State pedestrian safety campaign adds to parallel efforts in Portland

Maine Officials Launch Pedestrian Safety Campaign as Portland Kicks Off Long-Term Transportation Planning

By Maine News Now Staff

Thursday's gathering in Portland's Lincoln Park brought together state transportation officials, city leaders and pedestrian safety advocates to address what many in attendance described as an increasingly urgent problem: the growing number of crashes involving people on foot in Maine's cities.

The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety rolled out a new public awareness campaign called "Slow Down, Portland. We Walk Here," set to appear on buses, bus stops, radio and online platforms over the coming weeks in Portland, Lewiston and Auburn. The three communities are disproportionately represented in statewide crash data, according to the bureau.

Bureau Director Lauren Stewart said the campaign distinguishes itself from previous efforts in a key way: the messaging was shaped by residents rather than government officials.

"As pedestrian fatalities continue to rise in Maine, we need approaches that connect with the people who live, work and travel in these communities," Stewart said.

Pedestrian deaths and serious injuries in Maine doubled from 2024 to 2025, according to Jeff Larason, program director for Community Voices for Road Safety. Speaking at Thursday's event, Larason said he believes a shift began roughly five years ago — a combination, in his view, of larger vehicles and higher speeds that has made roads less safe for people on foot.

"All over the country it's going up, it's not just here," Larason said of the trend.

The Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization was among the groups that helped inform the campaign. Its president, Mike Dixon, said the neighborhood has logged approximately 300 crashes over the past five years, with multiple fatalities occurring "just a stone's throw away" from residential streets.

"This work has galvanized an unprecedented number of people in our little neighborhood," Dixon said.

Thursday's campaign launch came against the backdrop of two pedestrian deaths that occurred in close proximity to Lincoln Park along Franklin Street, as well as a broader citywide reckoning over how to make streets safer.

Portland signed on to a "Vision Zero" initiative last year, committing the city to the goal of eliminating pedestrian deaths. City Councilor Regina Phillips, who chairs the sustainability and transportation committee, told the crowd that the city is making progress on that front. She said crash numbers in 2026 are trending downward while police citations are on the rise.

Phillips said she is feeling optimistic about the slate of projects in the pipeline. On Monday, the City Council is expected to vote on approving approximately $2 million in federal funding for a demonstration project next year along Brighton Avenue.

"This campaign builds upon Portland's commitment to achieving Vision Zero," Phillips said at Thursday's event. "And it directly reflects the values of our community in an effort to encourage drivers to slow down, stay alert, and look out for one another."

Later the same day, the city began its own public planning effort with the first of a series of open houses on "Portland in Motion," a comprehensive transportation plan — the city's first in three decades. The plan will establish a 20-year roadmap for how people and goods move through Portland. An online survey is also available to gather community input.

Greg Jordan, an assistant city manager and former director of Portland Metro, has said the new plan will be "vitally important" to advance the projects most likely to improve conditions on Portland's roads.

Thursday's event drew other city officials, including Police Chief Mark Dubois and City Councilor Sarah Michniewicz, who joined Phillips at the Lincoln Park announcement. Their presence underscored the multi-layered approach city and state leaders are taking — combining public messaging, long-range planning and infrastructure investment — as advocates continue to press for quicker, more visible changes on streets where crashes have become a regular occurrence.