The Themes from What We’ve Heard:

• Downtown should be walkable, accessible, and inviting for pedestrians of all abilities.

• Walking and biking downtown should be safe and comfortable. 

• Downtown should be connected to other key areas of downtown with sidewalks and on and off-road paths and infrastructure.

Discussion Questions: 

• What has the Freeport Complete Streets Committee been working on? What are their priorities?

• Walk score - how walkable is downtown and how can it be improved?

• What is the existing bicycle infrastructure and how can it be improved?

• Where are their accessibility concerns in Downtown? Are their plans being developed to improve these facilities?

• What type of wayfinding improvements are needed and where? What destinations need better signage?

• What are the state programs and initiatives that Freeport can take advantage of in the near term?

• How can we connect to other outdoor opportunities around Freeport?

Walking, Biking & Accessibility 

Freeport has a significant advantage over many other places due to the existing urban fabric of Downtown. Freeport fundamentally established the design for Downtown before the automobile was the predominant mode for private travel. This history is essential for contemporary Downtowns; not from a nostalgic perspective, but from creating a human-scaled environment. Most importantly, an environment that serves the daily needs of the entire community, from young children to seniors. 

We have heard from many that Downtown Freeport is walkable and should remain walkable in the future. We have also heard from many that they do not feel comfortable or safe walking Downtown and accessibility for people of all abilities needs to be improved. In addition to walking, many residents and business owners have referenced how bicycling in Town can overall be significantly improved.We need the Freeport community's help diving into the details about how we can improve the experience of traveling downtown. Please join us on February 4, 2022, at 9 AM to participate in this in-depth discussion.

A Pedestrian Paradise?

When we asked residents in the community survey, “What should be the same about Downtown Freeport in 10 years?”, the ‘walkability of downtown’ was in the top five most frequently mentioned responses. And when asked, “What should be different about Downtown Freeport in 10 years?”, ‘more access to walking and biking paths and trails’ downtown was one of the top two most frequent responses.

It’s clear from the survey results that the walkability of downtown is important to Freeport’s residents. Freeport’s current Walk Score is a 51 (out of 100), which means there is an opportunity to increase that score and improving the pedestrian experience should be prioritized in planning for the future of Downtown Freeport (https://www.walkscore.com/).

We know that a large portion of the workers, residents, and visitors drive Downtown. What is essential to recognize is that once they have parked, everyone becomes a pedestrian when Downtown. At the most fundamental level, making sure more people feel comfortable walking to and from more locations Downtown will help position Downtown for success. Employees who work nearby will be more likely to walk to town on their lunch breaks if they feel safe walking and crossing the streets.  The same goes for our youth, who if they feel safe would be more likely to walk from school to the library or downtown businesses after school.   

Drivers become pedestrians once they have parked in the same way as those who travel by public transit such as the bus or train. The Downeaster Train Station is an asset for locals and visitors, and it is important to continue to think about the experience of the person who may travel here by train and become a pedestrian when they deboard in Freeport. A visitor from away stopping to shop at L.L.Bean's Flagship Store will be more likely to cross Main Street to explore other stores, locations, and attractions Downtown if crossing the street is more safe.

Great main streets throughout the world are busy and vibrant streets with all sorts of traffic, transit, and pedestrians traveling to and from at reasonable speeds. Still, these interactions are happening at the most basic level at a slow pace. These interactions are planned this way so that drivers can look a pedestrian in the eye and both can recognize one another's intentions. Great downtowns have thousands and thousands of these split-second interactions happening every day. These are the human connections that make a Downtown more comfortable to walk, bike, and drive in every day. As we think about the future of Downtown Freeport, how can we design Main Street so that these human interactions between different modes of travel can co-exist?

How can Downtown Freeport create a better experience for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers traveling on Main Street? What intersections are the most critical to improving pedestrian safety and comfort? What are the essential pedestrian routes to key destinations within Downtown that need to be enhanced or improved?

Nice to Walk, Nice to Shop

A comfortable and friendly walking environment can improve retail sales and help to make Freeport a more attractive place for businesses to locate. Main Street retail performs best when streets prioritize pedestrians. Retail experts have studied how shoppers interact with stores, and their research has uncovered several fundamental qualities that the physical environment can have that directly relate to successful retail. Ultimately, these characteristics can lead to more sales through better walking environments. Here are just a few:

1. Great shopping streets allow shoppers to criss-cross the street to frequent stores on both sides of the street. This criss-crossing behavior can be challenging if jaywalking or the desire to "dash" across traffic feels too dangerous. Some streets in other areas are modifying how cars travel and curbs are designed to be on street level to invite more crisscrossing between stores. If one visits any booming mall, it is pretty easy to cross between stores on either side of the promenade. This function is an excellent example of how this characteristic has been intentionally included in these retail environments to support shoppers' fundamental behavior. 

2. Shoppers unconsciously get bored quickly, and they pay less attention to shopfronts and merchandise with undecorated windows. Studies have shown that if more than 30 to 40 feet of frontage on a shopping street is not actively merchandised or has an inactive ground-floor use, this gap in activity can lead to shoppers "turning off" from shopping. Suppose we don't see anything interesting in the windows or on the ground floors of the buildings. In that case, we start to think about other things instead of what the shopping might be offering. This human behavior is why walking Downtown, particularly on streets with retail or restaurants on them, there needs to be variety and enjoyable ground-floor activity.  

