer that list below for your enjoyment.

Route 35

Pick up Route 35 just beyond the highway in Kennebunk and head north, passing the Kennebunk Elementary School on your right. The countryside here winds and undulates, past antique farm houses and newer homes. Horses nibble grass in their pastures and above it all, the leaves are displayed in all their glory. If you have more time to spare, continue up 35 through Lyman to the little hamlet of Goodwin Mills, where the church and mill pond coupled with the foliage give the feeling of a quintessential New England village in autumn.

Read the entire article online here

Multi-use paths are being added to cities across the country at an exciting rate and more people are using them. That’s a great thing. But crowding can lead to conflict. To stay safe, and make the experience more enjoyable for everyone, here are a few guidelines for blisfully sharing bike paths with fellow cyclists, joggers, dog walkers, and everyone else.

1. Get out of time-trial mode, duh. It’s fun to go fast, but a bike path isn’t the place to seek a KOM. Yes, you can crank things up a bit if you have clear sight lines and few other users but, as a general rule, keep it under control.

2.  Ride right, pass left. Act like a car in these situations. Right for travel, left for passing. And, of course, obey all traffic signals.

3. Slow down—and be prepared to stop—when there are others around. People are unpredictable. Kids and pets especially, but the truth is, anyone can be so involved in a conversation or wrapped up in their own thoughts that they’ll make a bad choice even if they hear you coming. Slow to a walking pace and keep your hands on your brakes.

4. Make some noise well before passing. A bell is more charming(and less startling) than an “on your left!” but either is preferable to a stealth pass. Make noise—be sure you’re heard—well before you reach the person you’re passing.

5. Look around (and signal!) before passing or stopping. Just because you’re doing it right doesn’t mean everyone else is. Before you swing left to pass or hit the brakes to stop, throw out a hand signal, and take a look behind you for oncoming traffic.

6. Don’t stand in the path. Sometimes it’s nice to stop and look around and take a drink. Pull off the path when you do so, otherwise you’ll block the way for everyone else. 

7. Be nice. It’s the most important thing. You’re representing cyclists as a group. Don’t be a stone-faced automaton hell-bent on maintaining your 19.5 mph pace. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be friendly. Wave. Say hello. It will make all of our time on these super paths a little more fun.

Read the entire article on-line here.

By LIZ GOTTHELF, Staff WriterA new local initiative, Treetops & Rooftops GIS, is bringing on demand tours of local points of interest.

Treetops & Rooftops, an initiative of Saco Bay Center for Civic Engagement and created by volunteers, has developed a pilot program with three audio tours – historical tours of Pepperell Park in Saco and The Pier in Old Orchard Beach and an audio drama that takes place at a segment of the Eastern Trail in Biddeford behind Southern Maine Health Care.

The tours can be found by going to the Saco Bay Center for Civic Engagement website, www.sacobaycenter.org. Project leader Melissa Field secured the use of a mapping system developed for the Eastern Trail to allow smartphone users to access the audio tours.

“You can take the tour anytime,” said Fields.

Local historian Catherine Glynn worked with students from Katy Nicketakis’ French class at Thornton Academy to develop and narrate the Pepperell Park tour, which includes history of the park and a poem written in 1900 by William Grant Brooks.

The tour was translated by Thornton Academy French students as a class project, and narrated in French by two student volunteers.

Thornton Academy senior Taylor Lamarre said she volunteered last school year to dictate part of the recording because she wants to become more fluent in French.

Lamarre said the project was a lot of fun to work on and she learned a lot about Saco.

“It sounds really, really good: Better than I expected,” she said. “I think it’s really cool that a lot of people are going to be hearing this.”

Read the entire article online here

This year’s Maine Lighthouse Ride will feature some very special guests. More than 60 riders from Team In Training – Iowa Chapter LLS, benefitting the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, will join us this coming Saturday. Notice their custom team jerseys!

Find out more about them here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-In-Training-Iowa-Chapter-LLS/228252667231163?fref=ts