Another pedestrian hit

[Luke Bartol]

Heard word that someone was hit by a car on Marginal Way a little bit ago, this Reddit post was the only other information I could find: https://www.reddit.com/r/portlandme/comments/1u7jwlt/pedestrian_hit_by_car/.

Wanted to share with the group as these are becoming so common that word doesn't seem to spread as much as you think it would. Hoping the pedestrian is alright!

-Luke

[Scsmedia]

WMTW has a short piece on it.

Portland police investigating crash at intersection in city's Bayside neighborhood

Police investigated a crash that happened at the intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street in Portland, Maine, on June 16, 2026.

Updated: 3:25 PM EDT Jun 16, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Russ Reed

PORTLAND, Maine —

The Portland Police Department said that officers are investigating a crash at the intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street, which is in the city's Bayside neighborhood.

Police did not disclose any additional details about the crash.

The intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street is near Trader Joe's.

A Maine's Total Coverage photographer captured video at the scene that shows a vehicle was stopped on Elm Street, near a crosswalk at the Marginal Way intersection.

The video also shows there were clothes in the crosswalk, along with a pair of shoes, a hat and a backpack. A crosswalk was also spotted in the street.

https://www.wmtw.com/article/portland-maine-crash-marginal-way-elm-street/71603740

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

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[Scsmedia]

Saw this on Facebook from the PoPo just after I posted.

Steven

Police Investigate Fatal Crash At Marginal Way/Preble Street

PORTLAND, Maine — On Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 11:28 a.m., Portland Police responded to the intersection of Marginal Way and Preble Street for a collision involving a motor vehicle and a pedestrian.

A 49-year-old Portland man was struck by a vehicle operated by an 82-year-old Portland man. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and succumbed to those injuries shortly after arriving at Maine Medical Center. The victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Members of the Portland Police Department's Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and conducted a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information is currently available. No charges have been filed at this time as the case is under review.

The area was closed for about four hours during this incident.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or have information to please call them at 207-874-8532 or 207-874-8575. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/1720349790.2481368.1781639197451%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Todd Russell]

I was picking up my son around this time from a field trip at the Hearts of Pine headquarters near trader js. There was a rollator in the middle of the intersection and it looked like at least two cars involved.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 16, 2026, at 3:49 PM, 'Scsmedia' via Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee <PB...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



Saw this on Facebook from the PoPo just after I posted.

Steven

Police Investigate Fatal Crash At Marginal Way/Preble Street

PORTLAND, Maine — On Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 11:28 a.m., Portland Police responded to the intersection of Marginal Way and Preble Street for a collision involving a motor vehicle and a pedestrian.

A 49-year-old Portland man was struck by a vehicle operated by an 82-year-old Portland man. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and succumbed to those injuries shortly after arriving at Maine Medical Center. The victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Members of the Portland Police Department's Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and conducted a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information is currently available. No charges have been filed at this time as the case is under review.

The area was closed for about four hours during this incident.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or have information to please call them at 207-874-8532 or 207-874-8575. 

On Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 03:46:49 PM EDT, 'Scsmedia' via Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee <pb...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

WMTW has a short piece on it.

Portland police investigating crash at intersection in city's Bayside neighborhood

Police investigated a crash that happened at the intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street in Portland, Maine, on June 16, 2026.

Updated: 3:25 PM EDT Jun 16, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Russ Reed

PORTLAND, Maine —

The Portland Police Department said that officers are investigating a crash at the intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street, which is in the city's Bayside neighborhood.

Police did not disclose any additional details about the crash.

The intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street is near Trader Joe's.

A Maine's Total Coverage photographer captured video at the scene that shows a vehicle was stopped on Elm Street, near a crosswalk at the Marginal Way intersection.

The video also shows there were clothes in the crosswalk, along with a pair of shoes, a hat and a backpack. A crosswalk was also spotted in the street.

<1781639059450blob.jpg>

https://www.wmtw.com/article/portland-maine-crash-marginal-way-elm-street/71603740

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

On Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 01:46:08 PM EDT, Luke Bartol <lukeg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Heard word that someone was hit by a car on Marginal Way a little bit ago, this Reddit post was the only other information I could find: https://www.reddit.com/r/portlandme/comments/1u7jwlt/pedestrian_hit_by_car/.

Wanted to share with the group as these are becoming so common that word doesn't seem to spread as much as you think it would. Hoping the pedestrian is alright!

