TOPSHAM
In response to a recent spike in pedestrian-involved vehicle crashes, Topsham residents are invited to a pedestrian safety forum at Mt. Ararat High School on Wednesday.
The forum, organized by the Maine Department of Transportation and the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, will take place at 6 p.m.
Patrick Adams is the manager of bicycle and pedestrian programs for MaineDOT and has been part of a work group convened in October 2015 after the department noticed a dramatic increase in annual pedestrian fatalities.
By October 2015, Maine had already seen 11 pedestrian fatalities, more than the nine total pedestrian fatalities the year before. That number grew to 19 for the year.
There were 16 pedestrian fatalities in 2016.
As of Aug. 31, there has been 10 pedestrian fatalities this year, as well as two bicycle fatalities.
The rise in pedestrian fatalities is not unique to Maine, and other states are watching how Maine is addressing the problem.
“Basically our numbers had doubled over the last two years and a youth pedestrian fatality really caused us to look internally and feel like we needed to do something,” Adams said.
The forums are just the first step, and the department wants the people who live, play, shop and work in the town to be involved.
“We were really looking to try to do something more long term, more in-depth and detailed and part of this was all about engaging local community members,” Adams said.
The presenters will share information about pedestrian safety and factors that lead to crashes and the public will have a chance to talk about their concerns.
Topsham has had seven crashes involving pedestrians between 2012-16, which will also be discussed.
There will also be a site visit to the most concerning locations pinpointed by citizens.
The process will result in plans to reduce pedestrian crashes in the short and long term.
“As transportation officials, we may have a pretty good idea about where some of the trouble spots are but we don’t live in that community, so we don’t know it nearly as well as the people who live there,” Adams said.
Mt. Ararat High School is located at 73 Eagle’s Way.
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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