GORHAM — Everyone in town, it seems, has a horror story about crossing the street in Gorham village.

Vicky Lloyd’s happened 20-some years ago when she was walking out the door of her dance school, the Centre of Movement on State Street. A mother and daughter were crossing at the intersection of routes 25 and 114 when a driver decided to turn right on red – and right into them.

“They were literally lifted onto the hood,” she said.

Pedestrian safety is one of the main issues addressed in the latest iteration of a master plan for the downtown. Parking, a problem that got town officials talking about updating the plan for the village, is the other.

The town hired engineering consultant Wright-Pierce last December with a $21,000 Community Development Block grant matched by $4,000 from the town. Before polishing the plan and submitting it to the Town Council, the firm wants to hear from people who use the village.

At a public workshop Thursday, Wright-Pierce will present its work and then gather input, which will be incorporated into the final plan. The meeting is scheduled to run from 6-8 p.m. at the Gorham Municipal Center.

The last version of the Main Street Master Plan, written in 1998, called for construction of a bypass to alleviate truck traffic from the village and new design standards to give downtown buildings a more consistent style.

While those goals have been addressed, other needs identified in the plan haven’t.

Wright-Pierce used the old plan as a starting point, removed items that have been implemented and updated it to include current problems, such as pedestrian safety and parking, said Gorham’s planning and zoning administrator, David Galbraith.

Had Holly Carter known about the shortage of parking in the village a year ago, she might have opened Carter’s Green Market somewhere else, she said. She still might end up moving it from its Main Street location.

Carter said she’s lost a lot of business from commuters who can’t quickly find parking near the market during rush hour.

“They give up,” she said. And forget about trying to hold a beer tasting at happy hour.

The town had proposed razing a barn on Preble Street – off Route 114, one block south of its intersection with Route 25 – to provide room for a parking lot, but the plan was panned by neighbors and rejected by the council in September.

Opponents said parking isn’t as tight on the south side of the intersection, but more is needed for businesses on the northern section of Route 114 – particularly because crossing Route 25 is such a risky endeavor.

Galbraith said the new plan envisions more parking spots along that stretch of road and new crosswalks placed at strategic locations.

Other than hiring a crossing guard, Carter said, she can’t imagine how the town can get cars to stop turning right at red lights so pedestrians can cross safely.

She has heard one creative suggestion, she said, though she’s sure it was just a joke.

The idea was to shoot a paint gun at cars whose drivers don’t yield to pedestrians, so when they’re riding around town, “everyone knows,” she said.

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