Bangor saw five pedestrian crashes in the first month of 2024 despite completing projects last year to increase safety for those walking and bicycling around the city.
A pedestrian-vehicle crash on York Street last month that injured Billy Miller, former owner of Miller Drug in Bangor, highlighted the importance of protecting pedestrians. Miller, who is well known in the area for his community involvement, was still recovering in Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center as of Tuesday.
Miller’s case is one of the five pedestrian and vehicle crashes in Bangor this year, making up nearly half of the entire state’s total, according to data from the Maine Department of Transportation. None of the 11 pedestrian-vehicle crashes across Maine were fatal, but all involved injuries.
The city is on track to exceed last year’s 18 pedestrian crashes, only one of which was fatal, the Maine DOT reported.
Statewide, Maine saw 270 pedestrian crashes in 2023, 17 of which were fatal.
John Theriault, Bangor city engineer, said the city completed several projects last year that included safety improvements for pedestrians and has more work planned for this summer and future years.
Following the Jan. 22 crash that injured Miller, Theriault went to the incident location around the time of day that it happened and found the area was well-light except for one streetlight that was slightly dimmer than others.
While the city’s public works addressed the dim streetlight, Theriualt said he has to balance pedestrian safety and the needs of everyone living in the area.
“The residents don’t always want bright lights if it’s shining in their windows at night,” he said.
With each new road project, Theriault said the city looks to improve pedestrian amenities like sidewalks and crosswalks, which falls in line with the priorities listed in Bangor’s 2022 comprehensive plan.
“Pedestrian safety has been a priority for the public and council, so we’re trying to incorporate that into most future projects,” Theriault said. “Accidents are always going to happen, but we’ve been focusing on lighting, adding bump-outs to crosswalks so they’re not so long, and putting in flashing speed signs.”
In 2023, crews repaved a portion of State Street to include a bicycle lane and spruced up existing sidewalks, Theriault said. Sidewalks and pedestrian crossing signals were also added along Broadway between Husson University and Grandview Avenue.
Other improvements made last year include making sidewalks along Hammond Street compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A blinking pedestrian crossing light was added to Davis Road near the Bangor Housing Authority to protect children who walk across the street to the splash pad.
This summer, the city has plans to widen a portion of Ohio Street between 18th Street and Crestwood Place to add a 5-foot shoulder to accommodate bicycles and a 5- to 6-foot-wide sidewalk that complies with the ADA. That stretch is about 22 feet wide with no sidewalk or shoulder available to pedestrians, Theriault said.
The city also plans to build a pedestrian and bicycle trail along 14th Street Extension to Valley Avenue and split the cost with the Maine DOT.
The path is one recommendation from the city’s Head’s Up Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, a report issued in October 2020 after several public forums earlier that year sought to get input from the community on problem areas for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the city. Since then, the report has informed several past and forthcoming city projects, Theriault said.
While the city has plans in mind, its ability to make sprawling changes each year is hindered by Maine’s short construction season. It can also take years for Theriault to secure state funding for various projects.
“I’ve been trying to get funding for the 14th Street expansion project since 2020,” Theriault said. “These things take time to happen, but it does eventually happen.”
Regardless of how many projects the city completes and when, Theriault said the city and state must continue to remind both drivers and pedestrians to be cautious, visible and aware of their surroundings to avoid crashes.
“Motorists need to be aware of pedestrians, and pedestrians need to be aware of motorists,” Theriault said. “There’s a lot going on when people are driving these days.”