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:
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
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 |
|
Southwest Harbor |
197 |
|
Lamoine |
137 |
|
Tremont |
93 |
|
Grand Total |
2026 |
Source:
Jim Fisher, 10/21/02.
|
Table 6. Driver’s
physical condition as recorded at accident scene on Mt. Desert Island
and in Trenton and Lamoine (1997-2001) |
|
|
Driver’s Physical Condition |
Number of Occurrences |
|
Normal |
1824 |
|
Under influence |
71 |
|
Was drinking |
41 |
|
Asleep |
23 |
|
Other |
22 |
|
No driver; pedestrian or bicyclist |
14 |
|
Table 6., continued.
Driver’s physical condition as recorded at accident scene on
Mt. Desert Island and in Trenton and Lamoine (1997-2001) |
|
|
Driver’s Physical Condition |
Number of
Occurrences
|
|
Fatigued |
11 |
|
Unknown |
10 |
|
Ill |
7 |
|
Handicapped |
2 |
|
Was using drugs |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
2026 |
Source:
Jim Fisher, 10/21/02.
|
Table 7. Apparent
cause of accidents on Mt. Desert Island and in Trenton and Lamoine
(1997-2001) |
|
|
Apparent cause of the accident |
Number of Occurrences |
|
No improper action |
982 |
|
Driver inattention-distraction |
382 |
|
Illegal; unsafe speed |
183 |
|
Driver inexperience |
75 |
|
Failure to yield right of way |
64 |
|
Other human violation factor |
54 |
|
Physical impairment |
47 |
|
Unsafe backing |
42 |
|
Following too close |
34 |
|
Other vision obscurement |
22 |
|
Unknown |
22 |
|
Driving left of center – not passing |
21 |
|
Improper parking; start; stop |
17 |
|
Improper passing – overtaking |
14 |
|
Improper turn |
14 |
|
Vision obscured – sun; headlights |
8 |
|
None |
8 |
|
Other vehicle defect or factor |
7 |
|
Disregard of a traffic control device |
5 |
|
Defective brakes |
4 |
|
No signal or improper signal |
4 |
|
Defective steering |
3 |
|
Defective tire – tire failure |
3 |
|
Impeding traffic |
3 |
|
Improper; unsafe lane change |
2 |
|
Pedestrian violation error |
2 |
|
Vision obscured – windshield glass |
2 |
|
Defective suspension |
1 |
|
Hit and run |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
2026 |
Source:
Jim Fisher, 10/21/02.
|
Table 8. Number
of Accidents by Type on Mt. Desert Island and in Trenton and Lamoine
(1997-2001) |
|
|
Crash Type |
Number
of Accidents |
|
Rear-end/sideswipe |
608 |
|
Ran off road |
573 |
|
Deer |
309 |
|
Intersection Movement |
289 |
|
Head-on/sideswipe |
112 |
|
Object in road |
40 |
|
Other |
31 |
|
Rollover |
17 |
|
Bike |
16 |
|
Pedestrians |
9 |
|
Moose |
7 |
|
Fire |
7 |
|
All other animals |
6 |
|
Rock thrown |
2 |
|
Grand Total |
2026 |
Source:
Jim Fisher, 10/21/02.
Perhaps what is of greatest concern related to accidents,
however, is that the largest percentage of accidents occur with young drivers
(see Figure 1.). As age
increases, the accident rate among drivers decreases.
In the state of Maine, 55 people between the ages of 16-24 died in
traffic accidents in 2002 (Bowley, 2002).
While drivers of this age range are only 12.5% of all Maine drivers,
they account for almost a third of traffic accidents with fatalities (Bowley,
2002). Fifty-six percent of
accidents on MDI and in Trenton and Lamoine from 1997-2001 involved male
drivers, and 39% involved female drivers.
The drivers’ sex in the remaining accidents was not noted (Jim
Fisher, 10/21/02).
Source:
Jim Fisher, 10/21/02
There have been 11 deaths on MDI and in Trenton and
Lamoine from 1997 – 2001 due to car accidents.
Fifty-eight incapacitating injuries have occurred, while 390 evident
injuries and 345 possible injuries were reported as a result of automobile
accidents in the same time frame (Jim Fisher, 10/21/02).
Data on School transportation
The prevalence of traffic accidents on MDI, particularly
among young drivers, is increasingly becoming a concern.
