Place Chatelain given back to citizens. Imagine, it has been a big parking for cars before, how stupid! #LessCars #MoreSpace #BetterLife
#LessCars
@Cykelsok Der Rückzug der #Leih-#Motorroller-Firma sind #goodnews, denn so bleibt der wertvolle #öffentlicheRaum möglichst effizient genutzt und nicht vollgestellt mit einem weiteren Angebot, das nur einer sehr kleinen Zielgruppe zupasse kommt. Wenn schon #Sharingmobility, dann möglichst effektiv, z.B. echtes stationsgebundenes #Carsharing als Ersatz für ein eigenen #PKW! War mir tatsächlich noch nicht bewusst aufgefallen, danke für die Info!
#lesscars #morespace #autokorrektur
Personally, I think that part of #Degrowth involves #SlowingDown. Less cars, more pedestrians and bicycles, and if cars are involved, SLOW DOWN!
#Wales - First #20mph year sees 100 fewer killed or badly hurt
David Deans, January 31, 2025
"The first year of a controversial Welsh speed limit saw around 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured on 20 and 30mph roads, ministers have said.
"New casualty data for the first year of the 20mph limit was welcomed by the Welsh government, while the Labour politician who spearheaded the policy said it showed it was 'the most successful road safety intervention in modern times'.
"The figures showed the number of people hurt fell by 28% compared with the same period the year before, with ten fewer dead.
"The number of casualties on 20 to 30mph roads between July and September 2024 was also the lowest for the three month-period since records began in 1979.
"Amid longstanding rows over the speed limit within his own party, former transport minister Lee Waters urged others not to undermine the scheme."
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78w1891z03o
#LivableCommunities #SpeedLimits #SolarPunkSunday #LessCars #MoreBicicyles #MorePedestrians #LessRoadkill
Das ist einerseits schon mal #goodnews, wenn Politiker:innen vom Bedarf einer neuen Strasse, hier: #Südspange #Kiel, abrücken.
Andererseits ist jede neue Strasse in Zeiten von #Flächenzersiedelung und #Klimakrise eine zu viel. Daher: Auch und erst recht gehört die #A21 gestoppt! #lesscars #autkorrektur #SH
Danke #WissingRuecktritt @ #FDPseudoliberal für Nichts! Und Danke an die #Ampel (@BMWK @bmdv @bmf) ihren eigenen #KoaV nicht zumzusetzen. Danke dagegen ans @Umweltbundesamt , darauf immer wieder so beharrlich hinzuweisen und das auszurechnen! #UmweltschädlicheSubventionen #VollgasInDieKlimakatastrophe #Verkehrswende #Autokorrektur #Leaveitintheground #lesscars #dontdrive
Upcoming meeting! Find out about alternatives to the #GorhamConnector in Southern #Maine! #LessCars, #MorePublicTransportation!
Gorham Notes: Aug. 29, 2024
by Robert Lowell
"Gorham connector forum
#MainersForSmarterTransportation have a community forum planned from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the #WestbrookMaine Community Center on the proposed Gorham Connector to the #MaineTurnpike.
"The #MaineTurnpikeAuthority is proposing a 5-mile, four-lane connector from the roundabout on Gorham’s South Street to Exit 45 in South Portland.
The plan calls for the connector to slice through #SmilingHillFarm and has generated an extensive public outcry. The connector is aimed at easing the heavy commuter traffic in the routes 22 and 114 corridor through #GorhamMaine, #ScarboroughMaine and Westbrook."
Original article [may be behind paywall]:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/08/29/gorham-notes-aug-29/
Archive:
https://archive.md/qDpDR#selection-2399.0-2413.250
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHill #GorhamSpur
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook
@drukqs Yikes! That is a powerful map. I’ve been exploring the road fatalities in the LA basin area. So many!
#Maine Voices: Nobody would benefit from the building of the #GorhamConnector
Transit-oriented urban design boosts economies, reduces emissions and provides public space; the only long-term result of the Gorham Connector will be #sprawl.
Posted September 29, 2023
By Jasper Curtis
"If the Gorham Connector is constructed and put to use, everyone in the state will lose out in more ways than one.
