FRONT STREET, FARMINGTON WALKABLE AUDIT REPORT “Walkable communities encourage pedestrian activity, expand transportation options, and have safe and inviting streets that serve people with different ranges of mobility.” Federal Highway Administration May 2011 Prepared for the Town of Farmington by: Introduction The Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG), in cooperation with Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), conducted a Walkable Community Audit Workshop of Front Street in downtown Farmington on May 23, 2011. Front Street, which begins at the Intervale (Route 4) and ends at Lower Broadway, is parallel to, and west of, Main Street. Front Street is adjacent to the University of Maine-Farmington (UMF) athletic fields and is used by pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Numerous businesses are located on Front Street, as is a UMF student parking lot. Along with UMF, many of the Front Street businesses generate pedestrian traffic. Front Street is used by some motorists as a bypass to Main Street. Sidewalks are limited to short segments, in spite of the prevalence of pedestrians along its entire length. Pedestrian-motor vehicle conflicts exist on Front Street because several Front Street businesses are dependent on motor vehicle traffic, not pedestrian traffic. Loading docks close to the road present obstacles and challenges to defining where pedestrians and bicyclists should be in relation to vehicles loading and unloading at these businesses. The Federal Highway Administration defines a walkable community as a community “where it is easy and safe to walk to goods and services (i.e., grocery stores, post offices, health clinics, etc.). Walkable communities encourage pedestrian activity, expand transportation options, and have safe and inviting streets that serve people with different ranges of mobility.” Overall, downtown Farmington meets the definition of a “walkable community”. Front Street has acquired a different character than that of other downtown streets and does not share the same appeal, comfort and sense of safety for pedestrians. A vibrant downtown typically has a variety of land uses to attract people with varied interests and needs. Downtown Farmington has a good variety of services to offer residents and visitors, including banks, churches, a grocery store, hardware store, law office, library, post office, restaurants, etc. Apartments can be found in the upper stories of downtown buildings. Handicap accessibility needs to be incorporated into plans for new sidewalks on Front Street in order to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as Amended, 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq. Front Street has not benefitted from investment in a sidewalk network that can connect it to the rest of downtown. Front Street has the potential to be as inviting and safe for pedestrians and bicyclists as is Main Street and other downtown streets. This report helps summarize the physical conditions, needs and opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle facilities on Front Street in downtown Farmington. The town has been, and continues to be, active in creating a safe and visible sidewalk and crosswalk network for pedestrians The town is currently focusing its efforts on making physical 1 improvements to Front Street and on attracting mixed uses and infill development here. The town was recently awarded a $150,000 Community Enterprise Grant for physical improvements (curbing, sidewalks and lighting) on Front Street at Meetinghouse Park. Other features such as good signage, bicycle racks, benches, trash receptacles, etc. will make Front Street more inviting and useable to the public. The information contained in this report will provide the Town of Farmington and its residents with priority projects towards making Front Street more pedestrian-friendly. Methodology Several hours of pre-audit work was conducted prior to holding the Walkable Community Audit Workshop. Work began with communication between AVCOG staff and town officials to determine the most appropriate area of the community to conduct an audit. Once the audit area was selected staff visited the town to walk the focus area to gain familiarity. The pre-audit walk involved taking pictures in downtown Farmington which offered good and bad examples of a pedestrian-friendly environment. The pictures were then downloaded to be used in a PowerPoint educational presentation given at the Walkable Community Audit Workshop. The PowerPoint educational presentation was created to educate workshop attendees on pedestrian design, safety, education, and enforcement while using pre-audit pictures in the presentation for examples. The Farmington Town Manager distributed fliers throughout the