Critics: Exit 7 plans bypass pedestrians
The Marginal Way project aims to assist vehicle traffic now and bikes and walkers at a later date.
By Dennis Hoey dhoey@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
PORTLAND — The state is expected to open bids today on a $2 million project aimed at making traffic flow more smoothly through one of the city's most congested intersections.
The Maine Department of Transportation will spend the money to add lanes to both the southbound and northbound Exit 7 ramps off Interstate 295, and will install traffic lights at the ends of both ramps to prevent traffic backups.
While those improvements might sound appealing to the motorists who commute daily through the Marginal Way/Franklin Street intersection, the bid does not include funds to create a bicycle/pedestrian path connecting East Bayside and the new Bayside Trail with the trail around Back Cove.
Mark Latti, a spokesman for the MDOT, said the state is committed to reserving space for the connecting path under the Exit 7 overpass, but will not complete the connection until the interchange improvements are finished and engineers have time to assess the impact of such dramatic traffic changes on pedestrians.
He said he did not know how wide the path would be.
"That's something (the bike path) we have been planning for all along. The space will be there for the trail connection," Latti said. "We fully intend to build it, but now is not the time."
The lack of funds for a connecting path to Back Cove prompted a flurry of e-mails and phone calls from the Maine League of Young Voters to Gov. John Baldacci's office. Joy Leach, a spokeswoman for the governor, said his office received about 30 complaints Tuesday.
The league cited a Portland City Council resolution, adopted March 15, that endorsed including a pedestrian connection to the Back Cove walking trail from East Bayside.
"We're pretty astounded that MDOT is completely disregarding the City Council and its resolution that this project would include a full trail connection," the league said in its e-mail to members.
The council resolution states that the Back Cove trail connection should be created no later than the conclusion of traffic improvements in the area of Franklin Street and Marginal Way.
Latti said Exit 7 improvements, which will begin this summer, should take about one year to complete.
Christian MilNeil is chairman of Portland's Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. He is also a member of the league.
He said the state's plan is deficient not only because it lacks funds for the path, but because it does not provide funds for a crosswalk.
"Our biggest concern is that the state has resisted spending money on anything that would benefit pedestrians. It's all going to highway improvements," MilNeil said. "We're just asking for safe, pedestrian crossings at that intersection."
MilNeil remains skeptical that the state will follow through on its promise to complete the connection to Back Cove.
"Why can't we build the project right the first time, instead of doing it in fits and starts?" he said.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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33 COMMENTS
Felix said...
""Our biggest concern is that the state has resisted spending money on anything that would benefit pedestrians. It's all going to highway improvements," -PPH GUESS WHO'S PICKING UP THE TAB FOR THE VEHICLE PART?---------------------THE VEHICLES THROUGH FUEL TAXES!!!!.....................AND GUESS WHO'S PICKING UP THE TAB FOR THE SPANDEX CROWD?----------------UHUH, THE FUEL TAX PAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!---------------------WHY DON'T THESE SELF ABSORBED ELITISTS PASS THE HAT AMONG THEMSELVES AND PAY THEIR OWN WAY?????????
May 12, 2010 at 6:31 AM Report abuse
MainenCrisis said...
Its about time! Portland is a peninsula and a commuter city no matter how much many wish it was not. Stop wasting money on pedestrian trails and nonsense.
May 12, 2010 at 6:48 AM Report abuse
mtc said...
If you look at the people running the Maine DOT you will find they are a bunch of fat slobs who pay no mind to the fact that people ride bikes and exercise. One dept of the state is spending money to motivate people to get healthy while people like the DOT and state parks are limiting opportunities.
May 12, 2010 at 7:25 AM Report abuse
coreyt said...
Felix, did you know that people who don't own cars are also paying for road maintenance through their taxes? Everyone is supporting our public infrastructure and the infrustrcuture should serve everyone as well as possible.
May 12, 2010 at 7:49 AM Report abuse
MainenCrisis said...
Bear - take your meds, noone called you anything. When I live in back bay I road my bike to work a lot. I can't ride the 15 miles down 302 now like many others. Portland is a commuter city and thus the focus needs to be on cars. There are plenty of ways to get across 295 right now, no reason to spend millions more. Could it be you are jsut lazy and dont want to walk to an existing cross walk? Furhter more since they added the bike lane on Forrest (always filled with parked cars btw) I've seen 4 bikes. Not 4 a day, 4 bikes in how many months? Please...thats money wasted.....
