Fwd: RELEASE: Council to Vote on Accepting Maine Bureau of Highway Safety Grant
Zack Barowitz
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From: Jessica Grondin <jgro...@portlandmaine.gov>
Date: Mon, Dec 1, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Subject: RELEASE: Council to Vote on Accepting Maine Bureau of Highway Safety Grant
To: Jessica Grondin <jgro...@portlandmaine.gov>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT
Jessica Grondin, City of Portland
Brad Nadeau, Police Dept
NEWS RELEASE
Council to Vote on Accepting Maine Bureau of Highway Safety Grant
Portland Police to use the funds to support traffic safety initiatives
PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland City Council will vote soon to accept a $15,250.50 grant award from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. The item will receive a first read at the Council’s December 1st meeting tonight with action scheduled for the December 15th meeting. If approved, the Portland Police Department will use the funds to support traffic safety initiatives. These funds will further support a multitude of efforts the City has been working on cross-departmentally to achieve vision zero, a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries within two decades.
The Police Department has received consecutive grant awards from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety to support traffic safety initiatives focused on protecting vulnerable road users. These grants fund high-visibility traffic enforcement efforts designed to reduce crashes involving pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicle operators.
Enforcement efforts focus on violations that are most likely to contribute to crashes involving vulnerable road users, including speeding, red-light violations, distracted driving and pedestrians failing to yield. Enforcement is directed not only at drivers, but also at pedestrians who may be committing traffic violations.
In April of 2025, the Police Department was awarded a $10,000 High Visibility Pedestrian / Motor Vehicle Traffic Enforcement grant. The $15,250 award is a Pedestrian / Motor Vehicle Traffic Enforcement grant, which will run through September 15, 2026. These grants are supported through federal funding and reimbursed through the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
In December 2024, the Police Department began conducting overtime traffic enforcement details in four-hour blocks in locations identified through data analysis as having the highest number of traffic safety concerns. Since January 1, 2025, officers have conducted 134 enforcement details, resulting in 453 vehicle stops, 336 citations and 159 warnings issued. These traffic safety efforts are ongoing and will continue through 2026 as part of Portland’s commitment to improving safety for both pedestrians and drivers throughout the city.
About the City’s Vision Zero Commitment
The City of Portland has joined cities across the country and world that are committed to reaching vision zero by working to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. From 2020 through June 2025, there have been 20 deaths and 141 serious injuries in Portland.
Over the last decade, Portland has made substantial progress on making the transportation system safer. The City has installed high visibility cross walks with rapid flashing beacons, implemented traffic calming measures across many neighborhoods, installed sidewalk bumpouts, improved ADA accessibility, added bike lanes, and speed monitoring signs.
Upcoming transformative transportation projects include: Libbytown Safety & Accessibility Project, Reimagining Franklin Street, and the Conversion of State/High streets to two way traffic.
This commitment includes a path to get there, including a number of short-term and long-term action items. Reaching this goal requires safe street design, enforcement, and strong community partnerships. Learn more about Portland’s commitment and action to achieve vision zero at portlandmaine.gov/visionzero.
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Director of Communications & Digital Services
City of Portland
389 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
George Rheault
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