BANGOR, Maine — There has been an increase in crashes between bicycles and motor vehicles in Bangor this year, and city leaders and local organizations are looking for solutions to make Bangor safer for bicyclists.
There have been 15 crashes so far this year, compared to six all last year. Bangor only has one bike lane in the whole city.
Erik daSilva, associate education director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, rides his bike in the Bangor area nearly every day. He said it can be a struggle on busy roads like Union Street and Broadway, even for an experienced rider like him.
"It can feel very dangerous. There's this constant, like, peering over my shoulder just to make sure someone's not gonna veer off and crash into me," daSilva said.
These unsafe conditions are especially concerning as there have already been more than twice as many bicycle crashes this year in Bangor than last.
"We're not gonna ever see that go down and stay down until the infrastructure changes," daSilva said.
The City of Bangor is planning to improve conditions for bike riders, but funding issues and working with old roads can delay progress.
"It's really our job to work through those challenges, and that's what as public employees we're here to do is figure out the path that gets us to that end goal," Bangor Public Works Director Aaron Huotari said.
One plan in the works is the Village Partnership Initiative, with a goal of making downtown more friendly for cyclists and pedestrians.
"It makes it a more livable place," Huotari said.
The Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System (BACTS), a nonprofit working to help meet people's transportation needs, is also working on some of these initiatives.
"We need to always be thinking about all users of the roadways, whether it be cyclists, pedestrians, people with mobility devices, everybody needs to be able to navigate the roadway safely," BACTS Executive Director Sara Devlin said.
There are different solutions for different streets, like adding bike lanes or signage, or increasing education and awareness for drivers and cyclists.
For daSilva, separated bike lanes are an ideal solution, to keep bike riders away from the road.
"We really want everyone to be safe and feel empowered and comfortable," daSilva said.
If you'd like to learn more about how you can stay safe riding a bike, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine offers many resources, including free urban riding classes across the state.