-Luke

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<1781639059450blob.jpg>

[Jacob Lavarnway]

We need to schedule an emergency meeting on how we are going to address this. What times is everyone available, and can we get Jeremiah to come?

I still have some speed study forms from earlier this week. I'll go do a study of Marginal and Preble right now.

Jacob Lavarnway

Urbanist Coalition of Portland

[Zack Barowitz]

Jacob,

I think that's a good idea. Perhaps either pick a day/time or send out a quick scheduling poll.

Thanks,

Zack

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207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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[Rauschpfeife]

"No additional information is currently available." And unless I miss my guess, none ever will be. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/1906775001.2494499.1781639335106%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Jacob Lavarnway]

Study results attached. 85th percentile of 32 -34.9 MPH

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[Myles G. Smith]

Hello Jacob, did you meet about this? What was the upshot?

I'm also curious about the speed survey - what was the day? And where were you taking speed readings exactly? If this was in the intersection, it seems like the speeds would vary a lot based on the phase of the signal.

Myles

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[Jacob Lavarnway]

We did have a meeting ,yes. Kate Sykes was there. According to her, Council is leaning towards 20 is plenty. This is because, aside from the fatality at Marginal & Preble earlier this week, there have been two other incidents of children being struck in June. I dion't know how serious those crashes were, or when or where they happened, but still - children.

She thinks that we (that is, PBPAC, UCP, and other orgs) should strike while the iron is hot - run a public pressure campaign demanding 20 is plenty, and to redesign Marginal & Preble. I am in agreement. 

She'll also be asking the chair of S&T to discuss the matter on the meeting on July 8th. There is also the City Council meeting which i believe is on June 29, which we need to attend.

If memory serves, PBPAC already has specifics set for their 20 is Plenty demands, yes? WOuld there be any objections to me using that stance as a starting point?

Jacob Lavarnway

[Jacob Lavarnway]

Oh, and I nearly forgot to cover the speed survey. I conducted the study the same day of the crash, only a few hours later, at the fatal intersection. For westbound traffic, I monitored them as they left the intersection as far down Marginal as I could. For that monitoring, I had the pillars of the AAA Building on the northwest corner obstructing drivers from seeing me as best I could.

For eastbound, I moved to the southeast section, and sat in the mulch of the savings bank. I monitored traffic as it moved through the intersection and beyond. In both directions, I tried not to record the speeds of any vehicles that were slowing down or preparing to turn off marginal.

Jacob Lavarnway

[Gordon Platt]

I would go a step further and say that now is also the time to absolutely charge on “No Right on Red” in Portland. 

     If the recently announced “safety education campaign” could be paused or diverted towards these ordinances when they hit, then we may see an educational campaign that actually has an impact. 

Thanks, 

Gordon Platt

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[Scsmedia]

Neither "20 is Plenty" nor "No Turn On Right" is going to be effective without stepped up enforcement.

The next council meeting is the July double meeting to satisfy the charter on July 20, 2026 at 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm.

There is a workshop on the Midtown Site on June 29th (has nothing to do with this, just noting for those interested).

Steven Scharf

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[Jacob Lavarnway]

All,

I've put together a little campaign plan doc to try and push for 20 is plenty. I want you all to review it before I move forward with looking for volunteers and scheduling stuff. It's not a formal review, just a general vibe check to make sure that everything sounds good.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6uNWAzr2FY0jVBZa3sMUHFfbhSW8LjZFVyDbo9v_uk/edit?usp=sharing

Jacob Lavarnway

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/1876115198.386063.1781901854982%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Rauschpfeife]

Agreed. No right on red, ever, ever, ever. As Woody Allen commented, this is California's only contribution to Western civilization. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAHcy_gw9vZSZi-0_j58V8mfC3rvbgmZQKq3xgbYat%3DYaEtGfAw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Rauschpfeife]

Actually, spotty, probabilistic enforcement is fine. Make drivers look over their shoulder. No enforcement ever is 100%. People literally get away with murder, and always will. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/1876115198.386063.1781901854982%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Rauschpfeife]

I like the message. A lot. Clear, concise, maximalist, and zero distractive wonkery. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/CAKXj%3Dkyr8FAPeUWtWfbtMaqsF1pxYm%2BoYzWKDcRY%2B%3DMc_rbpuw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Scsmedia]

I have changed the title of the thread.

