A blog for better streets and public spaces in Portland, Maine.
The Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meets this evening at 5:30 pm in Room 24 of City Hall (in the basement level near the Myrtle Street entrance). As always, new faces are welcome, so come drop by and learn more about some of the exciting plans in the works to improve Portland's streets.
Please note that, while we typically meet on the 2nd Monday of each month, today's meeting was rescheduled due to Columbus Day last week.
On our agenda:
5:30 pm - welcome and introductions
5:35 pm - brief updates:
5:45 pm - Meet Jeremiah Bartlett, the city's new Transportation Engineer
6 pm - Nominate rep. from PBPAC to Libbytown Traffic and Streetscape Study citizens' advisory committee
6:10 pm - Discuss candidate studies for funding under the regional "urban planning work plan"
listed here).
6:20 pm - Open Streets Update (Jen and Zach)
The new Veterans Bridge (first speculated about here back in 2008, then discussed again back in 2010, when a design and construction team was first selected) is finally opening tomorrow, on June 28th, 2012, with a fantastic new bicycle and pedestrian pathway that extends all the way from the West End to South Portland's Ligonia neighborhood.
You have a few more hours to enjoy the new bridge without any traffic. It will be open to pedestrians and bicyclists only until the end of a grand opening ceremony, which runs until 11:30 am tomorrow. After that, cars will roam free on the main lanes, but bikes and pedestrians will still be able to enjoy a nice wide path on the southern edge of the bridge all to themselves.
Corey of Portland Maine Daily Photo took some nice shots of the new, empty bridge late last week; you can take a look here.
Due to the snowstorm, tonight's public forum on Portland's Bike and Pedestrian Plan has been postponed to Wednesday the 14th.
There was a nice story about the plan in today's Portland Daily Sun, though. Read it here.
- What: City of Portland Pedestrian and Bicycle Component of the Comprehensive Plan
- When: Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
- Where: Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall, Myrtle Street (behind City Hall), Portland
Showing tomorrow at Space Gallery:
Urbanized (the third part of Gary Hustwit’s design film trilogy, joining Helvetica and Objectified) is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
Over half the world’s population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.
Followed by Q&A with Noah Chasin, Assistant Professor at Bard College and Mitchell Rasor of MRLD Landscape Architecture + Design.
Doors at 7 pm, film starts at 7:30. See you there.
Learn more, and find out where you can purchase a copy.
