11 safety tips for cycling in Greater Portland
Myles Smith, chair of Portland's bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee, at the intersection of Franklin Street and Marginal Way, where a runner was killed in November 2025. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
If you’re new to Greater Portland or are a beginner cyclist, it can be daunting to figure out where and how to bike safely in the area.
An escalating number of crashes involving pedestrians in Portland has raised concerns about the safety of the city’s streets. While Portland and neighboring communities are implementing new traffic safety measures, individual pedestrians and cyclists can also take steps to keep themselves safe on the road.
Related
Portland councilors call for emergency workshop following latest pedestrian death
Portland’s bikeability has improved over the years, according to Cashel Stewart, the transportation planning manager with the Greater Portland Council of Governments.
Since he moved here in 2017, the city has added bike lanes and trail connections.
“I feel increasingly safer and better on the roads,” he said.
“If we want to continue to grow the bike culture in the Portland area, we have to continue to make it safer and more convenient for people to bike in the region,” Stewart said.
Advertisement
Still, many cyclists rate Greater Portland’s bikeability as just OK. TOM said that while there is some bike infrastructure in the area, traffic and high speed limits make it difficult to bike on some roads.
On the Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s bikeability map, most of the roads on the Portland peninsula are red, meaning they’re high stress roads. But there are plenty of low and moderate stress roads stretching from Saco all the way to Brunswick to keep cyclists occupied.
Regardless of the road you’re biking on, there are essential tips and rules to follow to ensure you stay safe and feel comfortable on your bike.
Wear a helmet.
According to Maine state law, children under 16 years of age are required to wear a helmet while biking. But everyone should wear a helmet at all times while on a bike.
Bike helmets have been found to reduce head injuries by 48% and fatal head injuries by 71%. The majority of cyclist fatalities involve cyclists who did not wear a helmet.
Use lights and wear high visibility clothing.
Outfit your bike with a blinking white light on the front and a blinking red light on the back. It’ll make you more visible to cars, even during the day, said Deirdre Mailloux — who’s been biking for 30 years, including nine years in Portland.
Advertisement
Reflective or neon clothing and bike accessories can make you more visible to cars.
Bike commuter Justin Engelsher wears a high-visibility helmet and gloves to make himself as bright as possible.
Consider using other bike safety gear.
If you’ve ever heard beeping coming from a bike, it might be a cycling radar alerting a cyclist to an approaching vehicle. With a radar, you know when a car is coming up behind you without having to check over your shoulder.
Consider getting sunglasses with an integrated rearview mirror or hook a mirror onto your helmet.
“It could save your life,” said Ginny Carothers, who competed in collegiate cycling in North Carolina and now lives in Portland. “I think it’s worth looking a little dorky.”
Use trails.
Look to off-street alternatives if you want to avoid riding with cars. Justin Engelsher commutes on his bike when he’s working from his Portland office, and he frequents the Portland trail network. Some of these trails have difficult sections with steeper hills and roots, but others are flat and gravely.
Advertisement
Beginner-friendly trails in Portland include the Eastern Promenade Trail and the Back Cove Trail.
In Greater Portland, riders can travel on South Portland’s Greenbelt and the Eastern Trail that stretches from Portland to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Avoid streets with too much traffic by using neighborhood byways.
Tom Kowalski biked from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, last year, so he’s familiar with all types of road conditions.
In Greater Portland, he said that although Forest Avenue has bike lanes, he tries to avoid it because of the traffic and its complicated intersections. Route 1 is horrific for cycling, he said.
Mailloux admits that biking on the Casco Bay Bridge for the first time can be intimidating.
Engelsher generally tries to avoid major arterial roads like Franklin, Stevens and Allen avenues.
Advertisement
Road conditions can vary, especially if there is construction, so Kowalski recommends checking on the progress of construction ahead of time.
Related
Inside Maine’s epic bike ride, Trek Across Maine
Kowalski uses the street view in Google Maps to see how busy streets are at any given time. The heat map feature on the activity app Strava helps him see which streets cyclists use most often. The Bicycle Coalition of Maine also has a bikeability map that shows streets in Portland and surrounding municipalities, color-coded to indicate stress of travel.
It’s a lot safer to ride on neighborhood streets that have lower speed limits and volumes of vehicles, Stewart said.
These are lower stress alternatives to arterial roads. For instance, you can bypass Forest Avenue by riding along the Back Cove Trail, Stewart said.
“It feels a lot safer and is a perfectly valid way of getting around,” Stewart said.
South Portland started the Thornton-Cash Corner Byway last fall to provide a safer route for middle school students who cycle to class. It navigates quieter local streets.
Advertisement
Go north and south rather than east and west.
The roads that go north and south tend to have bigger shoulders and less traffic compared to those going east and west, Kowalski said.
For Mailloux, getting out of Portland is the hardest part of her route, especially going west on Congress Street and Brighton Avenue.
Carothers says she stays along the coast, where the roads are safer.
“The more inland you go, the more dangerous the roads feel to me,” Carothers said. “The roads get more narrow. There’s less of a shoulder.”
Be predictable and visible.
“I always think being predictable is the absolute most important thing to do,” Kowalski said.
Communicate with others, be cognizant of your surroundings and follow the rules of the road, he said. Always assume a car can’t see you.
Advertisement
Use hand signals.
Using the proper hand signals gives cars and other cyclists around you time to react. Stick your arms to the side to show you’re turning and point out potential hazards on the road like potholes or sticks. Motion forward to let others know they can overtake you, and extend your left arm down at an angle with your open palm facing back to signal that you’re stopping or slowing down.
Take up space.
Cyclists have a right to take up space on the road. It’s the law.
Cyclists can ride in the middle of any road in Maine.
“I don’t know if I would recommend doing that on every single road,” said Stewart. “Especially when the speed limits are high.”
Knowing when to take up and cede space on the road is essential for cyclists. Riding closer to the middle of the lane forces cars to pass in the other lane if there isn’t room for both a bike and a car to safely travel alongside each other. Vehicles have to give at least 3 feet of clearance when passing if you’re biking on the side of the road.
If the shoulder or lane is narrow, riding in the center allows you to avoid obstacles more easily rather than getting pushed off the road or into traffic.
Advertisement
Taking up space also makes you more visible to cars, Mailloux said. “I want people to see me while I’m biking.”
Have fun and be comfortable.
If you’re out of your comfort zone, you’re putting yourself and others in a stressful situation. Stay on roads where you feel comfortable and in control.
“For young children who are just learning how to bike, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to be in the middle of the road,” Stewart said.
Learn basic bike mechanics.
You don’t want to be stuck on the side of the road for hours, waiting with a flat tire you don’t know how to fix. And if your bike has been sitting around for a while, it’s important to make sure the brakes are working before you hit the road, Stewart said.
Copy the Story Link
Tagged: bicycling, bikes, biking
Salomé Cloteaux is a community reporter covering Scarborough and Westbrook. She was born in France but lived in Indiana for most of her life before moving to Portland in November 2025. Salomé has a degree. More by Salomé Cloteaux