First, there is the cost, up to $237 million. That’s a lot of money, and it’s on top of the $140 million already being spent on lane widening on Interstate 95. Spoiler alert, none of that money will relieve congestion. In fact, it will likely do the opposite, as proven time and time again in countless U.S. cities. On top of the $340 million total, there is the price of owning a car, which costs the average American $11,000 per year. New car prices are nearing $50,000. None of this is affordable to everyday Mainers. It’s time the state takes these costs seriously, instead of burdening taxpayers with more.
"Increased road capacity simply leads to more cars on the roads and does not reduce the time spent in traffic. It is a case of #InducedDemand, where wider roads encourage more driving, more vehicles then fill the roads and the public is asked to fund another road- widening project. The cycle repeats itself to extremes, such as the 26-lane #KatyFreeway outside Houston, Texas, which did not solve traffic. St. Louis, Missouri, home to the most highway square mileage per capita in the country, has yet to cease traffic. Here we are again, however, being asked to fork over our tax dollars to an inefficient, ineffective solution to a problem that the state created with poor #UrbanPlanning and shortsighted #infrastructure projects.
"Light #PassengerRail from #WestbrookMaine to #PortlandMaine would cost an estimated $75 million. That’s about $19 million per mile. If a similar cost-per-mile ratio were to be applied to the #GorhamConnector, the project would total $115 million. (Even if the cost-per-mile ratio were double the estimated cost of the Westbrook-to-Portland connection, building rail along the proposed Gorham Connector route would still save $7 million.) From Gorham to Portland, the cost of rail would be almost $30 million cheaper than the Gorham Connector, which reaches only to the Maine Mall in South Portland.
"Rail helps not only commuters and students, but also those who require vehicles for work, because, unlike road widening, public transit reduces the number of vehicles on the road. Driving a work truck on public roads can be infuriating during peak traffic; I know because I have done so. The same goes for driving in an emergency. Rail would help these alleviate these problems; the Gorham Connector would not.
While less quantitative than the previous points, #Maine must still be conscious of its #environmental and social goals. The Maine Department of Transportation (#MDOT) should keep these in mind before it decides its best solution to traffic is to encourage more internal combustion engines. Part of what makes Maine so special to residents is the nature around us. Let’s not wreck it for the sake of one more lane. Maine’s population is the oldest in the nation, and seniors deserve to have safe travel options.
"Transit-oriented urban design boosts economies, reduces emissions and provides public space. There will be no long-term benefit from the Gorham Connector, only sprawl. It’s that simple. Honest Maine people work hard for their paychecks – they deserve infrastructure that uses their tax dollars with vision and purpose, not another wasteful, #pollution-filled project."
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/09/29/maine-voices-the-gorham-connector-is-a-bad-idea-in-more-ways- than-one
#GorhamSpur #SaveSmilingHillFarm
#SaveTheForest #Woodlands #Meadows #EnvironmentalImpact #GorhamConnector #SaveRedBrook #GreaterPortlandMaine #LightRail #BikeLanes #BusService #MTA #ProtectFarmland #LessCars #WorkingFarms #RapidTransit
Until #RapidTransit is established, at least the #GorhamPortlandMetro will keep running....
Gorham joins Metro, keeps #HuskyLine public bus stops open
The Town Council votes to become a member of Greater Portland Metro at a cost of $170,000 this year.
Posted March 13 Updated March 13
Robert Lowell
"The bus line runs from the USM Gorham campus through Westbrook into Portland to the campus there and to the Old Port area. USM students and staff ride with passes and Gorham passengers paying fares can board at a stop on Main Street in the village, Libby Avenue at Main Street and campus. The public fare is $2 and $1 for the disabled, veterans and riders over age 65. All Husky Line passengers can transfer to other Metro routes."
#GorhamConnector #GorhamSpur #SaveSmilingHillFarm
#Sprawl #SaveTheForest
#Woodlands #Meadows
#InducedDemand #EnvironmentalImpact
#GorhamConnector #SaveRedBrook #GreaterPortlandMaine
#LightRail #BikeLanes #BusService #MTA #ProtectFarmland #LessCars #WorkingFarms
Rapid transit plan calls for 10-20 minute service through #PortlandMaine, #WestbrookMaine and #GorhamMaine
Maine Public | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published July 28, 2023
"Local officials in #GreaterPortland are considering a system of #RapidTransit bus routes for the region.
