WINDHAM – Sparky Hurgin lives in a section of Windham that is surrounded by narrow, twisty roads that make bicycling difficult.
High speeds, discourteous drivers and a lack of shoulders near Swett Road combine for difficult recreational bicycling for Hurgin and his wife, Helen, and two grown children, Max and Marta, who come home many weekends and go for a ride.
That ride is risky, and sometimes they skip the roads surrounding the Hurgin residence, opting for the safety of the Mountain Division bike path, which leads from South Windham to Standish, or safer roads out of town.
So in May, Hurgin and his wife became a member of the Windham Bike/Ped/Trails Committee, which aims to advocate for safer roads and increased access to bicycling and walking opportunities in town. Formed just last fall, the group was instrumental in lobbying the Windham Town Council to include pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly 4-foot shoulders on Windham Center Road, and hopes to play a role in shaping the town in the future.
“It’s off to an excellent start. It really was great that we could have that impact, because Windham Center Road in an important link,” Hurgin said. “But there’s much more that can be done.”
The group had 30 people come to its first meeting in May, but has dwindled to a core group of about 10 active members. Martin Shuer, who’s running for Senate District 12 and is an active member of the new group, said the committee has several goals in addition to advocating for pedestrian and bicycle-friendly roadways. He said the group hopes to oversee the creation of maps that would suggest ideal walking and bicycling routes through Windham as well as installing way finding signage along the roads similar to the Eastern Trail. He sees members getting involved in bike safety efforts in the schools, as well.
“I’d say mapping, advocacy making sure bike-ped interests are being met, and broader educational dialogue with town officials and the community about needing improvement sidewalks are the main goals of the group,” Shuer said.
Shuer, an avid bicyclist, agrees with Hurgin that Windham roads are rough on two-wheeled travelers.
“You have to pick and choose. Obviously there are some places that are great to ride that are very scenic but they’re unsafe, and clearly River Road is one of them,” Shuer said. “When the River Road DOT project is complete with 5-foot shoulders, it’s going to provide great linkage down to Mountain Division, which is a safe place to ride.
“But my general experience and those of others who ride around town, is that you really have to be careful about where you go and sometimes you have no choice to ride on, at least for short distances, some of these arterials or collector roads that don’t provide any shoulders.”
The newly formed committee isn’t a standing committee of the Town Council nor does it have any power other than to advocate. Town Planner Brooks More and Brian Ross, the parks and recreation director, are members and help provide the group a link to town government. Both are bicyclists and say Windham has a need for improved pedestrian and bicycling access.
“Windham has experienced a lot of growth, it’s continuing to grow, and there are a lot of gaps in especially the pedestrian infrastructure,” More said. “And I’m not talking about every subdivision needing sidewalks. But in the village centers, in North Windham, there’s a lot of need for improved pedestrian facilities … There’s also a lot more traffic. How can we make it safe for people to bike and walk and for parents to feel their kids can go out and bike and walk and not feel like they’re putting them at risk.”
Ross also sees a need for a resident-driven bike and pedestrian advocacy group. He says when people call looking for good places to ride, he sends them to the paved Mountain Division Rail Trail. Or if they’re looking for off-road riding or walking, he’ll suggest the several land preserves the town maintains. He doesn’t recommend road routes due to the inherent danger.
Getting started
The committee is one of about seven or eight in the greater Portland area focused on improving infrastructure for non-motorized transit. The groups are resident-led but founded by regional organizations aiming to increase Mainers’ overall health and access to healthy lifestyles such as walking, hiking and bicycling.
Zoe Miller, of Healthy Maine Partnerships, a tobacco settlement-funded government organization involved with many efforts to encourage healthy living, and Jim Tasse, of the nonprofit Bicycle Coalition of Maine, got together last fall with More and Ross to see if Windham could muster a committee. They, too, were overwhelmed with the initial interest by Windham residents.
“The response we got was huge. Brooks said he never got a response like that from anything,” Miller said.
Miller said many residents at that meeting said the same thing.
“That line of taking your life into your own hands is something we heard a lot in the first meeting we had. So I think that’s what this group is all about, to have roads designed in a way that makes a space for everybody,” Miller said.
Tasse sees his role as helping residents like Shuer and Hurgin and another key group member Paul Jacques, in knowing how to work with government.
“My job is to guide them on process: how to identify projects, provide insight on actions they can take, and help guide their advocacy moves,” he said. “I’m a big believer that these have to be locally based and run by citizens and residents who believe in the need to make some positive changes in their community, so I see my role as a helper to people who have an interest in these issues.”
But as the group takes on a life of its own, which seems to be happening especially with the early success with Windham Center Road, Tasse and Miller expect to take a back seat.
“Our goal is to have local folks take up the mantle, so I’ll continue on in a supporting role, but it’s a balance. We want to stay involved long enough but we really have some great folks who have gotten involved,” Miller said.
Beyond identifying ideal biking and pedestrian routes through Windham and advocating for sidewalks and bike lanes when road reconstruction or repaving projects take place, the group could take a leading role in helping draft Windham’s 21st century downtown plan, which town planners are in the early phases of designing.
The plan, Brooks said, trains its sights on North Windham transportation improvements taking into account vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists “to create a better sense of place, where someone could go and park their car and then walk around to different stores. So how can we make improvements both on public property and as development occurs that will create a more walkable, bikeable environment but that’s also convenient for automobile traffic. I’m hoping this bike-ped committee will also take a look at the 21st Century Plan and have some comments,” he said.
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