Frontage Quality 

Ultimately, the quality of the ground floor uses and design of the buildings directly affects how friendly it is to walk Downtown. Take a look at how many sidewalks Downtown are adjacent to buildings with active ground floors. How many "gaps" are there in the walking experience Downtown? Overall, how would you rank the quality of each frontage in Downtown? Every foot of sidewalk frontage in Downtown contributes to the overall walking experience of the neighborhood. Every foot someone walks in front of a parking lot, empty or uninteresting storefront, or blank walk contributes to a worse walking experience Downtown. 

How can Freeport ensure that the frontage quality of Downtown is consistent? 

Bicycling as a Way to Get Around Town

When we look at how people are currently biking in Freeport, we see that Downtown is a crossroad for bicycle trips. We also see other routes in Town that more bicyclists are taking that bypass Downtown entirely. These trips are likely exercise-related riding instead of bicycle trips related to work commuting or general travel around Town (link to Strava data). We are finding that many towns are looking for ways to make more people comfortable riding their bikes for more of their daily or weekly trips. Biking has personal health benefits in that it is a form of exercise and movement, as well as public health benefits in that it replaces vehicle trips and therefore reduces overall carbon emissions. How can Freeport think about bicycle riding as a component of both an active, outdoor lifestyle and a way residents and visitors travel around Town, especially destinations close to Downtown? 

1. Did you know that it is only a 10 min bike ride from Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary from Downtown?  

2. Did you know that workers at L.L.Bean Corporate Campus could ride their bikes to the Downtown Flagship Store in only 5 minutes? 

3. Did you know that high schoolers can ride from school to the Freeport Community Library in only 7 minutes?

4. Did you know that a couple out for a Saturday afternoon date could ride their bikes from the Maine Beer Company to the stores Downtown in only 8 minutes? 

Many of these bicycle trips do not happen Downtown because the streets in Downtown and the roads surrounding Downtown are only comfortable for the strongest and most fearless bike riders. How can the street network in and near Downtown become more attractive to more types of bike riders? 
Many places measure the success of the bicycle network through a rating system called the Bicycling Level of Stress (LTS). In Freeport, it will be essential to improve the level of stress on streets so that all types of riders can navigate Downtown by bicycle. There are four categories of bicycle riders. Which type are you? What route would you use if you had to ride your bike Downtown?

1. Type 1 - Bicyclist of All Ages and Abilities. LTS 1 is suitable for children.

2. Type 2 - Most Adult Bicyclists. This type represents the traffic stress that most adults will tolerate. 

3. Type 3 - Experienced bicyclists. 

4. Type 4 - Strong and fearless bicyclists. 

There are various types of bicycle lanes, street types, and off-street pathway designs that can accommodate the full range of riders. 

Freeport currently has a Bike Score of 43 (out of 100), which means, similar to the walk score, there is an opportunity to increase this score by improving bike infrastructure (https://www.walkscore.com/).

How can Downtown Freeport be accessed by all bicyclists? What destinations are higher priority to connect by good bike routes? Where can people park their bikes? How else can cycling be enhanced in Freeport?

Accessibility In Downtown Freeport 

We have heard from Freeport’s residents that it is important that Downtown remains accessible to people of all abilities. As we think about Downtown Freeport as a Downtown for All, it’s important to design the future of downtown to be accessible to people aging in place, families with small children in strollers, pets, and people of all ages and abilities. The Town shares this focus, and has been proactively promoting principles of Universal Design and Accessibility in both future and existing projects in Downtown Freeport. Universal Design and Accessibility is a concept in which environments are designed to be usable to all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized intervention. Since we know it is a priority to have an accessible downtown, the following are ways to improve the accessibility of downtown that we will explore in further detail during Design Week:

1. Evaluate updating existing storefronts for accessibility. What storefronts, if any, can be improved to be accessible for people of all abilities? 

2. Evaluate updating sidewalks for wheelchair accessibility. What sidewalks are inaccessible to people who rely on wheelchairs or walkers to navigate downtown? What sidewalks or curbs need ramps or other interventions?

3. Evaluate winter conditions of downtown. Are sidewalks, parks, and other public spaces downtown accessible in all seasons? 

Why enhance Downtown to make walking and biking more comfortable and the downtown area more accessible? 

There are a variety of reasons for improving the walking environment,bicycling safety, and accessibility Downtown. This list represents a summary of these opportunities. We hope you can join us during Design Week to dig into how each of these items can help Downtown Freeport:

1. Boosts Prosperity. Studies have shown that walkable enhancements in downtowns lead to increases in private investment and economic output. 

2. Support Local Business. Downtowns with a characteristic compact and walkable street network may facilitate the spread of small local shops that ultimately can increase the variety of goods and services. 

3. Walking can Enhance Creative Thinking and Productivity. Walking has been correlated with higher levels of productivity and creative thinking. "Go take a walk to clear your head." 

4. Promotes Tourism. Walking can enhance a Downtown's sense of place and encourage more strolling through the Town by visitors, leading to spending and enjoying local shops, restaurants, and services. 

5. Reduces Motor Vehicle and Road Costs. Walkable neighborhoods that allow families to own and operate fewer automobiles can lead to more money in those families' budgets for other things. On average, automobile ownership costs $9,000 a year. 

6. Promotes Active Living. Suppose the environment supports more active mobility, such as walking or bicycling. More people may choose to walk or bike instead of drive. These choices can improve the overall public health of a town. 

We invite everyone to take a walk through Downtown before the Design Week starts on February 3. We have heard from many that enhancing the walking and biking experience Downtown is critical. We look forward to having your help create a plan for how.