I am not suggesting 100% enforcement.  We currently have no enforcement, especially on "No Right Turn on Red".  I have put a question to the City's Corp Council that if it comes back favorably or possible, then I will propose it here.

One of the main problems with traffic enforcement is that 100% of the revenue from tickets goes to the state.  The local departments spend to the money to enforce and get nothing for it.

On a separate note, Jacob Lavarnway at the UCP meeting referenced a roundabout that the intersection.  I started to map one out, but I don't have the right tools in Libre Office to do arrows to show the path around the circle.  So this is a very basic concept, if someone can add to it.  Feel free to copy it to work with a real graphic program.

The key point of this is that the sidewalk needs to be enlarged and one lane of traffic removed on Elm Street.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MePlN4U-2JJ3NQx5W3p90uCWlGoGJ6Ak/edit

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

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[Todd Russell]

Yes to no right on red!! But addition a huge problem is green lights that coincide with green walk signals for pedestrians. There are several of these throughout the city. They're deadly because turning traffic will get the green light at the same time that the pedestrian is getting the walk signal and the pedestrian is often not visible to the automobiles.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 16, 2026, at 3:46 PM, 'Scsmedia' via Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee <PB...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



WMTW has a short piece on it.

Portland police investigating crash at intersection in city's Bayside neighborhood

Police investigated a crash that happened at the intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street in Portland, Maine, on June 16, 2026.

Updated: 3:25 PM EDT Jun 16, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Russ Reed

PORTLAND, Maine —

The Portland Police Department said that officers are investigating a crash at the intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street, which is in the city's Bayside neighborhood.

Police did not disclose any additional details about the crash.

The intersection of Marginal Way and Elm Street is near Trader Joe's.

A Maine's Total Coverage photographer captured video at the scene that shows a vehicle was stopped on Elm Street, near a crosswalk at the Marginal Way intersection.

The video also shows there were clothes in the crosswalk, along with a pair of shoes, a hat and a backpack. A crosswalk was also spotted in the street.

<1781639059450blob.jpg>

https://www.wmtw.com/article/portland-maine-crash-marginal-way-elm-street/71603740

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

On Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 01:46:08 PM EDT, Luke Bartol <lukeg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Heard word that someone was hit by a car on Marginal Way a little bit ago, this Reddit post was the only other information I could find: https://www.reddit.com/r/portlandme/comments/1u7jwlt/pedestrian_hit_by_car/.

Wanted to share with the group as these are becoming so common that word doesn't seem to spread as much as you think it would. Hoping the pedestrian is alright!

-Luke

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[Rauschpfeife]

The usual answer to this problem is that the walkers get the green before the drivers do. This has become common if not universal. Is there any intersection in Portland where this happens? I don't know of any. This is literally zero-cost. No investment is required. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/F0CAA7C8-37CE-44BC-A807-0ED1A0B1F5AD%40gmail.com.

[Emma Holder]

Many traffic lights in Portland have a pedestrian advance green, and I've noticed it works well. 

There are also a number of “scrambles” (I dont love that term) where all motor traffic is stopped and all non-motorized traffic get a 20+ second go, so a pedestrian can walk diagonally across an intersection safely. (Two biggies are: Park X Deering near King Middle School, and now it would seem; the Forest X Woodfords cluster. Yay!

Emma

Emma Holder

LMT MSc CMLDT

Humankind, let's be both

207 415 7204

em...@emmaholder.com

https://emmaholder.com

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[Rauschpfeife]

Excellent. A good start. Should happen at every intersection. 

(I'm new to P'land, so there's a lot I don't know.) 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/3FA7A491-F11E-4F55-BAEA-732E97E642EF%40emmaholder.com.

[Winston Lumpkins]

Portland requires all intersections to have a 5 second leading pedestrian interval.  They have been making some progress bringing them up to that standard, but many are still left behind. 
Worth reporting ones without it on c-click fix!  

We still use a signal timing regim that assumes pedestrians walk faster than some actually walk, 3.5 feet per second, which could be corrected to 2.5 feet per second, or we could run some tests with some slower pedestrians and see how slow they are. 

One term for pedestrian only signal phases is "barnes dance" after a traffic engineer named Barnes.  The city recently added one and Union and Fore, according to Jeremiah in the latest S&T committee meeting. (Notes: https://groups.google.com/g/pbpac/c/4ouPhKoyIOc).  