"Under a draft proposal from the Greater Portland Council of Governments, dedicated bus lanes would provide express service through Portland, Westbrook and Gorham more quickly than traditional bus service, with stops along the way.
"The preferred route would start at the University of Southern Maine campus in Gorham, travel through downtown Westbrook and stop at the USM campus in Portland before heading down Congress Street and ending near the Eastern Promenade.
"The proposal envisions service every 10 minutes between Portland and Westbrook, and 20 minutes between Westbrook and Gorham.
"'That's frequent enough that you're not relying on a schedule anymore,' said Andrew Clark, transit program manager for #GPCOG. 'You're no longer planning your day around the bus schedule. You just know you can go out to the station, and the bus will be there in 10 minutes or something like that.'
"Clark said service every 10-20 minutes should also lure riders who wouldn't normally consider taking #PublicTransit.
"'I think people understand the role that transit can play in making our cities better, its role in reducing congestion, its role in better climate outcomes, better social equity outcomes,' he said.
"Greater Portland Metro would operate the proposed route, but the vehicles and stops would have a different look than the service's existing buses, Clark added.
"The proposed routes are still a long way away, Clark said. The cities of Portland, Westbrook and Gorham will need to decide how much road space can be freed up for dedicated bus lanes. The project will also need to secure federal funds for the new bus lanes and some new battery-powered vehicles.
"Local officials also eventually envision rapid transit routes to South Portland, Biddeford and Saco, Brunswick and Windham."
#GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHillFarm #Sprawl
#SaveTheForest #Woodlands
#Meadows #InducedDemand
#EnvironmentalImpact
#GorhamConnector
#SaveRedBrook #RedBrook
#GreaterPortlandMaine
#BusService #MTA
#ProtectFarmland #LessCars #WorkingFarms #PeterMills #JanetMills #CommuterRail #RapidTransit #GreaterPortland #Maine
There are alternatives to the #GorhamBypass... This is one of them! A much better use for the #Infrastructure funds #Maine received!!!
Gorham-Westbrook-Portland #RapidTransit Study
The Gorham-Westbrook-Portland Rapid Transit Study examined the need for and benefits of a rapid transit line connecting Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland. Based on estimated ridership, travel times, operating costs, and social equity, the study concluded that the most direct and fastest route alignment is via Main Street, Brighton Ave, and Congress Street. From west to east, this alignment connects USM Gorham, Gorham Village, downtown Westbrook, Rock Row, USM Portland, Maine Medical Center, downtown Portland, and the Eastern Waterfront. See project document below:
"The Bigger Picture. The purpose of this project is to provide fast, reliable, and frequent transit service that connects Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland's major transportation and/or activity centers. This project stems from our region's long-range transit plan Transit Tomorrow. That plan identifies five corridors where rapid transit is feasible. The Gorham-Westbrook-Portland corridor is the first corridor we studied. The bigger goal is to create a rapid transit network that allows us to meet the growing demand placed on our transportation network without building new roads or inducing more vehicle travel. "
https://www.gpcog.org/557/Gorham-Westbrook-Portland-Rapid-Transit-
#GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHillFarm #Sprawl
#SaveTheForest #Woodlands
#Meadows #InducedDemand
#EnvironmentalImpact
#GorhamConnector
#SaveRedBrook #RedBrook
#GreaterPortlandMaine
#LightRail #BikeLanes
#BusService #MTA
#ProtectFarmland #LessCars #WorkingFarms #PeterMills #JanetMills #CommuterRail #RapidTransit #GreaterPortland #Maine
Have thoughts about the proposed #GorhamBypass? How you can make your voice heard
A public meeting is scheduled for March 25
GORHAM, Maine —"The #MaineTurnpikeAuthority wants to build a new toll road connecting the Turnpike to Gorham. The plan has sparked strong opinions both for and against since the route was announced in February.
"The first public meeting about the Gorham connector is scheduled for March 25 in the Shaw Gym at the Gorham Municipal Center on South Street. An open house is scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., where people can look at displays and ask questions about the project. It will be hosted by area municipalities in partnership with the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Maine Department of Transportation.