Many high school students drive themselves to school because the
alternative is a long bus ride (see Table 9.) which frequently gets students
to school long before classes begin (especially for subscription students from
Trenton and Lamoine). There is presently no “late bus” giving students an
opportunity to participate in afterschool activities without personal vehicles
or rides. Also, many areas on MDI
do not have safe bicycle lanes, crosswalks, and sidewalks, which discourages
students from riding or walking to school.
|
Table 9. Information
on school transportation. |
|||||
|
|
Bar Harbor Conners-Emerson |
Mt. Desert
Elementary |
Southwest Harbor
Pemetic School |
Tremont School |
MDI High School |
|
Longest Bus Ride |
40 minutes |
45 minutes |
40 minutes |
35 minutes |
20 minutes from
BH 45 minutes from
MD 30 minutes from
SWH 35 minutes from
Tremont |
|
Number of school
buses |
|
4 (no spares) |
2 (1 additional
spare) |
3 (1 additional
for sports) |
|
|
Can students
bike/walk to school |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes, with
parents permission |
Yes |
|
Number of
schoolchildren served by buses |
|
186 (some walk) |
All allowed on
buses |
164 |
|
|
Number of
students driving to school |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
60% |
Source:
Buell, Susan, 2002.
In October, 2002 a community forum was held to discuss
transportation safety issues, particularly related to MDI High School.
Meanwhile, MDI High School, Jackson Labs, Acadia National Park, MDI
Hospital, College of the Atlantic, Friends of Acadia, and others have been
working with Tom Crikelair on a plan to implement additional year-round public
transportation services, possibly including a “late bus” from the high
school (see description of MDI Year-Round Transit Study below).
Alternative Transportation to MDI:
While the private automobile still reigns on Mount Desert Island, interest in alternative transportation options is high, particularly given the success of the Island Explorer, the seasonal propane-powered bus system serving Acadia National Park and MDI communities. While 96% of visitors in 1998 (Littlejohn, 1999) arrived at the Park via private vehicles, many used other transportation options, listed below:
Loadings at Hancock County Airport:
The Bar Harbor/Hancock County airport is a county-run
airport that was established to service seaplanes in World War 2.
The airport currently has 415 acres and still has a ramp usable by
seaplanes. Passenger embarkations
and debarkations on regularly-scheduled commercial flights have increased on
average just over 11% every year (see Table 10.).
Passenger totals in 2002 were up 171% over 1992 figures.
The year 2000 recorded the airport’s greatest usage, with passenger
numbers decreasing slightly thereafter because of the September 11th
tragedy. According to Bob
Cossette, Airport Manager, 40,000 - 50,000 passengers arrive and depart each
year on private aircraft from the Hancock County Airport. During the summer, the airport is served by the Island
Explorer bus service, and taxis and a car-rental operation provide service to
passengers year-round.
|
Table 10. Passenger
Arrivals and Departures on Scheduled Airline Service to the Bar
Harbor/Hancock County Airport |
|||
|
Year |
Passengers
Arriving and Departing on Scheduled Airline Service to Trenton |
Percent
Increase Over Previous Year |
Percent
Increase Over 1992 |
|
1992 |
8,838 |
---- |
---- |
|
1993 |
9,779 |
10.65 |
10.65 |
|
1994 |
10,336 |
5.70 |
16.95 |
|
1995 |
13,040 |
26.16 |
47.54 |
|
1996 |
15,009 |
15.10 |
69.82 |
|
1997 |
16,388 |
9.19 |
85.43 |
|
1998 |
18,986 |
15.85 |
114.82 |
|
1999 |
20,661 |
8.82 |
133.77 |
|
2000 |
27,805 |
34.58 |
214.61 |
|
2001 |
23,419 |
-15.77 |
164.98 |
|
2002 |
23,977 |
2.38 |
171.29 |
Source:
Cossette, 2002 and 2003.
The CAT is a high-speed passenger/car ferry operated by
Bay Ferries between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
It runs approximately 150 days a year, and on half of those days, it
runs two round-trips. According to Annette Higgins of Bay Ferries, traffic in 2002
was up around 25% over the previous year (evenly divided among increased
boardings in Bar Harbor and Yarmouth), and ridership is projected to continue
to be strong in future years.