This is the sort mess that resulted from an effort to outline better signal policy a couple years ago, basically just notes:  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16EFKuvHKW3Am0yHjtIYgIjrWmVw39InJGN8DSvfJFmQ/edit?usp=drivesdk

If anyone wants to try to make anything of it feel free to try, we should ideally finish it.  I was planning to do so after our priorities were posted, however, I got so mad and burned out when our goals were not accepted as public comment for the S&T committee's goal setting that I didn't. 

-Winston

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

• 
  

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[Rauschpfeife]

I'm amazed to hear that P'land mandates a 5-second leading ped green. I'm trying to think of an intersection I frequently cross (on foot) that actually has one. I suppose I'll walk around a bit, and check. 

This seems to be a classic case of what I am beginning to call Portland Syndrome: Some excellent policy is articulated, even mandated, and the City machinery simply ignores it. Please forgive this rather brash assessment from such a newbie, but perhaps sometimes a fresh pair of eyes will notice something useful. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[George Rheault]

There is a tremendous amount of conflicting mandates that traffic engineers must work with.  There USED to be a diagonal crosswalk at State & Park but it disappeared after the bike lane went in and after the State Street Big Dig (sewer and water main replacement and repaving).  Once, I almost died one day absentmindedly assuming it was still there...

To be effective diagonal crossings MUST be well-marked so pedestrians know it is an option especially (as is often the case in Portland) pedestrians are not familiar with the intersection.  And far too many drivers of course are unfamiliar with the concept.  Pedestrian scramble - Wikipedia

As for capacity for implementation, Portland's problems are not uncommon.  Portland is much closer in population to the next biggest municipality in Maine (Lewiston) than it is to bigger places that people often assume are not in Portland's league.  When you look at the biggest municipalities in Massachusetts, Portland would not even rank in the top 10:   Massachusetts Cities by Population (2026)  A lot of current Portlanders, familiar with bigger places having once lived in them, mistake the legacy urban environment of Portland's peninsular downtown core with a real city when in fact Portland is far more like Framingham MA or Brockton MA than big-league places like San Fran or NYC.

It is basically expecting a small cute dog to keep up with much bigger breeds and then wonder why the little pup can't hold its own.  Not always an excuse, but a useful perspective.

  

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[Rauschpfeife]

Not to be devil's advocate or anything but...

Seems to me you could make the opposite case: a small town like Portland -- no disrespect, but as George correctly points out, we're boutique-size. It's all retail, here. Scaling issues don't really bite too hard in a city of 65,000 souls. 

Allometry is a topic that's long interested me, and I have a hunch that in general, difficulty increases more than linearly with size. A town with one stoplight doesn't have much of a problem changing its timing. A town with one hundred might have somewhat more than 100x the problem. Etc. 

I strongly suspect that the problem here is organizational and political, not technical, and if I had to cite one element, it would be the wildly undemocratic city-manager structure. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Myles G. Smith]

Folks,

Just a reminder that 20 is Plenty is part of a joint platform with 7 other organizations (so far, and more are welcome).

Our second ask is to prioritize pedestrians at all intersections where there are pedestrians - this would mean optimizing signals and eliminating most or all Right turn on red. The first step to the former would be to eliminate all the slip lanes and soft right turns that are characteristic of our intersections, such as on Park Ave at Deering Street, where Right on Red is already banned and yet we have a slip lane to facilitate right turns and to send the bike lane to the center of traffic. Nearly all of our signals will never give a pedestrian a walk signal unless they push a beg button, and often this still results in waiting a full cycle before getting one, and the walk signal doesn't usually offer any benefit over just walking when the lanes parallel to you have a green light. So, no one abides them. This is all silly.

Steven, it is not true that reducing speed limits will do nothing without enforcement. Liz Trice shares some excellent data from elsewhere, showing that only a small number of vehicles complying will slow down all the others in the flow. Also, for the near future, we will inevitably have autonomous vehicles on our streets, which will be programmed to follow our set speed limits. Like them or not, they will be an increasingly important part of the transportation system.

As George mentions, I do think a lot of the problem is down to capacity. Portland has very little transportation staffing, and much of our urban arterials are actually controlled by Maine DOT. Maine DOT makes decisions about investments, priorities, and policies like speed limits and 'mobility features' in what seems to quite arbitrary, non-transparent, and-or Byzantine ways. Other states have more local control, either within the city, county, or MPO, to manage their streets, so they can chance much more quickly than we seem to be able to. This is a statewide issue, not just a Portland issue. This is why we helped create Transportation for Maine.

