January & February – Events & Opportunities
Feel Free to Comment on Proposed MDOT Economic Stimulus Package
Check out this link for info and to make public comments on potential projects in the Maine Dept. of Transportation’s proposed economic stimulus package – including bicycle and pedestrian, & transit projects.
Feb 6-14 Walk, Bike, Bus or Carpool to WinteRush 2009!
Fun wintry events all over downtown (including a chance to try out snowshoeing with Portland Trails!) For the schedule of all WinteRush events and other info, click here.
Feb 12 – Public Meeting to Discuss Accommodations for Veranda Street Bridge Closure!
Join MaineDOT at a formal public meeting to discuss traffic control and the construction schedule of the future replacement of the Veranda Street Bridge (#5052), over Canadian Railroad, located 0.30 of a mile northerly of Washington Street . 7:00PM at the Washington Gardens Community Center, 66 Pembroke Street.
Interested folks should definitely attend. The proposed temporary bike/ped solution is to provide a shuttle bus on the 1/2 hour. Originally they were planning on a detour through private property, but apparently this didn’t work out. Not sure if using the 295 shoulder as a temporary bike route was considered. Not sure how long the bridge will be closed.
Representatives of the Maine Department of Transportation will be present at 7:00pm to listen to concerns, receive comments, and answer questions from anyone with an interest in the project. Accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Auxiliary aids will be provided upon advance request.
Any inquiries regarding this project may be directed to the attention of Jim Wentworth, Project Manager, Maine Department of Transportation, Bridge Program, Child Street, 16 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0016. Telephone: (207) 624-3414. Email: Jim.Wentworth@ maine.gov.
By Feb 20 – Let the Maine Department of Transportation Know You Care About a New Direction
The Maine Department of Transportation seeks public comment on Connecting Maine: Planning Our Transportation Future (click here) – MaineDOT’s statewide long-range planning document that presents the state’s transportation goals, high-priority objectives and the transportation challenges and opportunities facing Maine over the next twenty+ years.
Connecting Maine identifies the strategic investments that are needed our transportation infrastructure to provide economic growth and improve the quality of life for all who live in Maine. Long range planning documents such as Connecting Maine are created through a series of hearings, focus groups, surveys, and regional forums among others in order to create a transportation plan that truly reflects Maine. The public comment period of this draft is one of the last steps in finalizing this document. Please take some time to review this document, and provide MaineDOT with your viewpoint on encouraging more alternate transportation options – open to public comment until February 20, 2009.
By Feb 28 – Sign Up for Free for U Car Share
Reminder: U Car Share has arrived in Portland and Green Streeters can sign up for FREE until March 1st! For more info click here
By Feb 28 – Have Bike, Need Rack?
Portland’s Health Initiative asks bikers for help selecting new bike hitch locations – deadline for submitting a request is February 28th. To learn more and for the request form (click here)
March 2 – Make Climate Justice History
Capitol climate action – mass civil disobedience in Washington, DC on March 2. From an open letter from Wendell Berry and Bill McKibben: “There are moments in a nation’s-and a planet’s-history when it may benecessary for some to break the law in order to bear witness to an evil, bring it to wider attention, and push for its correction. We think such a time has arrived, and we are writing to say that we hope some of you will join us in Washington D.C. on Monday, March 2 in order to take part in a civil act of civil disobedience outside a coal-fired power plant near Capitol Hill. Read more
New Green Streets Promotional Poster!
Download this great new promotional poster (click here) for Portland Green Streets and post it at the office, your favorite public space – wherever! And thanks to Corey Templeton of Portland Maine Daily Photo for designing it!
Donate a Bike to the CBC in Biddeford
The Community Bicycle Center in Biddeford needs gently used bikes for its programs that teach bicycle repair to youth and community members. Email the center to find out more about the types of bikes that they can use.
METRO Route #1 and Route #6 Changes
Beginning January 12, 2009, Greater Portland Transit District (METRO) will provide weekday service (M-F) to Mercy at the Fore. METRO Route #1 will be extended to provide service to Mercy’s Fore River Campus, located on the Fore River Parkway, past St. John Street in Portland. There is no evening service (last scheduled weekday stop at Mercy at the Fore is at 5:53 p.m.), holiday or weekend service to Mercy at the Fore.
Important notice to all METRO riders: This extended service will change the current METRO #1 Route time schedule, and will impact bus service for ALL stops along the #1 Route.
The updated METRO Bus #1 Route and Time Schedule can be downloaded here (pdf), effective date – January 11, 2009 (listed on the front of all schedules). It will also be available – beginning in January – from bus operators, at the METRO Pulse at Elm Street, and online at www.gpmetrobus.com. For more information, please call METRO at 774-0351.
Also effective in January, METRO Route #6 will no longer provide (twice daily) service to Maine Ave. and Virginia Street.
South Portland Bus Service Reports:
- Ridership for December 2008 was 28% higher than December 2007. Overall ridership for 2008 was 13% higher than 2007 (Nation wide ridership was 6% higher in this same period).
Here is a recent picture of a bus that was added to the South Portland fleet this past summer. This bus has two fewer seats than our bigger buses, but gets a whopping 7.8 miles per gallon average – compared to the biggies with 4.5. (Editor’s note: even if a regular size bus only gets 4.5 mpg – with just 10 riders that means it’s getting 45 passenger mpg, better than most single-occupancy vehicles (which average 1.25 passengers.)- South Portland Bus promotions include: All brand-new riders looking to start using the bus can get a free 10-ride bus ticket to learn the system (routes and schedule – click here). Anyone buying the SoPo Bus 10-ride tickets can turn them in when they are used up to any driver – with name and address written on the back- and enter it into a drawing for a free 10-ride bus ticket; 4 winners picked each Friday. South Portland residents should also check their Super Coupon Mailer for free ride coupons for the SoPo Bus! For more info, contact Richard Sargent at rsargent@southportland.org