Table 11. Ridership on the Swans Island Ferry |
||||||
|
Fiscal
Year1 |
Total
Vehicles |
Inc./Decrease
over Previous FY |
Total
Passengers |
Inc./Decrease
over Prev. FY |
Total
Bicycles |
Inc./Decrease
over Prev. FY |
|
1997 |
31,502 |
---- |
76,393 |
---- |
2,036 |
---- |
|
1998 |
29,556 |
-6.2% |
70,988 |
-7.1% |
1,507 |
-26.0% |
|
1999 |
33,479 |
13.3% |
78,783 |
11.0% |
2,031 |
34.8% |
|
2000 |
33,249 |
-0.1% |
81,573 |
3.5% |
1,994 |
-1.8% |
|
2001 |
32,792 |
-1.4% |
81,717 |
0.2% |
1,936 |
-2.9% |
|
2002 |
34,347 |
4.7% |
86,805 |
6.2% |
1,961 |
1.3% |
1
The Maine Department of Transportation’s fiscal year runs July 1-June 30th.
For example, Fiscal Year 1997 represents the dates July 1, 1996 –
June 30, 1997.
Source:
Hodson, 2002.
Beal and Bunker Mail Boat and Ferry Service provides
year-round passenger transportation and mail service to the Cranberry Isles
from Northeast Harbor. Several
water taxis and Cranberry Cove Boating provide seasonal service to the islands
from MDI.
Vermont Transit provides seasonal motor coach to Bar Harbor, connecting in Bangor to points south. The company has recently extended its Bar Harbor service, which formerly concluded after Columbus Day, on a trial run through March, 2003.
Alternative Transportation While on MDI:
Once a person has arrived on MDI, he/she increasingly has
options to travel around MDI without the use of one’s car.
Chief among these is the Island Explorer bus service.
Table 12. Island Explorer Ridership and Pollution Reduction Statistics 1999 - 2002 |
||||||
|
Year |
Days of Operation |
Total Ridership |
Average Daily Ridership |
Increase from Initial Year |
Automobile Visits Eliminated1 |
Pollutants Reduced2 |
|
1999 |
76 |
142,260 |
1872 |
-- |
54,715 |
4.0 tons |
|
2000 |
74 |
193,057 |
2,609 |
39% |
77,223 |
5.5 tons |
|
2001 |
73 |
239,971 |
3,287 |
75% |
79,990 |
6.8 tons |
|
2002 |
72 |
281,1423 |
3,904 |
107% |
104,127 |
8.1 tons |
1 Total
ridership divided by the average group size riding the Island Explorer for
that year, as recorded by Tom Crikelair’s annual ridership survey.
2 Nitrogen
oxides and volatile organic compounds; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide were
not included in this figure. Data
source: Perez, 2002
3 The
methods for calculating ridership switched in 2002 from a paper format to an
automated passenger counting system associated with a field experiment of
transportation technologies in the Park.
Downeast Transportation provides
year-round bus service to communities on MDI and to Ellsworth and Bangor (see
schedule in Table 13). Fares for
the service range from $1.00 (one-way ride within a town) to $9.00 (round-trip
to Bangor). The company also
provides subscription services to the Jackson Laboratories and to the MDI
Workshop. Island Connections
provides free, pre-arranged rides for elderly residents on MDI.
|
Table 13.
Year-round scheduled services provided by Downeast
Transportation. |
|
|
Mondays |
Bar Harbor to Somesville,
Southwest, Bass Harbor, Town Hill, Trenton, to Ellsworth and return |
|
Bar Harbor to Ellsworth and
Bangor and return |
|
|
Tuesdays |
Bar Harbor to Otter Creek,
Seal Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and return |
|
In-Town Bar Harbor circulator
bus |
|
|
Wednesdays |
Bar Harbor to Otter Creek,
Seal Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Somesville, Town Hill, Trenton,
Ellsworth, and return |
|
Thursdays |
Bar Harbor to Hulls Cove,
Salisbury Cove, Town Hill, Somesville, Southwest Harbor, Manset, Bass
Harbor, and return (2 trips, but not all towns served every trip) |
|
In-Town Bar Harbor circulator
bus |
|
|
Fridays |
Bar Harbor to Hulls Cove,
Salisbury Cove, Trenton, Ellsworth, and return |
Source:
Downeast Transportation Bus Schedule, 2000.
