MaineDOT considers vulnerable road users (VRU) as “non-motorists” which includes pedestrians, bicyclists, or people that rely on personal mobility devices and other human scale modes of transportation. These users have little or no protection in the event of a crash. Pedestrians also include people in wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and construction workers within a work zone on our highways.
Maine has experienced approximately 33,000 total vehicle crashes per year on average over the past ten years. VRUs are involved in approximately 1.2% of these crashes (0.7% Pedestrian, 0.5% Bicycle.) When looking at the most severe injuries in Maine’s crash history for the same period, VRUs make up approximately 9.6% of Maine’s total annual road user fatalities and serious injuries (7.0% Pedestrian, 2.6% Bicyclist.) These percentages show that our most vulnerable road users are disproportionally affected in Maine’s fatal and serious injury counts.
- Maine’s 2023 VRU Safety Assessment is a new state requirement announced in the federal 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Maine’s VRU Safety Assessment analyzes pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and serious injuries for the 2018-2022 period.
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Funding principally supports locally initiated projects that improve the community transportation environment, economic vibrancy, safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, downtown revitalization initiatives and environmental mitigation.
- Community Based Initiatives and Demonstration Projects are opportunities for partnering with local communities to develop programs and deliver projects that bring out a shared vision and accentuate shared priorities. While we will continue to invest in core infrastructure needs, we are now also allocating resources toward revitalizing the places that make Maine special: our iconic village centers and downtown areas.
- Complete Streets Policy is MaineDOT’s policy to guide and develop a multimodal transportation system and recognizing that pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, separated facilities, transit stops, ADA-accessible routes, etc., are crucial elements of the transportation system.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Public entities are required by federal law (Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act) to provide accessible services to persons with disabilities. For MaineDOT, "accessible services" means things like curb ramps, rest stops, building facilities, and public information.