MDI Tomorrow Transportation State of the Island report

 Introduction

Transportation is a vital part of Mount Desert Island’s future.  Whether commuting to work or school, running errands in town, or simply visiting the area, transportation plays a key role in the quality of life on this Island.  Yet traffic congestion in the MDI region has continued to increase, and parking inside Acadia National Park and downtown areas has become difficult, prompting the need for additional work in this arena. 

Transportation is tied closely to many aspects of our communities.  How our communities are designed plays a key role in whether people can bicycle or walk to work or school safely.  Dependence on the car can add to health problems associated with obesity and/or air pollution.  The youth of Mount Desert Island must frequently tie their activities to their ability to “catch rides” with parents or friends, and seasonal and year-round employees of Mount Desert Island businesses increasingly live in off-island communities because of difficulties in finding housing.  And, economic development is directly tied to transportation because adequate infrastructure is needed to move goods and services, and the majority of MDI’s economy is dependent on tourism dollars from off-island visitors. 

Ten years ago, when the first MDI Tomorrow planning effort took place, citizens recognized the important role of transportation to the future of MDI.  They expressed their preferred future in the following words:

 ·         While roads would be maintained there would be no substantial widening of the road systems on the Island. 

·         There would be a major initiative to develop public and private transportation, such as shuttle buses and van-pools.

·         Improvements to public transportation would improve the quality of life for elderly and other residents.

Source:  MDI Tomorrow: A Look at the Future of Mount Desert Island.  May 30, 1991

 They also predicted a future based on the trends seen leading up to 1991:

                 ·         Maine Department of Transportation estimates that traffic may double on Route 3 between Ellsworth                             and  Bar Harbor within 20 years.

                  ·         It could take close to an hour to travel from Bar Harbor to Ellsworth for nine months out of the year. 

·         Road design and heavy use by seasonal visitors, may reduce the average speed to 25 mph.

·         Route 3 will be widened through residential and rural districts, increasing driving safety and average speed.

·         Congestion may continue to plague Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor.

·         Commuter traffic may increase between MDI and the mainland as the cost of housing causes more workers to live elsewhere, and as workers with higher incomes choose to live on MDI and commute to Ellsworth or Bangor.

·         Acadia National Park may restrict automobile access on portions of the Park Loop Road, thereby increasing congestion on other roads which intersect Park land.

·         Public transportation may increase little, either in moving them from place to place while they visit or work on the Island.

·         Without expanded public transportation, increasing numbers of older people may lack access to essential goods, services, and social contact. 

Source:  MDI Tomorrow: A Look at the Future of Mount Desert Island.  May 30, 1991. 

 

Thankfully, Mount Desert Island residents converted some of these predicted trends to the preferred future through significant projects, such as the Island Explorer – the seasonal propane-powered bus system that connects Island communities and the park, and Island Connections, the non-profit organization providing transportation and other services to Island residents. 

 

MDI Tomorrow in 2003:

Over the past year, several organizations and interested individuals have met together as the transportation subcommittee of MDI Tomorrow to review developments of the previous decade, discuss the transportation issues of today, and cooperatively develop an implementation plan for the next decade.  The participants on this committee decided on the following vision for transportation on MDI:

 

  

Context of Transportation on MDI

The current profile of transportation on Mount Desert Island has not changed significantly since 1991 with the exception of traffic growth and expansion of alternative transportation options.  Table 1. updates the characterization of the transportation system in 1991 to today. 

 

Table 1. Profile of Transportation in 1991 vs. 2002. 

Profile of Transportation in 19911

Profile of Transportation in 2002

MDI is served by State Routes 3, 102, 198, and 233.

Still true.  Portions of Route 3 have been widened with shoulders added.  Congestion has put pressure on secondary roads (e.g., Crooked Road and Rt. 230 in Trenton)

Individual towns maintain their own roads and harbors.

Still true.


 

Profile of Transportation in 19911, continued

Profile of Transportation in 2002, continued

Acadia National Park contains a major scenic loop road, gravel fire roads, and a carriage road system

Still true.  The Park Loop Road and Route 3 through Bar Harbor have been designated as an All-American Road, the highest classification of scenic byway.  The Park’s carriage road system has been restored, and the maintenance is permanently endowed thanks to a partnership between Friends of Acadia and the National Park Service.  The Park’s motor road system and carriage roads have been named to the National Register of Historic Landmarks. 

The Greyhound Company runs a daily bus into Bar Harbor in the summer months, but service is only available from Bangor the rest of the year.

