BANGOR, Maine — While two Canadian sisters undergo treatment for serious injuries they suffered when a van struck them Sunday evening on Hogan Road, Bangor city officials are waiting to hear whether they will receive a grant to make the area safer for those on foot.
“There presently are no pedestrian facilities on the Hogan Road,” Bangor Public Works Director Dana Wardwell said Tuesday morning.
“We recognize the need and we’re trying to secure funding to make it safer up in that area,” Wardwell said. “Unfortunately, funding is always an issue.”
Wardwell said he applied for a state “transportation enhancement” grant over the summer, and should learn the result in the spring of 2013 and begin construction the next year if the application is successful.
In its application, the city asks for a $167,000 grant to build a sidewalk on the eastern side of Hogan Road from the entrance to the Bangor Mall to the Stillwater Avenue intersection, as well as a trio of crosswalks at traffic lights along that stretch, according to Wardwell. One crosswalk would be placed at the Bangor Mall entrance, another at the Stillwater intersection and the third at the Longview Drive intersection, near the spot where the two women were struck Sunday.
Sandra Samuel, 62, of Lutes Mountain, New Brunswick, remained in critical condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center Tuesday evening, and her sister, Carole Day, 66, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was listed in fair condition.
The sisters were part of a Canadian bus shopping trip to Bangor, a popular trend for Canadians, especially around the holidays.
Day and Samuel were crossing Hogan Road just south of the intersection of Hogan Road and Longview Drive — where the Olive Garden restaurant parking lot is located — when they were struck about 6 p.m. Sunday by a 2003 GMC van driven by Willis Martin, 81, of Brewer, according to police.
An off-duty nurse who witnessed the crash told the Bangor Daily News the victims were wearing dark clothing when they crossed the road.
“I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, he doesn’t see them, and they’re going to get hit,’” the nurse, Bonnie Martin, said. “I saw one female victim off to the right but never saw the other, so I knew there was trouble.”
The Maine Department of Transportation expects to decide which communities will receive funding sometime next spring, department spokesman Ted Talbot said Tuesday afternoon. Safety concerns play a big part in deciding which municipalities see grant money.
“By golly, that’s a big red flag for us,” Talbot said, referring to reports of accidents and safety concerns that towns and cities put in their applications.
Talbot said 92 communities had requested a total of about $45 million in transportation enhancement grant funding. The state typically funds about $7 million toward those projects over two years, he said.
City Manager Cathy Conlow said Tuesday afternoon that it’s important for the city to address pedestrian safety in the area. She said she couldn’t recall any serious accidents involving pedestrians on Hogan Road in the recent past.
“It’s terribly unfortunate that these women got struck,” Conlow said, adding that pedestrians should be especially cautious in those areas without pedestrian crossings or signals. “That’s a tough place to cross, even in the daylight.”
Bangor is a popular destination for Canadian shoppers, some of whom board buses that take groups to the city for shopping excursions. Those who take the bus then walk to restaurants and stores in the mall area.
“We want them to continue to come here and feel safe,” Conlow said.
In June, the city installed a crosswalk at the intersection of Maine and Patten streets about a month after a Bangor man was struck by a car and killed in a hit-and-run on Main Street near the intersection.
The driver, Patricia Giles, was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a Class C felony, and falsifying evidence. She pleaded guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to to three years in prison with all but nine months suspended and two years probation.
Wardwell said Hogan Road is one of several areas where the city sees a need for pedestrian-friendly improvements. The city already has secured state funding for a project to improve pedestrian access on Union Street. That work will begin in the spring, he said.
“I think, absolutely, we need to take a look at how we serve those areas more effectively,” Conlow said.
BDN reporter Nok-Noi Ricker contributed to this report.
Hmmm… Guess we’ll add some more traffic lights.
Not needed there. Just the sidewalk and crosswalks.
It is past time. Many areas in Bangor, including the Hogan Road, are very unfriendly and unsafe to walkers. It is not right. It is overdue that this is addressed and rectified.