Despite the range of transportation options provided by
Downeast Transportation, not many MDI residents take advantage of them. Ridership
on the company’s year-round, regularly scheduled transportation services has
decreased at an average rate of 2.2% every year from 1996-2001 (see Table
14.). Factoring in subscription services, total ridership has
decreased on average by 4.6% since 1996.
Tom Crikelair is presently working with a local advisory group to plan
and fund more year-round public transportation options.
Table 14. Ridership on Downeast Transportation’s Year-Round and Subscription Services |
||||||
|
Year |
Ridership
on year-round, regularly-scheduled trips |
%
Increase or Decrease over Previous Year |
Ridership
on year-round, subscription services1 |
%
Increase or Decrease over Previous Year |
Total
Ridership2 |
%
Increase or Decrease over Previous Year |
|
1996 |
11,050 |
--- |
25,034 |
--- |
36,084 |
--- |
|
1997 |
9,532 |
-13.7% |
24,317 |
-2.9% |
33,849 |
-6.2% |
|
1998 |
8,970 |
-5.9% |
22,840 |
-6.1% |
31,810 |
-6.0% |
|
1999 |
9,376 |
4.5% |
24,212 |
6.0% |
33,588 |
5.6% |
|
2000 |
8,971 |
-4.3% |
22,682 |
-6.3% |
31,653 |
-5.8% |
|
2001 |
9,739 |
8.6% |
18,578 |
-18.1% |
28,317 |
-10.5% |
1
Subscription services include commuter services to the Jackson Laboratories
and arrangements with Downeast Horizons/MDI Workshop.
2
Total ridership figures do not include ridership statistics for the campground
bus, which provided seasonal service from the Rt. 3 private campgrounds and
Blackwoods campground into Bar Harbor and to Sand Beach from 1996-1998.
This service was replaced in 1999 with the Island Explorer.
Source:
Murphy, Paul, 2002.
Private Bus Companies:
There are presently two bus companies on Mt. Desert Island
that offer guided tours of Acadia National Park from Bar Harbor.
Both charge a fee, and provide access to many of the Park’s most
desirable destinations.
We know from the Littlejohn (1999) study that
approximately 30% of Acadia visitors bicycle on the carriage roads, and 12%
indicated that they bike on the park’s motor road system.
Bicycle parking facilities are provided on MDI in the following
locations (Phemister and Clement, 2002):
Acadia National Park
·
Sieur de Monts Springs
Bar Harbor
·
Town Pier (2)
·
Municipal Building
·
Grave’s Supermarket
·
Jessup Library
·
YMCA
·
Bay Ferries
·
College of the Atlantic
·
Jackson Laboratories (4)
·
Post Office
Mt. Desert:
Southwest Harbor:
·
Library
·
Pemetic Elementary School
·
IGA
·
Harbor House Tennis Courts
Tremont:
·
Tremont Elementary School
The MDI Bicycle Plan (Wilbur Smith Associates, 2002)
provides a comprehensive list of MDI locations where bicycle parking facilities
are recommended. It also notes the
numbers of rack spaces recommended for each site.
At the same time that interest in public transportation on MDI has increased, funding for the year-round transportation services provided by Downeast Transportation has also increased at the federal level by 43% since FY 1996/1997 (July 1, 1996 – June 30, 1997, See Table 15). Federal transportation funds are directed to rural transit providers, such as Downeast Transportation, through the Maine Department of Transportation according to previously established formulas. Downeast Transportation must provide a 20% local match to all funding that comes through Maine DOT.
State contributions are approved by the Maine Legislature
every other year and have increased at a much slower rate (12%) since
Fiscal Year (FY) 1996/1997 (July 1,
1996 – June 30, 1997). According
to Maine law, statewide gasoline tax revenues cannot be used for anything other
than road improvements. However,
the Maine Legislature recently voted to allow towns to apply for a reduction in
their local match required for road improvements if the town increased its
financial contributions to existing public transportation services by the same
amount. This provides an incentive
for local towns to contribute to their public transportation services.
Local town contributions to Downeast Transportation must
be voted on each year at town meetings, and have actually decreased by 15% since
FY 1996/1997, primarily due to Ellsworth reducing its local contribution.