community announcing the upcoming Walkable Community Audit Workshop. The workshop was sponsored by MaineDOT and administered by AVCOG staff. The workshop was scheduled for four hours and included the PowerPoint educational presentation, a walking tour of Front Street, and a debriefing session that allowed participants to share what they observed during the walk. This report includes a summary of comments for improvements to Front Street, the list of workshop attendees (Appendix A), the promotional flier (Appendix B), an aerial map of Front Street (Appendix C), a map of the Downtown Farmington Walking Tour Route (Appendix D), and newspaper articles about the workshop (Appendix E). This report was funded in part through grant[s] from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. The views and opinions of the authors [or agency] expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U. S. Department of Transportation. 2 Summary of Comments: Crosswalks and Sidewalks Issue Priority/Timeframe Implementation Rehabilitate all sidewalks to 1 On‐going Town Manager/Public Works meet ADA standards Move crosswalk in front of Front 2 Street Exchange to south of the Short‐term Public Works Narrow Gauge intersection Add crosswalks southerly of the 3 Short‐term Public Works Narrow Gauge intersection Maintain the sidewalk on the easterly side of Front Street, 4 from Lower Broadway to the Long‐term Public Works southern end of Franklin Savings Bank Add sidewalk to the westerly side of Front Street, starting Town Manager, Board of 5 across from Franklin Savings Long‐term Selectmen Bank to across from the Depot Street intersection Add sidewalk on the easterly Town Manager, Board of 6 side of Front Street, from Depot Long‐term Selectmen Street to Route 4 Move crosswalk in front of Franklin Savings Bank to just 7 Short‐term Public Works south of Franklin Savings Bank at end of sidewalk Add a crosswalk for safe crossing from the new sidewalk 8 on the westerly side of Front Long‐term Public Works Street to the new sidewalk at the Depot Street intersection Add esplanade and sidewalk on Main Street in front of Gifford's Ice Cream and Cumberland Farms (from Depot Street to Town existing sidewalk) to clearly 9 Medium‐term Manager/MaineDOT/Farmington define business entrance Downtown Association locations, increase pedestrian safety on sidewalk, and reduce crossing distance across Route 4 to Hippach Field. 3 Add a crosswalk across Route 4 10 Short‐term Town Manager/MaineDOT to Hippach Field Add traffic light with pedestrian 11 crossing phase at Route 4 Short‐term Town Manager/MaineDOT crosswalk to Hippach Field Trim hedges on Lower Broadway that interfere with 12 Short‐term Public Works/Property Owner pedestrian movements on sidewalk Paint crosswalks in Spring to 13 maintain visibility or use durable Short‐term Public Works material (e.g., thermal plastic) Add curbed ramps and 14 Short‐term Public Works truncated domes at all crossings Improve lighting on Front Town Manager, Farmington 15 Street, particularly the southern Medium‐term Downtown Association end from Notify MD to Route 4 Bicycling Facilities Add inverted‐U style bike racks 1 Short‐term Town Manager to Hippach Field Add inverted‐U style bike racks to Prescott Field, laundromat, Town Manager, Farmington 2 natural food store, cinema and Short‐term Downtown Association, other business locations on business/property owners Front Street Economic Development Add Farmers Market signs on Town Manager, Farmington 1 Short‐term Main Street and Broadway Downtown Association Establish a rest area on town‐ owned land on Front Street Town Manager/Board of 2 northerly of the Notify MD Long‐term Selectmen parcel with amenities such as benches and trash receptacles. Construct a public parking lot on town‐owned land on Front Street across from Notify MD property (at the site of the Town Manager/Board of 3 Long‐term former snow dump) which could Selectmen serve as special event parking and overflow parking for Hippach Field. 4 On-Road Facilities Add handicap parking space Front Street in front of the Front 1 Street Exchange building, add Short‐term Public Works/Property Owner appropriate paint and signage indicating handicap parking Need to eliminate wide, expansive driveway openings onto Front Street and limit the 2 number of curb openings on Short‐term Town Manager/Property Owners each parcel to minimize conflicts between motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians Different layers of pavement at the edge of Front Street makes it dangerous for bicyclists. 3 Medium‐term Town Manager/Public Works Future pavement overlays should extend to the edge of the previous layer of pavement. Redesign the Front Street/Route 4 intersection to better define travel way for vehicles entering 4 Route