Rebuild Franklin Street Now

Let's make Portland's Franklin Street a place that can be treasured.

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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We recently reported on some new pedestrian safety equipment/signage installed on Portland's Franklin St. by the city, with funding support from MaineDOT. At first we could not find it, so we reached out to Portland's invaluable traffic engineer Jeremiah Bartlett, who shared the following:
"the "No Turn on Red" (NTOR) indications are dynamic; they default to off and activate based on specific signal phases. Specifically, the NTOR signage should illuminate when Congress Street has a red light. Similarly, the "Yield to Peds" indication is designed to appear during the pedestrian phase.

Additionally, please note a detail not included in the initial press release: the pedestrian crossings at Congress and Cumberland streets have been updated with a Lead Pedestrian Interval (LPI). This feature allows pedestrians to begin crossing before the green phase for vehicle traffic begins, enhancing safety at these intersections."

FRA believes that good design makes most signage unnecessary. We remain to be hopeful that the coming design proposal for Franklin Street will create the context for safer driving behaviors in a transportation corridor designed for all users. However, today's Franklin Street is dangerous, even deadly, and these interim measures are welcomed.

What permanent changes would make intersections like these safer for everyone?

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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Sarah Goodyear had also shared some panels from a 1939 issue of Action Comics, featuring Superman. In this issue, Superman declared war on cars due to the excessive violence and chaos that these vehicles were causing in cities. In this panel, Superman has found the driver involved in a hit and run, hides in the back seat, and then poses as a ghost of the victim to haunt the driver.

While Superman may in fact be an alien (illegal), he is also an American hero, who fought early on to make American streets safe for people. Remember that next time someone challenges alternatives to automobile transportation. Perhaps they are the ones who are "un-American".

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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Last week at Build Maine author and podcaster Sarah Goodyear referenced the writings and research of Donals Appleyard, the author of Livable Streets, as well as several other texts. Here is a great graphic that reflects the impact of traffic on human relationships.

In a 1972 study, Donald Appleyard showed how traffic rates influence social interactions & friendships.

People living on heavy traffic streets;
0.9 Friends
3.1 acquaintances

People living on light traffic streets;
3.0 friends
6.3 acquaintances

Prioritize people over traffic.

ReBuild Franklin Street Right, Now!
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