May 12, 2010 at 8:00 AM Report abuse
brightOne said...
Roads are designed for car and truck transportation. They're not your personal exercise gymnasium.
May 12, 2010 at 8:28 AM Report abuse
jake007 said...
Beemeup ....agreed....bikes are a pain in the a$$ intown..cutting in and out of traffic,running red lights etc etc..yaaayyybear ..screw you and your attitude,it has nothing to do with your right to get where you need to,the roads were(are)designed for traffic..take the bus or walk if you are so opposed to driving for what ever reason. Go to the gym,ride your bikes around the blvd. Enough about bikes and skateboards by the way.
May 12, 2010 at 8:50 AM Report abuse
Bicycle2Work said...
Roads are built for people, not just people in cars. Your position is that people are exercising when riding their bikes. When I am on my bike, I am commuting, just like people in cars. I ride my bike for transportation, not simply recreation.
May 12, 2010 at 9:12 AM Report abuse
xcalibur1066 said...
There should be a walk/bike-a-thon to pay for this connector. Or better yet, dump the pedestrian walkway to nowhere on the new Veteran's bridge and spend that money on the pedestrian walkway on Exit 7.
May 12, 2010 at 9:36 AM Report abuse
YmF5Y2Fz said...
Let's start taxing bicycles. There must be some formula our democrats can dream up to make it seem 'fair'.
May 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM Report abuse
notspot said...
"Then that would make you insane, since you're putting your life at risk just to commute. Why wear a helmet when there's no brains to protect?" Sometimes you just have to shake your head at some posts.
May 12, 2010 at 10:55 AM Report abuse
Bicycle2Work said...
In the USA between 30,000 and 50,000 people die each and every year in motor vehicle crashes. The health benefits of riding a bike daily, greatly outway the dangers. Keep driving your death trap.
May 12, 2010 at 11:26 AM Report abuse
Kailee123 said...
Maybe they should tax bicycles to pay for it. Bikes will need an inspection sticker and yearly excise taxes. Fair is fair.
May 12, 2010 at 12:52 PM Report abuse
JEFC said...
mtc: Nice caricature! BrightOne: Roads aren't only for cars. Felix, MainenCrisis, others: I commute by car, bicycle & I walk. I pay property taxes. I'm paying for improvements to roads for cars, bikes & pedestrians.
May 12, 2010 at 1:16 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
SpongeBob SquarePants rides a bicycle, why not you!?
May 12, 2010 at 1:16 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
45,000 cyclists vs. 2.4M motorists were injured in 2005, yielding 7.3 injuries per million miles for cyclists and 1.5 injuries per million miles traveled for motorists, making cyclists 4.9 times more likely to be injured per mile of travel. NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2005: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/TSF2005.PDF
May 12, 2010 at 1:23 PM Report abuse
Chew said...
More veicles pass through this area in one day than pedestrians/bicycles do in a year. Of course the improvements for vehicle traffic need to come first...
May 12, 2010 at 1:34 PM Report abuse
geologyjoe said...
Felix assumes that people who ride bikes do not drive cars. I have 3 cars in my household that drive a total of about 56,000 miles per year. I also ride my bike to work as often as possible. My driving more than makes up for other commuting riders like 'Bicycle2Work'. Ride to work and be healthy and happy. Unlike our stressed out commenter Felix.
May 12, 2010 at 1:42 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
"I'm paying for improvements to roads for cars, bikes & pedestrians." - - - - - Roads are designed by engineers for cars and trucks. It's the politicians that have the cute little bicycle lanes painted on them.
May 12, 2010 at 1:52 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
"Ride to work and be healthy and happy..." - - - - Ever hear of the "door prize"? One of my best friends had the pleasure and was in traction for six month with a broken back. One of the many benefits of riding your bicycle through contested rush hour traffic.
May 12, 2010 at 2:00 PM Report abuse
Bicycle2Work said...
NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2005... Data based on miles traveled creates a bias due to speed and distance traveled. Just as comparing travel by jet with travel by car, you wouldn't use miles as your measurement. Since the jet is 20 times faster, a comparison based strictly on miles makes the jet look 20 times safer. Quite simply bicycles and cars do not travel the same distance. Even a car-free cyclist is going to ride far below the 12,000 miles per year of the average motor vehicle operator. When looking at hours spent on a bike, versus hours spent behind the wheel, bicycling is as safe as, or safer than driving.
May 12, 2010 at 2:27 PM Report abuse
Nan said...