"At 6 p.m., a brief presentation will provide an overview of the project, after which attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and make comments. If you cannot attend the meeting, you can watch online starting at 6 p.m."
https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTKSuVJ1iAg?autoplay=1
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #Sprawl #SaveTheForest #Woodlands #Meadows #InducedDemand #EnvironmentalImpact #GorhamConnector #SaveRedBrook #RedBrook #GreaterPortlandMaine #LightRail #BikeLanes #BusService #MTA #ProtectFarmland #LessCars #WorkingFarms #PeterMills #JanetMills
Opinion: #GorhamConnector plan threatens river #Ecosystem, #HeritageTrout
Building a new road along the banks of #RedBrook will render barren a unique stretch of riparian #shoreline – with all the adverse consequences you might expect.
by C. Ian Stevenson
February 27, 2024
"While proponents tout the toll-road Gorham Connector as promising to shorten commutes and relieve traffic pressure in #GreaterPortlandMaine, there has already been substantial pushback to the concept. Regardless of how much (or for how long) travel-based advantage the new roadway might bring, as proposed it will have pronounced, unambiguously negative effects to the area.
"Maine is known for its sense of place. Many components contribute to what makes the state unique and desirable. Among these is the built environment, such as the 13th-generation Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook, which the proposed route threatens to erode, if not entirely extinguish, as an economically viable vestige of Maine’s once robust agricultural heritage. Others have amply sounded the alarm about this issue.
"But the route introduces other threats to the more naturalistic landscape. Starting at #SmilingHillFarm and running south-southeasterly to I-295 is a five-mile section of Red Brook that mostly nestles in #DenseForest. Between County Road and Running Hill Road, in particular, Red Brook occupies one of the few contiguous #undeveloped #Riverine stretches in #SouthernMaine. While unassuming in scale, Red Brook is nevertheless remarkable for supporting one of the last remaining native populations of #BrookTrout in this part of the state.
"The proposed road will immediately abut the river, sitting nearly on its banks, for as much as a mile south of the County Road Interchange. This will degrade habitat, destroying the trees whose overhanging foliage provides shade and cooling effects for these temperature-sensitive fish and creates shelter from predators. It will make barren riparian shoreline that supports the aquatic and terrestrial insects that provide the primary trout food sources. The road itself will also contribute oil, salt and other #runoff to the river, #polluting the water. As a result of these factors, this connector will likely #exterminate this population of brook trout.
"Why should we care about a small river and its brook trout? Although this is not the official state fish, the fishing community widely considers it the prize species to catch, with so-called wild populations assuming even more cherished status. Brook trout provide a link across generations and cultural traditions and belong to everyone. Human inhabitants of Maine – from the original #Wabanaki to European colonists to modern Americans – have been catching these 'native' fish for millennia. Other parts of Maine, especially further north and west, have healthy native brook trout fisheries, making Maine highly regarded nationally as a destination to catch them.
"The fact that Red Brook, in the heart of #GreaterPortland, belongs to this orbit is no small feat. Most of the area’s waterways have already succumbed to habitat loss, development, predatory introduced species, warming temperatures and increased flooding due to #ClimateChange. Red Brook provides an opportunity for future #Mainers who might not have access to brook trout streams further afield to enjoy this natural amenity. Even if you do not care about fishing, this road promises to annihilate a population of one of our state’s heritage species, as well as its scenic habitat that also contributes to #Maine’s sense of place.
"#PeterMills, the executive director of the #MaineTurnpikeAuthority, claims his organization has 'gone to great lengths to minimize impacts to Red Brook,' but clearly it hasn’t gone far enough under the current proposal. There are yet solutions.
"Citizens can express concerns at a hearing planned for March or via the Maine Turnpike Authority’s online portal. If the connector is to be built, planners need to re-route to establish a buffer zone between the connector and river – even a few hundred feet would have a positive impact. While less ideal than a complete reworking of the route, this would at least retain the primary shoreline flora and fauna and allow for run-off infrastructure. And we could re-route the road to save Smiling Hill Farm at the same time. Or better yet, we could re-consider the whole project’s merit entirely."