Myles

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[Joey Brunelle]

Re: Maine DOT, I think there's a lot more potential for organizing grass roots campaigns to pressure DOT to move with specific asks. Begging the City to try to lobby DOT doesn't have a track record of success, nor should we just assume DOT is immovable and not even try to move them. I joke that we could have a sit-in in the Maine DOT offices, but I'm only half joking... there are a lot of possibilities we could explore.

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[Jacob Lavarnway]

https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/23/portland-councilors-call-for-emergency-workshop-following-latest-pedestrian-death/

[Scsmedia]

eliminating most or all Right turn on red.

They all need to be eliminated.  There is no arguement for why specific ones should exist.

Nearly all of our signals will never give a pedestrian a walk signal unless they push a beg button, and often this still results in waiting a full cycle before getting one, and the walk signal doesn't usually offer any benefit over just walking when the lanes parallel to you have a green light. So, no one abides them. This is all silly.

Even dumber is a beg button on the south side of High Street at Congress Street.  It is an all stop.  The Right Turn on Red is the the major concern here.  And the fact that they have not painted the crosswalk.

Steven, it is not true that reducing speed limits will do nothing without enforcement

I hardly think that Wales does no enforcement of traffic laws.  Also, except for one major highway across Wales, all roads are like city streets.

autonomous vehicles on our streets, 

Autonomous vehicles are not going to work without painting side lines on our streets, which we do not do in most places.

Steven Scharf

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[Scsmedia]

Some relavant details from the article.

MAN FATALLY STRUCK IN MEDIAN

As of Tuesday afternoon, the state crash report regarding the June 16 accident near Trader Joe’s was still not available. However, a memo to the council last week from City Manager Danielle West offered more details.

The memo states that Ayers was “apparently panhandling” on a raised median on the north side of the Preble Street and Marginal Way intersection when a vehicle traveling south through the intersection crossed the raised median, hitting Ayers. 

According to the memo, the 82-year-old driver was initially using the center through lane, which had a green light, then abruptly swerved into the left turn lane behind another vehicle stopped for a red light. The memo said it is not yet known why the vehicle then crossed into the median.

After striking Ayers, the vehicle continued south through the intersection, into the opposite northbound lanes, coming to a stop adjacent to Trader Joe’s.

West’s memo said the crash report states that the driver, who has not been identified, “does not remember much of the crash.”

. . .

More than a decade ago, Portland briefly banned panhandling in medians, but the ordinance was struck down as unconstitutional after it was challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine.

. . .

Later in the day on June 16, Jacob Lavarnway, a board member at the Urbanist Coalition of Portland, conducted a speed analysis at the intersection, which found that 98% of vehicles were traveling at speeds that can be deadly for pedestrians.

Good Job Jacob.

I saw no movement on my roundabout diagram.

Steven Scharf

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[Christian MilNeil]

Completely support this.

I want to share some evidence to push back against Steven's assertion that this won't make any difference without more policing. 

Boston changed its speed limits in 2017, to a 25 mph citywide speed limit. They only changed the signs; there was no comprehensive change to policing policies or infrastructure. 

There was a controlled scientific study comparing the rate of crashes in Boston before and after the speed limit signs changed, compared to Providence, a nearby city where there was no change to the speed limit:

https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/bibliography/ref/2168

And here were the key results:

• Average speeds didn't change all that much: "The speed limit reduction was associated with a 0.3% reduction in mean speeds"
• BUT the rates of the most dangerous speeding – over 35 mph – declined considerably, by 29.3%.

Dozens of other cities in Massachusetts have subsequently also adopted 25 mph default speed limits on the strength of Boston's experience, and Massachusetts is now one of the safest states in the country, even though the state's enforcement of traffic laws has plummeted in the past decade. 

Partly as a result of this research, simply changing the speed limit signs is now a federally-endorsed safety countermeasure. The old "85th percentile" method for setting speed limits – which is how most of Portland's speed limits were established way back in the 20th century– has been completely discredited as junk science. 

Christian MilNeil
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

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[Winston Lumpkins]

Those are compelling statistics!  Reducing speeds on the high end is effective in reducing crashes & their severity and alone could be worth it. 

Thanks Jacob for posting the press herald article, after a short rabbit hole I saw what the city manager mentions at the end.  

