On Wednesday, the Biddeford and Saco planning boards discussed traffic mitigation strategies that could be implemented to go along with the anticipated growth of mill development, and the accompanying increase of traffic, on both sides of the Saco River.
In addition to the mitigation strategies, an impact fee to be charged to developers to pay for improvements is also on the table.
Both are good ideas that should be employed.
Those who regularly travel between Biddeford and Saco via Main or Elm streets are already aware that traffic fixes along these and nearby roads in the downtowns and mill districts are needed and long overdue.
Driving these routes can be a hair-raising experience, especially if travel occurs during peak travel hours. If the Amtrak Downeaster or another train rolling on the rails on Main Street, Saco is added to the mix, or worse yet road construction is taking place, travel times between the two cities can rival some of the nation’s worst traffic experiences, such as in New York City or on the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles.
Only so much can be done to adapt these roads designed for the horse-and-buggy days of the 1800s for increased car traffic of the modern era.
To address the issue, Biddeford and Saco hired Gorrill Palmer, based in Gray, to study the traffic situation and provide recommendations.
On the face of them, the suggestions aren’t revolutionary. They range from putting in new traffic signals and removing others to realigning streets and elongating turning lanes.
Gorrill Palmer also recommended a $1,000 impact fee per new peak hour trip on large mill district developments to finance the estimated $2.2 million worth of improvements.
While the mitigation strategies recommended by Gorrill Palmer won’t dissolve all congestion in the Biddeford and Saco city centers, they should help.
As will some of the other recommendations of the firm’s report, like increased use of bicycles and public transportation.
So until major cultural and technological changes take place, like a significant increase in telecommuting or using jetpacks to get around town become popular, the recommended traffic strategies, and impact fees to pay for them, should be put in place and soon.
Already development in the mills has grown exponentially since just a year or two ago. Construction for renovations of the Lincoln Mill in Biddeford into a hotel, residential and restaurant complex is underway. So too are plans for dozens more apartment units at the Riverdam Mill and the Pepperell Mill Campus, both in Biddeford, and for mixed use redevelopment of Building #4 in Saco.
More growth is expected and it could come fast.
City officials who need to sign off on these changes should vet the ideas and debate the issues responsibly and do so as soon as possible.
They shouldn’t get bogged down like Biddeford-Saco Main Street at 5 p.m. on Friday night.
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