Read the full Gray Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan (PDF)

Comments on the Gray Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan should be submitted to Anne Gass by August 30, 2013.  Anne can also be reached by phone at 207-657-4935.

Planning Process

Gray Community Endowment (GCE), a nonprofit with a mission to help make Gray a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable community, formed the Gray Bike-Pedestrian Planning Committee in April 2012. The Town of Gray was a key partner, supplying meeting space and the support of the Gray Recreation Department Director. Other members of the committee include residents, a Gray-New Gloucester High School student who rides her bike to school, and a cyclist who regularly commutes to work in Gray from Raymond. Greater Portland Council of Governments staff also attended meetings and provided vital administrative support and planning expertise to the group.

The group held monthly meetings, conducted a walking tour of the village area, and surveyed major roadways leading out from the village area. The committee also conducted a comprehensive resident survey to gauge interest and priorities related to expanding access to biking and walking in Gray. Survey results supported many of the conclusions and recommendations of this report.

The committee developed three long-range goals:

  1. To encourage ongoing advocacy for more federal, state, and local transportation investment in bicycle/ pedestrian facilities within the town of Gray.
  2. To coordinate with other interested organizations, planning efforts, and town and State officials to provide guidance and feedback regarding location, safety and design of bicycle and pedestrian (“bike-ped”) facilities in Gray. Looking ahead and “piggybacking” on other planned infrastructure improvements can help reduce the cost of bicycle-pedestrian friendly projects.
  3. To increase the quantity and quality of bicycle-pedestrian facilities in Gray: including sidewalks, trails, crosswalks, bike lanes, and signage.

This plan provides the town of Gray with an overarching strategy to maintain, improve and expand its bicycle and pedestrian access within and outside its village center. It lists areas with deficient or nonexistent sidewalks, and recommends funding options to help cover the cost of infrastructure investments. It provides an inventory and map of Gray’s existing sidewalks; including location, condition (poor, fair, good, excellent), material (asphalt or concrete), width, and approximate length of sidewalk segments (feet and miles). An analysis of existing conditions, a list of priority recommendations for infrastructure improvements, and an implementation strategy are also outlined.

Adoption of this plan is a starting point. Plan implementation is expected to take several years.  Some parts of the plan may be able to be funded and implemented as stand-alone projects, but others will need to be part of larger capital or infrastructure improvement projects. For example, it may make sense to wait to do significant bike-ped improvements along Route 26 north of the bypass until planned roadway reconstruction is undertaken.