They were wearing dark clothing when it was dark outside. People, stealing $167,000 of your neighbors money would not have prevented their deaths. Find something else to make you feel good.
A very ineffectual response to a serious issue.
It’s not a serious issue – at all. There is no epidemic of deaths on Hogan Road. There is though an epidemic of fear. Everyone is so afraid, reflexively stealing their neighbors money hoping it will make them feel good. Again, they were wearing dark clothing when it was dark outside. Your neighbors check book will never fix that.
Blame the victim much? Having no pedestrian facilities in a high-density commercial area is unacceptable, particularly given the presence of these bus trips that leave the passengers little choice but to walk when the bus isn’t ferrying them around.
By your logic these two lives (and perhaps otehrs into the future) aren’t worth $167,000. What do you value your own life at?
How much does it cost to paint a crosswalk on the road? Maybe $25?
More. And the sidewalk will cost much more.
I’m still thankful the state interfered with southern Maine’s plans to replace a bridge between South Portland and Portland and made them include a sidewalk. It isn’t a highway. Residents pay taxes for roads and things. People pay extra for cars. If only roads were designed that way. Instead, thinking changed and it’s all about the car, and then wonder why it has become and obese nation… :/
Really? The city of Bangor can’t afford to build a sidewalk without a grant from the state? I guess finding $167,000 in a budget of $88 million is tougher than it sounds.
They should have a sidewalk on the other side of the mall road, (the arby’s side) terrible for pedistrians.
The problem with crosswalks in Maine are Maine district attorneys often do not prosecute drivers who STRIKE pedestrians in crosswalks, even,if,the,pedestrian,is ,killed.while,using,a,crosswalk. Like in this 2005 Fairfield crash: Driver hit two people, one killed, the driver WAS NOT CHARGED.. Than there was a pedestrian in Framington about 2004, hit in a crosswalk[hurt but not killed], the driver was NOT CHARGED.
Any reporters, feel free to look into the story:
Pedestrian killed when struck in crosswalk
By DOUG HARLOW Staff Writer
Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME) December 1, 2005
FAIRFIELD — A Fairfield man was killed Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a car on Main Street and carried several hundred feet on the car’s hood.
Michael Meader, 55, of Western Avenue, was hit as he and another man were walking across Main Street in the crosswalk near Huhtamaki Packaging and The Butcher’s Choice restaurant.
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_multi=MTNP2%7C&p_product=CMNP&p_theme=cmnp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=Pedestrian%20killed%20when%20struck%20in%20crosswalk%20By%20DOUG%20HARLOW%20Staff%20Writer%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(Pedestrian%20killed%20when%20struck%20in%20crosswalk%20By%20DOUG%20HARLOW%20Staff%20Writer)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no
The whole mall area is a hellhole for everyone but motorists. I just stay away and do my shopping elsewhere.
It’s a hellhole for motorists, too. When they’re painting the crosswalks it would be helpful if they painted those raised medians as well…anything to brighten up the area so that motorists can see better.
I agree…I dread driving there, especially at night, and pedestrians without crosswalks to use are in danger. I would hate walking there and even when I stay at hotels in that immediate area I drive to where I am going.
drivers drive to fast on hogan road even for the cross walks even bangor mall boulevard the go way too fast
Ya..thats it ..wait till someone gets seriously injured before they put sidewalks and crosswalks and pedestrian lights, when all of fthat shoulda been present YEARS ago like any other normal and busy intersection!!!!!!!!
yes there should be about 15 walk ways for hogan road area one near olive garden, a few down near hannaford and few near the mall on sides of traffice…..the thing with cross walks i see is that people not doing is obeying the signal it gives, if it shows red hand, or the words don’t cross in red it means don’t cross motorist have the right of way at that point they are j-walking and not obeying a traffic signmal i would be giving out tickets all the time if was cop….. if we have to stop on red and go on green the walkers and bicyclist that don’t follow the rules of the road should be charged like we do if run a red light…..