Partially true.  Vermont Transit (a Greyhound provider) still runs daily service to Bar Harbor in the summer and has just announced a trial continuation of the service from Columbus Day until the end of March.  Concord Trailways ran a van connecting Bar Harbor with the Bangor airport, but discontinued the service after two summers. 

Downeast Transportation, a regional bus company, provides limited public service, along with some van-pooling in cooperation with Jackson Laboratory and the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor and the Hinckley Company in Manset.

Partially true.  Downeast Transportation still provides limited, year-round bus service in MDI communities, and assists with contract transportation services for the Jackson Laboratory and Downeast Horizons.  Service to Hinckley, College of the Atlantic, and the University of Maine at Orono were tried/discontinued for a variety of reasons.  A significant amount of Downeast Transportation’s time is now dedicated to the seasonal Island Explorer bus service.    

A state ferry terminal provides service from Tremont to Swans Island

Still true.

Northeast Harbor and Southwest Harbor have island mail and ferry service to Sutton, Greening, and the Cranberry Islands. 

Still true.

Bar Harbor has a Canadian National Ferry Terminal with service to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Partially true.  The ferry service is now provided by Bay Ferries on a high-speed catamaran.  The service runs frequently in the summer and fall (1-2 times/day), but is not run in winter.

An airport in neighboring Trenton has deregulated service to Bangor, Boston and elsewhere.

Partially true.  USAIRWAYS carries passengers from the Bar Harbor/Hancock County airport to Boston and Rockland on several trips daily. 

Bangor, about fifty miles north of Mt. Desert Island, has major air carrier service to Boston and other U.S. and international destinations.

Still true.

 

The Island Explorer is a seasonal, propane-powered bus system carrying passengers between Island communities and to the Park.

 

Island Connections is a non-profit organization that provides transportation and other services to elderly MDI residents.

 

A seasonal ferry service operated by Downeast Windjammer Cruises has been established between Schoodic and Bar Harbor.

 

Friends of Acadia has built two village connector trails, connecting Island villages to Acadia. 

 

Acadia’s trail system has been named the State’s Millennium Legacy Trail.


 

Profile of Transportation in 19911, continued

Profile of Transportation in 2002, continued

 

MDI has two stoplights, one at the Head of the Island and one in Somesville.

 

Housing costs on MDI have risen and the workforce on the Island has expanded, creating new pressures as employees travel greater lengths to commute.

 

There are two local private tour bus operators on MDI, which offer guided tours of the Park May – October and are available for charters.

 

Trenton added a business park near the head of the Island, which has attracted at least one portion of an MDI business across the bridge.

 

There is no “late bus(es)” for students involved in after-school activities. 

1 Profile as described in MDI Tomorrow: A Look at the Future of Mount Desert Island.  May 30, 1991. 

 

Traffic congestion and parking issues continue to plague Mount Desert Island communities.  Average Annual Daily Traffic at the Trenton Bridge (the number of cars per day traveling both directions across the Trenton Bridge), has increased by approximately 2.73% every year (see Table 2) and approximately 17% since 1996.  Anecdotal reports from the Maine Department of Transportation indicate that approximately 80% of the vehicles crossing the Trenton Bridge are single-person vehicles.  Anecdotal reports also indicate that during the morning peak of traffic (6:15 A.M. – 8:00 A.M.), 70% of the traffic going over the Trenton Bridge is entering Mt. Desert Island, whereas during the evening peak (3:30 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.), 75% of the traffic is leaving Mt. Desert Island. 

 

Table 2.  Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) at the Trenton Bridge (1996-2000)

Year

AADT

Maximum Daily Traffic Count

Minimum Daily Traffic Count

% Increase in AADT Over Previous Year

% Increase in AADT Over 1996

 

1996

12,139

 

 

Unknown

-----

 

1997

12,324

 

 

1.52

1.52

 

1998

12,952

 

 

5.10

6.70

 

1999

13,396

 

 

3.43

11.04

 

2000

13,437

23,625

2,617

0.31

11.07

 

2001

14,335

24,807

3,940

6.68

18.09

 

2002

14,240

25,377

3,787

-0.66

17.31

 

Source:  Maine Department of Transportation Website:  www.state.me.us/mdot/traffic and Smith, 2002.

 

In a recent National Park Service visitor study (Littlejohn, 1999), 76% of Acadia visitors surveyed said they encountered traffic problems in the Park.  Seventy percent reported that they had encountered traffic problems on MDI, primarily in Bar Harbor.  Survey respondents listed crowding and traffic as the top ways that visitors and/or activities interfered with their visit to Acadia. 