Christian, would you like some cheese with that whine? As a taxpayer in the State of Maine who is paying for this work, I am glad the state is standing up to you whiners and setting priorities. If you and/or the city of Portland want a path, then pay for it yourself. Stop grabbing for my wallet. My entire life, I've been riding bikes and walking without need for a special path. Good grief.
May 12, 2010 at 2:32 PM Report abuse
Bicycle2Work said...
"The door prize". There is an easy fix for the door prize, always ride more than four feet from all parked cars. I will never be doored, because I will never ride next to parked cars. I hope your friend recovered.
May 12, 2010 at 2:32 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
Good luck with that. I prefer driving my pickup to work, as do 99% of all other commuters. Nothing illegal about, as they say, pissing into the wind?
May 12, 2010 at 2:33 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
B2W - you must be 20 something. When you grow up you'll appreciate the value of life, most notably your own.
May 12, 2010 at 2:57 PM Report abuse
Bicycle2Work said...
BrightOne. Your assumption is not accurate. I am twice that age, with a wife and two young children to support. I realize that our auto-centric society is unsustainable. I have made a conscious decision to live a short distance from work. I realize the risk benefit ratio of a bicycle commuting. I do so year round through the Maine winter. Whether your gut feeling tells you that cycling is inherently dangerous or not, I assure you that it is no more or less lethal than getting behind the wheel. My place of employment lost a driver in a snow storm last year. He was in a well maintained, fleet vehicle with studded snow tires. Of course the chance of getting hurt on a bicycle is much greater than getting hurt in a car (with seat belts and air bags and steel cage). However, when considering deaths per hour of activity, the danger is about the same.
May 12, 2010 at 3:21 PM Report abuse
coreyt said...
I get the feeling that a lot of the people commenting here who are strongly opposed to accommodating pedestrians and bicycles on public roads and paths don't leave Maine very often. I think some of you might die of culture shock if you were to visit Europe or a major American city. Did any of you read the part about major (also very costly) improvements to I-295 that this project creates, by the way? Please be happy about something!
May 12, 2010 at 3:56 PM Report abuse
JEFC said...
BrightOne: Those cute lines indicate the lane you're to drive, & also the lane the bicyclist you're required by law to share the road with is to ride in.
May 12, 2010 at 4:57 PM Report abuse
brightOne said...
I've been to Europe twice and appreciate the comment. There's no issue with crawling around town on a bike at typically low speeds because it's in town with a light at almost every intersection. In Germany you won't see bicycles on the Autobahn. But B2W's very short ride to work is not a real COMMUTE through the crush of traffic coming into and out of the peninsula either by 302, 25 or 295 at 40-75 miles per hour. The real issue is that our roads are designed and built for 4 wheeled motorized vehicles and that's never going to change, in my lifetime anyway. There are better ways to attempt to change the world than risking your life with a bicycle on a roadway competing with road-raged commuters.
May 12, 2010 at 7:03 PM Report abuse
meta5 said...
my FEDERAL tax dollars at work, with a mandate to provide access to all forms of transport. It's an 8 foot path underneath a bridge, all you drivers DON'T own the road.
May 12, 2010 at 8:03 PM Report abuse
Nan said...
You know what the most funny part about this whole debate is? MDOT could decide to go ahead and add the bike/pedestrian path to placate them, and most likely, the cyclists will find some reason not to use it, just like they find reasons not to use the few bike paths out there right now. They'll keep riding in the road in groups -- I believe they're called pelotons. They'll take up the entire road, and go at a slow pace, and bring traffic to a standstill -- just like they have been doing for years -- just to prove their point that they have a right to use the road. Every time I see a "Share the Road" bumper sticker I want to tell them to practice what they preach.
May 12, 2010 at 10:56 PM Report abuse
Sam said...
The Highway Fund comes 100% from $$ directly from motorized vehicles like gas and excise taxes. They do not get anything from property or non vehicle sales or income tax revenues. There are many valid arguments for bike paths, but saying bikers help pay for them is NOT one. And just because a biker owns a car doesn't make it so either. That biker (who uses less gas) pays gas taxes for the usae of the highways while in his/her CAR.
May 13, 2010 at 6:20 AM Report abuse
coreyt said...
Sam, I'm curious how you feel about public education. If you don't have children then you are paying for other people's kids to to school. Does that upset you also? Yes, public school is a benefit to a lot of people. But so isn't infrastructure that benefits people not riding in cars?
May 13, 2010 at 2:40 PM Report abuse