Fare revenues have also decreased by 26%, while revenues from advertising
and contract services have remained relatively the same.
|
Table
15. Funding for Downeast
Transportation’s Year-Round Transit Services in Hancock County. |
||||||
|
Fiscal Year |
Federal
Funds |
State
Funds |
Local
Town Funds |
Contracts |
Fares |
Bus
Advertising |
|
1996/1997 |
$46,222 |
$13,813 |
$11,627 |
$32,000 |
$40,384 |
$6,550 |
|
1997/1998 |
$53,356 |
$13,813 |
$11,121 |
$32,000 |
$38,048 |
$6,375 |
|
1998/1999 |
$57,324 |
$14,188 |
$10,669 |
$33,000 |
$34,177 |
$5,700 |
|
1999/2000 |
$58,930 |
$13,813 |
$9,919 |
$34,575 |
$32,332 |
$6,060 |
|
2000/2001 |
$63,078 |
$15,463 |
$9,919 |
$33,125 |
$30,173 |
$6,600 |
|
2001/2002 |
$66,172 |
$15,449 |
$9,919 |
$33,458 |
$29,912 |
$6,450 |
Source:
Murphy, Paul, 2002b.
It is important to note, however, that with the advent of
the Island Explorer bus service, Acadia National Park, the Maine Department of
Transportation (using federal dollars), local towns, Friends of Acadia, and many
local businesses have significantly increased their contributions to public
transportation services, specifically for the operation of the seasonal Island
Explorer bus service.
Present Studies:
In 2000, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT)
embarked upon a study of the transportation corridor between Bangor and Trenton.
Because of the large number of vehicles that travel this corridor, MDOT
desired to find alternatives to traveling in personal vehicles.
Phase 1 of the study was completed in 2001 and estimated that by the year
2020, 1,110 – 1,610 passengers might ride alternative transportation systems
through this corridor per year en-route to Acadia National Park (Maine
Department of Transportation, October 2001).
The second phase of this study will look at the feasibility of a variety
of transportation options through this corridor, including possible train
service, bus service along the road or a dedicated bus-way, and ferry service
from the Brewer waterfront to Mount Desert Island.
As of spring 2002, two options – ferry and commuter rail – had been
eliminated from consideration because of neighborhood impacts, practicality,
cost, and environmental impacts. The
options still being considered include buses on the main roads, buses on
dedicated bus-ways, bus rapid transit vehicles, and light rail.
Tom Crikelair Associates (Crikelair, 2001b) is developing
a year-round transit plan for Mount Desert Island for Downeast Transportation,
funded primarily through the Maine Department of Transportation.
Many local organizations, including Jackson Labs, College of the Atlantic
(COA), MDI Hospital, Acadia National Park, the MDI school district, the MDI
League of Towns, Friends of Acadia, and Harbor House participated on the local
advisory panel for the project. The
study examines existing transportation services, describes transportation needs,
presents design concepts for expanded year-round service, and projects capital
and operating revenues and costs. Potential
new services studied include a Bar Harbor shuttle running between COA and
Jackson Labs, a cross-island commuter service, subscription services from
Milbridge and Bangor to Jackson Labs, commuter buses from Trenton to Bar Harbor,
several mid-day island bus trips, cross-island Saturday service, and
intercity/commuter service to Bangor and Boston.
In 2002, Wilbur Smith Associates, under contract to the
Maine Department of Transportation, completed the MDI Bicycle Plan, a plan to
guide public investments on MDI to improve bicycle facilities on the island.
The plan categorizes roadways according to bicycle suitability and
prioritizes shoulder improvements to improve cycling conditions on the Island.
The plan also recommends other steps, such as improving signage and
providing more bicycle parking facilities, that Island communities could take to
encourage bicycling.
The Island Explorer bus system is presently designed to pick up and drop off residents or visitors at their lodging establishments on Mount Desert Island. The third phase of expanding the bus system calls for development of a visitor center on MDI or near the head of the Island to provide parking and orientation for day use visitors and overnight guests at off-island lodging facilities. Such a facility could also serve commuters, and could potentially include a bus maintenance facility/garage.
Concurrently, Acadia National Park is exploring options for new visitor center to replace some of the functions of the current Hulls Cove Visitor Center. The Maine Department of Transportation has also expressed interest in developing an intermodal transportation hub in Trenton to provide connections among the Island Explorer, air service to Trenton, private automobiles, intercity motor coaches, and potentially rail service from Bangor. In October of 2002, Acadia National Park convened a planning charrette to begin selection and site design of potential locations for the proposed transit hub/visitor center.
