"Imagine People Here" Project Coming to Woodfords Corner on July 15th

A primary goal of Friends of Woodfords Corner (FWC) is to make the Corner safer, more accessible and more inviting for everyone--walkers, bicyclists and drivers alike. Foot and bike traffic is critical to local businesses in Woodfords Corner and will help to revitalize the Woodfords Corner neighborhood. The simplest way to improve safety in the Corner is to make sure vehicles travel through the Corner at an appropriate speed. The best way to ensure that is to design the roads to indicate that they are used by all. On Thursday, July 15th, FWC will be working with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine (BCM) to install temporary infrastructure on Deering Avenue to calm the traffic and to prevent illegal turns up Revere Street.

In April, FWC measured vehicle speeds at the Woodfords Street end of Deering Ave and found that too many vehicles were traveling above the posted speed limit. In addition, cars were turning onto Revere Street against traffic rules.These behaviors are both dangerous and unwelcoming for pedestrians and bicyclists in that business-heavy part of the corner and our temporary infrastructure will hopefully serve to change them.

On July 15th, a group of FWC volunteers will work with BCM on our first "Imagine People Here" project to install bollards, signs and paint on Deering Avenue in an attempt to slow vehicular traffic and improve the safety and comfort of other street users. The installation is temporary, (it will be removed by November 15th or earlier), and will allow us to test if these kinds of facilities can improve safety in the Corner without creating new problems. The goal is not to keep vehicles out, but to make the area welcoming for all visitors. We are very interested in feedback from area businesses and residents and will develop and share methods for collecting your ideas shortly after the installation.

We encourage you to come out and meet us on Deering Ave on July 15th, between 8:00 and 11:00 am, to see the work first hand and to learn more about both this project and all the work of FWC. Hope to see you there! If you have questions or ideas, please email us at info@woodfordscorner.org.

Planned temporary changes at intersection of Deering Avenue and Revere Street. (Delineators are vertical bollards.)"