The Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Portland, Maine region. PACTS hired Street Plans to develop the Portland Area North Bicycle and Pedestrian Implementation Plan as the result of an ongoing regional conversation about advancing bicycle and pedestrian planning, policy, and programs. The plan represented a response to a growing need for dialogue amongst five communities in the region — Falmouth, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, and Freeport — referred to as the North of Portland area.
The Implementation Plan was created to build consensus, facilitate increased regional collaboration, and to prioritize “Complete Streets” projects that position bicycling and walking as viable forms of local and regional transportation. The Implementation Plan also aimed to help the five municipalities obtain implementation funding from local, regional, statewide, and even federal sources by establishing a framework for project prioritization and regional cooperation. The final plan document outlined short- and long-term recommendations that include both policy and infrastructure suggestions. Street Plans developed a scoring method to help prioritize the recommendations across all categories.
As part of the planning process, Street Plans hosted three workshops to engage the public around improved connectivity for people biking and walking in the north of Portland area. Public input was also obtained through a sub-regional survey distributed online and in print. The planning process also included a Handlebar and Walkabout Survey, in which Street Plan led a team of planners and citizen advocates in documenting existing conditions for biking and walking in the region. View the full plan HERE.