The Bike-Ped plan we’ve been working on for over a year is almost done! Just waiting on a few last comments from the Maine DOT. Once it’s ready for review we’ll post it online here and on the town website, and have some paper copies at the town office and the library.
Rick Licht, Stephanie Carver, and Anne Gass, with an assist from Sue Austin, presented the plan to the Gray Town Council on June 4th. While the Council members were eager for more details and to see the final plan, they were enthusiastic about the concept and understood its importance to Gray. As Rick Licht emphasized, having a plan in place is absolutely crucial to applying for funds from Maine DOT under programs like Safe Routes to Schools, or for bike planes or other roadway improvements to improve bike and pedestrian safety.
We’re excited to be at this point and look forward to implementation!
One of the ways that the Bke-Ped plan is different from other plans is that it doesn’t come with a fixed schedule and budget. While in some areas the vision it sets may drive activity, in general this plan is opportunistic- it takes advantage of other planned improvements and builds on those. One example of this is the new Pennell Park, under construction now behind the town hall. The Bike-Ped plan recommends that there we create a village area loop trail connecting the Pennell Complex, Rusell School, the Library, Fiddlehead, and the Cemetery parcels, so people can move around without being on the busy roads. The new Pennell Park will provide the first new leg of the this loop trail. It’s very exciting!
We look forward to sharing more details about the bike-ped plan with you, and bringing the recommendations to reality!