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Dear BCM community,
Maine is grieving. In the last ten days, four people have been killed while walking in their own communities. A 74 year old woman in Waterville. An 85 year old man checking his mail in Durham. A 74 year old woman jogging in Portland. And a 12 year old boy getting off his school bus in Rockland.
Four lives lost in less than two weeks. Four families forever changed. Four communities mourning.
These tragedies are not isolated events. So far in 2025, Maine has seen nearly 30 bicycle and pedestrian fatalities, and more than 400 crashes involving people walking or biking. We are just entering the time of year when these crashes become even more frequent.
This is a public health crisis. If these numbers were connected to any other preventable cause, we would treat it with the urgency it deserves. We cannot allow traffic violence to be normalized, and we cannot accept that this level of harm is inevitable.
At the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, our work is grounded in the belief that every person deserves to get home safely. We teach safety skills to children and adults. We help communities redesign dangerous roads. We advocate for policies that protect vulnerable road users. And we stand with families and towns who are struggling to make sense of these losses.
Today, in the wake of these heartbreaking events, we are asking you to join us in this work. Email your City Council or select board, give public comment, write a letter to the editor in your local paper, share your story, join BCM, signup to become a Community Spoke, and demand action now!
The Community Spokes Program is the Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s statewide network of cyclist and pedestrian advocates at the local level. We empower residents to become champions—or “Community Spokes”—of active transportation in their cities and towns.
If you wish to become a Community Spoke, sign up and we will reach out to you with details about the training session the week of January 12, 2026.
Your voice, your presence and your support strengthen our ability to respond to communities, expand safety education, and push for real change across Maine.
Together we can create safer streets, calmer traffic and a culture that values human life above speed and convenience.
We can prevent future tragedies. We can build a state where no family has to endure this kind of loss. And we can do it together. Because everyone deserves to get home safely.
With Care,
Andrew and the Team at BCM
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