MTA website (make your opinion known!):
https://www.maineturnpike.com/Projects/Planning/Gorham-Connector.aspx
#WorkingFarms #Sprawl
#GorhamSpur #InducedDemand #GorhamConnector
#Wetlands #Meadows
#EnvironmentalImpact #Extinction #Ecosystem
#SaveSmilingHillFarm
#SaveTheWoods #SaveTheFarms #Maine #Wetlands #Woods #LessCars #MoreLightRail
Some folks a lot older than myself are planning on #DirectAction to protect #SmilingHillFarm! One woman said she would chain herself to the bulldozers. I'll be right there with them!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHeYiD2rnsg
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #Sprawl #LessCars #MoreLightRail #BikeLanes #BusService #MaineTurnpikeAuthority #ProtectFarmland #SaveTheForest #Maine #WorkingFarms
#MaineTurnpikeAuthority
#InducedDemand
#GorhamSpur
#GorhamConnector
#Wetlands
#Meadows
#EnvironmentalImpact
Editorial: Pump the brakes on Maine Turnpike spur
April 18, 2022
via #RestoreTheNorthWoods
"#Maine is barreling down the road on a more than $200 million infrastructure investment that even its own backers agree is not enough to fix the current problem and could make things worse in the future. It’s the proposed #Gorham-#Westbrook connector, a five-mile toll road being developed by the #MaineTurnpikeAuthority. New roads lead to more driving. It’s called '#InducedDemand.' Traffic congestion in Westbrook, #Scarborough, #Standish and #Gorham is not just a highway problem. Though these towns are some of the fastest-growing in Maine, public transit is not viable because the population is so spread out. Without allowing for denser development and offering a real transit alternative, building a faster road from Gorham to Portland could simply drive the development further west. Until we know where we’re going, this project should slow down."
https://www.restore.org/maineenvironews/2022/4/18/editorial-pump-the-brakes-on-maine-turnpike-spur
#Development #Sprawl #MaineTurnpikeAuthority #GorhamSpur #LessCars #MoreLightRail #GorhamConnector #Maine
Well, this bites...! We'll see if #MaineTurnpikeAuthority has enough bribe money to influence the #environmental impact of this project (which will cut through wetlands, woods and fields, disrupting wildlife and endangered species)! No consideration for #LightRail at all!!! (Also, #MTA has a history of graft with contractors -- just look up #PaulViolette -- former MTA director who spent time in jail for graft)!
Proposed Regional Connector Road Between Gorham and Maine Turnpike Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 05, 2024
#Maine #GorhamSpur #Sprawl #EnvironmentalImpact #Wetlands #Woods #LessCars #MoreLightRail #GorhamConnector #SmilingHillFarm #WorkingFarms #Woods #SaveTheWoods #SaveTheFarms
We need to go back to this way of thinking!
When Cities Treated Cars as Dangerous Intruders
To many urban Americans in the 1920s, the car and its driver were tyrants that deprived others of their freedom.
by Peter Norton
"Today it is a commonplace that the automobile represents freedom. But to many Americans in the 1920s, the car and its driver were tyrants that deprived others of their freedom. Before other auto promoters, Charles Hayes saw that industry leaders had to reshape the traffic safety debate. As president of the Chicago Motor Club, Hayes warned his friends that bad publicity over traffic casualties could soon lead to 'legislation that will hedge the operation of automobiles with almost unbearable restrictions.' The solution was to persuade city people that 'the streets are made for vehicles to run upon.'"
#LessCars #MorePedestrians #MoreBicycles #WalkableCities #PublicTransportation #LightRail
Thatcher, in the #UK, made the same mistake, a penny-wise-but-pound-fool kind of mistake, of privatising public transport, with companies proceeding to shut down train lines and bus routes left and right, without considering that running public transport at a loss is a huge win towards connectivity and fosters far more economic activity and therefore gains than it costs to run. Plus health benefits across the board, reducing public health costs, and the possibility of organised electrification and therefore further improvements in quality of life from reduction of air pollution.
Plus, as someone said, a wealthy country is not one where the poor drive their own cars but where the rich use public transport.
#trains #PublicTransport #LessCars #WarOnCars #privatization
@TimWardCam @goosfraba Plus, when selling your car later on, anything else than black, grey, or dark blue, perhaps some white ones, is considered extra-ordinary and apparently sells poorly. Car drivers want dull-coloured cars. 😅
Ich bin gespannt, wann die beteiligten Firmen merken, dass dass der Anfang der echten #Verkehrswende ist und die großen Zeiten der Automobilindustrie schlicht und ergreifend vorbei sind.
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