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- Pedestrian, Biking & Hiking Committee
Pedestrian, Biking & Hiking Committee
Meetings
- 4:00 p.m.
- Second Wednesday of each month
- City Hall, Conference Room A
131 Church Street
Belfast, ME 04915
Members: 5 Members & 1 Alternate/Staggered Terms
- Glenn Montgomery
2 Year Term
Term Expires: July 1, 2024 - VACANCY
1 Year Term
Term Expires: July 1, 2023 - David Loxtercamp
2 Year Term
Term Expires: July 1, 2023 - Cara Harshman, Alternate
2 Year Term
Term Expires: July 1, 2023 - Bill Durkin
1 Year Term
Term Expires: July 1, 2023 - Bruce Snider, Chair
1 Year Term
Term Expires: July 1, 2023
Mission:
The Belfast Pedestrian, Biking and Hiking Committee was formed in 2008, with the mission statement of promoting and advocating for improvements to conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists and hikers. The committee vision is to seek improvements in sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, handicapped mobility, and recreational and functional walking routes throughout the city, as well as to promote hiking trails and biking opportunities of all kinds. It is the goal of the committee to advocate for safe and efficient ways for citizens to move around Belfast and surrounding areas without a car.
Committee Goals (January 24th, 2022)
Over the past few months, our committee has discussed and put together a list of high priority projects that we will feel will continue to improve safety and quality of life in Belfast.
Before presenting the list, everyone on the committee feels that it’s important to acknowledge the financial constraints that the city faces, and in light of that wants to commend the council and Public Works for the recent Wales Park sidewalk project which has improved safety, esthetics in that area.
Following is a list of projects our committee feels should be top priorities:
- Develop a comprehensive transportation plan and seek grant funding to help implement it.
- Choosing small projects to prioritize will be easier and more effective if we have a long-term plan that balances the needs of all users of the city’s public ways.
- Hiring an urban planner with extensive experience in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure would be of great value to the community as it’s population grows and the need to live sustainably increases.
- Develop a step-by-step citywide plan to address accessibility issues for those with physical challenges, including parking, sidewalks and curb cuts.
- Specific areas of need are outlined in the full document.
- Build a multimodal path along Wight Street.
- With plans for Wight Street improvements in sight, we recommend constructing a multimodal path, meaning for bikes and pedestrians, at least as wide as the Wales Park path, extending the entire length of Wight Street.
- Rebuild the Congress Street Sidewalk as a multimodal path.
- We advocate for the reconstruction of the Congress Street sidewalk as a multi-modal path, open to pedestrians and bicyclists, that extends all the way from the new Wales Park path—and is the same width as the Wales Park path—all the way to the intersection with Rt. 1.
- Especially important given the future development of the former Public Works property.
- Provide safe crossings at Rt. 52/Rt. 1 and Main Street/Starrett Drive.
- With Maine DOT planning to make improvements to these crucial intersections as soon as 2023, it is a crucial time to consider making it more friendly to non-motorized users.
- The 2002 Troy Howard Trail Feasibility Study lists several options for the crossing of Rt. 1 at Rt. 52, including a pedestrian bridge.
- A lower-cost option would be to eliminate the slip lanes, shortening the crosswalk, and widening the paths along Lincolnville Avenue. This configuration is outlined in the full document and could be trial-run with painted lines and temporary barriers.
- Build a Market Street sidewalk.
- A sidewalk the length of busy Market Street, from Main Street to the existing sidewalk in front of the new courthouse would improve pedestrian access and safety.
- Accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists on the Kelly Bridge.
- Continue efforts to find a way to allow safe passage for residents without cars over the Kelly Bridge on Swan Lake Avenue, as non-motorized users are currently forced to enter the vehicle lane to cross Goose River.
- Increase maintenance on the heavily used section of the Harbor Walk from the Boathouse up to and including the concrete section on the Naron property.
- The latter has big gaps between several concrete squares that are safety risks for pedestrians.
- Increase funding to maintain the Rail Trail.
- This heavily used and very popular trail is currently in need of additional gravel and work to address washouts.
- One way of preserving the trail would be to close it during mud season, as is done with the carriage trails in Acadia National Park.
- Also needed for the Rail Trail are several signs indicating proper use by both pedestrians and bicyclists to avoid accidents.
- Create a Rail Trail-Kaler Road loop for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Improve Kaler Road, Robbins Road, and part of Swan Lake Ave near the Rt. 1 crosswalk.
- Creates a 5.1 mile loop that would become a prized recreational asset for walkers, hikers, runners and cyclists, improving quality of life and reaching new and growing segments of outdoor-minded tourists.