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Complete Streets


Complete Streets
The Town of Camden, along with the Maine Department of Transportation, and other communities all across the country, is committed to taking into consideration the needs of all user groups when designing and upgrading town infrastructure. 
Complete Streets, as defined by the US Department of Transportation, are “designed and operated to enable safe use and support mobility for all users. Those include people of all ages and abilities, regardless of whether they are traveling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation riders.”

The National Complete Street Coalition, explains that “the Complete Streets approach integrates people and place in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of our transportation networks. This helps to ensure streets are safe for everyone, and supports local economies and natural environments.”

Camden will be working with state and federal agencies, as well as other partners, to identify and implement opportunities to make our streets safer and more usable for pedestrians and cyclists. Below, you can find information about a few of the things you can expect to see around Town. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. 

Advisory Bike Lanes

The Town of Camden will be piloting a new type of cycling facility on low volume, low speed streets called advisory bike lanes. It's a new way for motorists and cyclists to share the road. While similar to regular bicycle lanes (which are marked on pavement by solid white lines), advisory bicycle lanes are used on narrow, low-volume streets and are marked with dashed lines. These markings give cyclists riding space, but are also available to motorists if needed to pass oncoming traffic. For more information on advisory bicycle lanes, please watch this video courtesy of the City of Ottawa, and see the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Advisory Lanes

A new way for drivers and cyclists to share the road

How they work :

  • Advisory cycling lanes – a new way for drivers and cyclists to share the road.
  • Motorists share a wide lane with oncoming vehicles.
  • Each side of the road has an advisory cycling lane.
  • Drivers move into the right-hand cycling lane when passing oncoming vehicles.
  • Motorists must yield to cyclists already in that space.
  • Motorists travel behind cyclists until it is safe to move back into their lane.

Insert the actual video here – in a little box

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Camden installing advisory bicycle lanes?

As a pilot (trial) exercise, the Town has installed an advisory bike lane on Norwood Ave between Peral Street and Route 1. While additional locations could be added as part of the pilot, this is the only location at this time.

Are advisory bicycle lanes going to be used as a traffic-calming measure?

No. We will not be considering the use of advisory bicycle lanes exclusively to help slow traffic.

To implement advisory lanes, do you simply add painted dashed lines on the side of the road or are there other features?

There are two important considerations. First, advisory lanes are only appropriate on low-volume, low-speed street segments. As such, should volumes and speeds be higher than appropriate, changes (such as traffic calming) would be required to get speeds and volumes down to levels that would allow for proper operation of advisory lanes. Second, to mark the presence of advisory lanes, both painted dashed lines and supporting signage are used.

 Advisory Lanes2.jpg

What happens if advisory bicycle lanes don't work as envisioned?

Staff will monitor operations to help complete a before and after evaluation. Where the design is not operating as it should, adjustments will be made to correct the issue. Should those adjustments fail to address the issues they were intended to correct, the advisory lane would be removed.

Should you have any questions or would like more information about this pilot project, please contact:
David St. Laurent, Camden Director of Public Works
Email: dstlaurent@camdenmaine.gov (link sends email)

207-236-7954


Sharrowssharrows

Camden is introducing sharrows on several of our streets. The purpose of a sharrow – road markings showing a bicycle with two chevrons – is to remind residents to share the road when driving or cycling in Camden. Sharrows will first be painted on Mechanic Street.

Benefits of sharrows

For cyclists, sharrows:

  • Encourage drivers to leave space for cyclists where lanes are wide enough to share but where there is not enough space for a full reserved bike lane
  • Assist with positioning in a shared lane with on-street parallel parking in order to reduce the chance of a driver opening their door and hitting a cyclist
  • Advise cyclists when to "take the lane" where travel lanes are too narrow for riding side by side within the same lane
  • Reduce the incidences of wrong-way cycling.

For drivers, sharrows:

  • Alert road users of the space cyclists are likely to occupy in the lane
  • Encourage safe passing of cyclists by motorists
  • Remind them to share the road with supplemental road signs.

Sharrows do not in any way require a cyclist to take a particular route or obligate where cyclists should position themselves in a lane. Cyclists have the right to ride in any lane and motorists should treat cyclists as they would any other vehicle.



Get in Touch

contact
PO Box 1207
29 Elm Street
Camden ME  04843
Hours of Operation:
Mon -Fri 7:30 am to 3:30 pm