Traffic backs up on County Road near the Scarborough-Gorham town line during the afternoon commute on Sept. 12. Gregory Rec / Portland Press Herald

A new transportation study in Scarborough is to be presented to the Town Council this fall, the first comprehensive analysis of transportation in town since 2006.

The Transportation Committee began work on the new study in February 2023, focusing on enhancing safety, creating networks centered around multiple forms of transportation, meeting transportation demands in town and more.

The committee has been working with Scarborough-based consultants Barton & Loguidice on the $100,000 study. Funding for it was allocated in the town’s FY 2023 budget.

In the nearly 20 years since the town’s last comprehensive transportation study, people’s views on how we get around have changed a lot, said Town Engineer Angela Blanchette.

“The focus on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, safety and accommodations has been on the rise with our Scarborough residents,” Blanchette said.

The focus of the 2006 study, on the other hand, was on delays, safety and mobility corridors. Rerouting traffic to Haigis Parkway was a priority and improvements stemming from the study were made around town, such as pedestrian and signal upgrades at Oak Hill, safety improvements at Running Hill and Gorham Roads, and traffic signal synchronization along the Payne Road corridor.

The council adopted the town’s Complete Streets policy in 2015, which put an emphasis on making it safer and creating more ways to walk and bike around town, Blanchette said. However, “it is clear that during public meetings our residents want more sidewalks and bike lanes incorporated into the design and construction” of transportation projects, she said.

A 2021 comprehensive plan and a Route 1 corridor study in partnership with Saco “started the conversation on how we may want our roadways and mobility corridors to function,” Blanchette said. The results of town-wide surveys of residents in 2021 and 2023 presented priorities that included addressing traffic and safety.

Town Manager Tom Hall told the Leader that the findings and recommendations resulting from the study will likely influence municipal transportation projects as well as projects proposed by developers. It may also come in handy when the council addresses transportation-related ordinances and when applying for grant funding for projects, he said.

From traffic calming and pedestrian and bicycle safety to transportation efficiency, a thorough study of the town’s networks can provide comprehensive solutions.

“It’s all one system that needs to work in tandem in order to provide an efficient overall experience,” Blanchette said.