 

According to Littlejohn (1999), 96% of visitors surveyed came to the Park using their cars or pick-up truck.  Subsequent surveys of Island Explorer passengers (Crikelair, 1999, 2000, 2001) showed a higher percentage (18-25%) of people arriving on Mt. Desert Island without personal vehicles.  As visitors without personal automobiles would likely use the Island Explorer as a prime way to tour the Park, surveys conducted on the buses might reflect a higher concentration of visitors without automobiles than a broadly-distributed visitor intercept survey would.

 

In 2002, automatic traffic counters were installed at ___ entrances to Acadia National Park as part of a field test of transportation technologies in national parks.  These counters will assist the Park in better understanding the number of cars using the park and traffic patterns.  Several of these counters are also equipped to detect classes of vehicle size.  These counters may once again impact how visitation is calculated at Acadia. 

 

Visitation at Acadia National Park has actually decreased by approximately 5% percent since 1996 (see Table 3).  Therefore, the increases in traffic may not be entirely tourism traffic, but rather commuter traffic, business traffic, etc. 

Table 3.  Total Visits per year to Acadia National Park. 

Year

Total Visits1

Percent Increase Over Previous Year

Percent Increase Over 1996

1996

2,957,407

 

----

1997

3,012,882

1.88

1.88

1998

2,847,073

-3.73

-3.73

1999

2,854,803

0.27

-3.47

2000

2,721,814

-4.66

-7.97

2001

2,769,127

1.74

-6.37

2002

2,811,148

1.52

-4.95

1 Cars are counted automatically beyond the Sand Beach Entrance Station.  Visitation is then calculated based on a formula established in 1990.  Total visits include both recreational and non-recreational visits (i.e., those who are traveling in the Park for official purposes).

Source:  National Park Service visitor statistics website, www2.nature.nps.gov/stats

 

Crikelair (2001b) analyzed commuting patterns based on employee residential zip codes for several of the major employers on Mount Desert Island (see Table 4).  He found significant travel patterns across the Trenton Bridge and to a lesser extent across Mt. Desert Island and from farther Downeast.  He estimates that more than 550 Jackson Labs employees alone travel each day across the Trenton Bridge and that 1,100 Lab employees travel through downtown Bar Harbor each day.  These results will significantly shape future routes of the year round transit study.

 

Table 4.  Number of Resident Employees per Town for MDI Major Employers

Town

Jackson Labs

Acadia National Park 1

College of the Atlantic faculty and staff

College of the Atlantic students

Hinckley employees at Trenton Facility

Hinckley employees at Manset facility

Bar Harbor

333

31

50

182 2

12

20

Southwest Harbor/Tremont

/Somesville

186

27

13

7

31

93

Northeast Harbor/ Seal Harbor/ Otter Creek

47

1

2

5

10

3

Ellsworth 3

294

10

5

4

68

36

Bangor area

41

2

1

0

28

7 4

Table 4., continued.  Number of Resident Employees per Town for MDI Major Employers

Town

Jackson Labs

Acadia National Park 1

College of the Atlantic faculty and staff

College of the Atlantic students

Hinckley employees at Trenton Facility

Hinckley employees at Manset facility

Towns East of Ellsworth

181

9

2

1

54

36

Towns West and Southwest of Ellsworth

48

4

3

1

22

14

TOTAL

1130

84

80

205

225

209

1 Permanent year-round employees only.

2 181 of these students live in on-campus housing.

3 Includes Ellsworth, Trenton, Lamoine, Otis, Mariaville, Waltham, and Amherst.

4 Listed as towns “north of Ellsworth” in the report. 

Source:  Crikelair, 2001b

  

Data on Accidents

With traffic increasing at the rate of 2.73% every year, safety and accidents are of great concern, especially where young people are concerned.  From the period of 1997 – 2001, there were 2026 accidents on Mount Desert Island and in Trenton and Lamoine (see Table 5.).  The majority of these accidents were not caused by impaired drivers (see Table 6.), but were rather the result of speeding, driver inattention, or no improper action (e.g. accident with a deer, object in the road, etc. -- see Table 7.).  The largest percentage of accidents were rear-ending or sideswiping, followed by running off the road, and collisions with deer (see Table 8.).  

 

Table 5.  Total Traffic Accidents by Town (1997-2001)

Town Name

Number of Accidents

Bar Harbor

941

Mt. Desert

354

Trenton

304