If a crosswalk HAD been there, perhaps the ladies would’ve had an idea the light was about to change before they started walking. Instead they had no choice but to guess. Yes, plenty of pedestrains disregard crosswalks, but plenty use them correctly. Saying they shouldn’t be there because some poeple disregard them is like saying cars shouldn’t have seatbelts because some won’t use them.
Who ever designed the entrance to 95 from stillwater ave must of thought it was still horse and buggy. What a dangerous situation.
With all the revenue Canadians add to the Bangor economy, the least the city could do to make the most popular shopping destination safer would be installing crosswalks and a means to stop the traffic long enough for pedestrians to get across. This would not only benefit our international shoppers but also enhance the safety of everyone in the area!
That sidewalk (and the crosswalks) are sorely needed. We recently saw a couple crossing Stillwater from the Country Inn to go to Olive Garden and of course were faced with walking on a grassy bank for a block.
Crosswalks only help if people stop speeding and obey the law. Just about every day I have cars racing me to a crosswalk so they don’t have to stop or they just drive through and wave and smile as if that makes up for breaking the law. I’ve seen drivers in Brunswick go through a stop sign at 40 mhp without slowing down. On Monday night I saw a man and woman walking back to where they had parked their car which happened to be in the middle lane at the stop light where Pleassant Street meets Main Street in Brunswick. The guy put on his flashers and just left the car at a busy intersection for probably 10 minutes making cars drive around it because he was too lazy to find a parking space.
Towns can make roads pedestrian friendly but drivers need to start driving safer and obeying the laws. To go along with this Pedestrians need to use crosswalks and give cars time to slow down when they cross the street. Too much money is being wasted by towns and govt. because too many people are irresponsible.
Studid photo. Very “artistic.”
The pedestrian situation on the Hogan Road has always been an accident waiting for a place to happen. Too bad they waited until someone was seriously hurt before they took action.
“Wardwell said he applied for a state ‘transportation enhancement’ grant over the summer,”
They didn’t wait until someone was seriously hurt before they took action, they took action this summer.
I stand corrected.
Overhead Skywalks to cross Hogan Road. Stillwater is no picnic either.
This is a shame.
“We recognize the need and we’re trying to secure funding to make it safer up in that area,” Wardwell said. “Unfortunately, funding is always an issue.”
I have lived in northern Europe. My wife has lived in northern Europe. Since those days we have gone back there to visit our friends and relations on a fairly regular basis.
So we have seen over there with our own eyes the absence of unpainted houses and falling down barns or people living in grubby trailers. Our friends and relations there have good jobs and healthcare. Each one has all the education that he/she could handle. On their vacations they travel abroad, often to where it is warmer, to see how others live as they relax in the sun. There is no poverty there. No veterans sleeping on streets. No people thrown out of their homes by international banks because of sickness or lack of good paying jobs. They have healthcare and education — every bit of which is paid for by their very own tax dollars.
They are happy because they are able to think differently than most Americans. One northern European who winters in Florida told me that 67 percent of his income is gobbled up by income tax. He said, “Why should that bother me? I winter here in my Florida house. I have everything I want.”
Economic systems are not like religions because you can actually travel through two countries and compare the houses, roads, healthcare, education and material wealth of the average citizens in those two countries and see which economic system works the best. There is no need for argument. You can see it.
There will probably always be a struggle in America about how your money will be spent: Will it go to repair bridges and roads in your town, or will a handful of people simply salt it down as part of their surplus in a Swiss bank account?
Folks who have traveled abroad on their own dollar know that people who have the most of what matters most in life have voted for governments that know that the secret for having all of these good things is “tax and spend.”
The humble Farmer
Your Norther European buddies owe their nice lifestyle to the United States. The military that saved their butts from Hitler is the same one that protects them today.
It was my sister in-laws that were hit and injured in this town. some of your coments make me sick. they were in your town spending canadian dollars which employs lots of people. they were two sister spending time together and started to cross the street when the light went from red to green. the man in the van didnt see them period. if ur goverment had spend some of our money of some crosswalks with overhead lights. WE wouldn’t be here now hoping and prayng that we can all go home alive. so if you only have negative coments keep them to ur self.