ORONO, Maine — Orono rolled out its new public safety and education initiative Monday, which aims to make the college town a bit safer for commuters, kids, and others impacted by daily traffic challenges.
The ORONO STOPS campaign pulls together years of work under one label with a mission to make the area safer for all, especially as students return to class.
Built upon basic ideas such as action, installation, and education, the program includes anything from new infrastructure to more police patrols.
"The thought process behind ORONO STOPS is it could be anything. It’s just an overarching brand," Orono police Chief Dan Merrill said.
Town Council Chair Dan Demeritt is thankful for the community effort and pays tribute to the people who inspired the initiative.
"This is a community building initiative [that] came forward from a parent and a bus driver," Demeritt said.
That bus driver is Jessica Steeves, who began counting the number of vehicles that illegally passed her as kids got on and off her bus.
She kept a record of the 2022-2023 school year and reported 296 drivers passed illegally. She said that number grew the following year to 336.
This year, Steeves will have a new bus with cameras equipped inside and out to catch and deter drivers from running her stop sign.
"[The safety] of anybody crossing the roads in front of us is so important," she said. "I don’t want to see anyone hurt or killed."
The new bus is the latest project Orono has added under the moniker ORONO STOPS. Over the past year, four speed bumps have been added to Forest Avenue to slow drivers on the busy residential street. And signage has been added around town to remind drivers to stop for buses like Steeves’ or to bring attention to speeding.
Orono’s school district begins class on Wednesday and the University of Maine welcomes students back next week.