While I watched the latest vision zero update at the June S&T committee meeting, I missed this in the agenda: 

Staff are aware of community suggestions that the City should conduct more comprehensive and formal post-crash investigations to determine the need for

specific locational or system level changes. City staff are reviewing this recommendation with appropriate departments and Corporation Counsel. 

All the more reason to put pressure on them :). A 20 mph speed limit is not yet part of the vision zero plan unless I missed that too.  

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

• 
  

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[Ben Harvey]

Hi Jacob, 

I'm the father of one of the kids that was hit recently: my daughter was hit in the crosswalk at Woodfords and Caldwell. Her injuries were serious (abrasions, multiple pelvic fractures) but thankfully she is recovering well. My wife Heather has already spoken at the city council and was mentioned in the PPH article today. I recognize that due to our unfortunate circumstance we have a potent voice on this issue right now, and we are 100% behind the 20 is Plenty/Crash Analysis campaign. We've already reached out to city councilors, but please consider me as a resource for other phases of this campaign.

On Friday, June 19, 2026 at 4:01:08 PM UTC-4 Jacob Lavarnway wrote:

[Rauschpfeife]

Joey makes a good point. Saying "please" and trying to do the pols' work for them doesn't seem to be paying off. 

-- 

Best, 

Michael Smith

anacharsis.substack.com

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[Kate Sykes]

Good morning Myles and fellow PBPAC members,

I'm hearing from a number of constituents following the recent Press Herald coverage of pedestrian strikes.

People are asking what they can do to support an emergency Council workshop, a citywide 20 MPH speed limit, and other measures, such as restricting right turns on red within city limits. My sense is that there is a real desire among residents to become involved in this work in a tangible way, and I would like to direct them toward the Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee as the primary place to plug in. 

The work you all have done to push for immediate crash analysis, safer street design, and now the emerging '20 Is Plenty' campaign is the kind of organizing that moves the needle on policy change. Please let me know exactly how you want me to tell new people to plug in. Are you comfortable with me directing constituents to this email address? Are there other opportunities for involvement that you would like me to share? It might be time to create a public facing campaign webpage/insta that could hold information like 'what is 20 is plenty' info about recent crashes, specific meetings and events.

I have a feeling this conversation is only going to grow in the coming months, and I want to make sure we're ready.

Kate Sykes (she/they)

Councilor, Dist. 5

City of Portland
389 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101

ksy...@portlandmaine.gov

c: 207.558.5764

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[Jacob Lavarnway]

Kate,

I have created a 20 is Plenty campaign channel in the UCP's Discord, as requested by some PBPAC members. Before I share it, I wanted to ask if PBPAC would want to use that as a base of operations for a campaign to avoid cluttering up people's inboxes, or if the campaign should be conducted within PBPAC's systems.

Jacob Lavarnway

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[Cary Tyson]

In light of recent discussions, THIS RECENTLY RELEASED REPORT on ten years of Vision Zero efforts in Boston, Cambridge, & Somerville is relevant & worth the read. 

--

Cary Tyson, LPM

Executive Director

Portland Downtown

Office: 87 Center Street, Portland, ME 04101

Mail: PO Box 8593, Portland, ME 04104
207.772.6828 

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SAVE THE DATE: Jane's Walk Maine, Saturday, May 2

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[Kate Sykes]

Thanks, Jacob. I will let you work that out behind the scenes. Please let me know what you decide. I also want to update everyone that I spoke with the mayor this morning and we agree that using the July 8th S&T meeting to convene an emergency workshop on this issue will be faster than trying to convene a Monday Council workshop, since  our calendar is pretty tight coming up against summer vacations.  

Kate Sykes (she/they)

Councilor, Dist. 5

City of Portland
389 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101

ksy...@portlandmaine.gov

c: 207.558.5764

Read the District 5 Insider newsletter and keep up to speed on issues working their way through Council Chambers.

Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails and text messages - in the possession of public officials or city employees about government business may be classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result, please be advised that what is written in an e-mail/text could be released to the public and/or the media if requested.

On Wed, Jun 24, 2026 at 9:08 AM Jacob Lavarnway <jlava...@urbanistportland.me> wrote:

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[Zack Barowitz]

Kate,

This is great information and I appreciate the recognition of PBPAC’s work. 

I’ll let Myles and leadership weigh in but thanks for being proactive on this. 

Zack 

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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