Meanwhile, the Maine Department of Transportation and the Town of Trenton are working together to develop a concept for a “village center” in Trenton. Developing such a center away from the Rt.3 corridor could improve safety, travel efficiency, and overall village atmosphere. The village center concept might potentially be linked with the proposed transit hub/visitor center to improve the “gateway” experience to Acadia while providing local residents with necessary and accessible services.
The Maine Department of Transportation (2002) has
published a plan to encourage people coming to Maine to travel without use of
their personal vehicles. The plan
lays out an interconnected network of transportation options to emphasize ways
to travel to and around the state by train, plane, bus, ferry, or bicycle/foot.
This plan has guided the Department’s public transportation investments
over the past five years and has resulted in significant transportation
improvements on MDI, such as rehabilitation of the Bar Harbor Village Green to
serve as transit hub for the Island Explorer.
Many of the Department’s investments are capital projects, such as
repair of train tracks or rehabilitation of ferry terminals, which rely on
private/semi-private transit operators to provide the desired service.
Bar Harbor Parking Review Committee work
The Bar Harbor Parking Review Committee (1999) drafted a
series of recommendations to the Bar Harbor Town Council regarding ways to
address parking issues in downtown Bar Harbor.
These recommendations include the following:
·
Educate employers, employees, residents, and visitors
about Bar Harbor’s parking regulations.
·
Promote alternative transportation options, such as
carpooling, bicycling, or walking.
·
Convert parking waivers to parking waiver exchanges.
This would generate revenue for some of the alternative proposals,
including public transportation.
·
Enforce of current and future parking laws.
·
Improve conditions for customer/visitor parking in
downtown.
·
Establish “residents only” parking on downtown side
streets.
·
Encourage employees to use alternative modes of
transportation and park outside downtown to free up spaces for
customers/visitors and residents. As
part of this, the Committee recommends establishing a new parking area near
downtown to serve employees and long-term day use parking.
·
Designate reserved loading spaces/delivery areas in town.
The recommendations were adopted by the Bar Harbor Town
Council in January 2003, and an implementation task force has been formed.
The Hancock County Planning Commission published a park
and ride study (Fisher, 2001) that identified suitable locations in the greater
Mount Desert Island region. Planning
Commission staff considered location, likely patterns of use, owner willingness,
cost of improvement, etc. in their analyses.
The sites deemed most suitable were studied further for their
strengths/weaknesses, and a list of recommended improvements was made.
Along with a potential off-island visitor center/transportation hub,
these sites could help facilitate ridesharing.
In 2000, Acadia’s Park Loop Road and the Rt. 3 corridor from the head of the Island through downtown Bar Harbor to Sieur de Monts Springs were named an All-American Road, the highest national designation of scenic byway. A Corridor Management Committee led by the Town Planner for Bar Harbor has been established, and an initial planning grant has been received. The Corridor Management Plan (Hancock County Planning Commission, 2000) recommends a number of strategies to protect and enhance the resources of the byway, ensure health and safety of travelers, promote community support for the byway, promote education about resource protection, and encourage sustainable economic development and tourism management. If federal funding is available, the scenic byways program accepts applications once a year for federal grants to implement byway plans.
Transportation issues:
The issues surrounding transportation are varied, complex,
and interconnected with the other land use, community design, and community
health issues.
When asked about the largest transportation issues on
Mount Desert Island, the MDI Tomorrow Transportation Committee suggested the
following (generalized from a more specific list):
Next Steps to Address these Issues:
The MDI Tomorrow Transportation Committee suggested the following projects to address transportation issues in the Mount Desert Island region:
a) Entice folks out of their single person vehicles and into
other options.
+ provide year-round public
transportation
+ start local a local car-pool
and van-pool connection service -- maybe through Downeast Transportation
+ build bicycle lanes,
sidewalks, and other pedestrian/wheelchair projects
b) Improve safety of transportation on MDI
+
widen shoulders for bicycle lanes
+ make parts of downtown Bar
Harbor a pedestrian mall
+ more crosswalks
+ better enforcement of speed
limits
+ lower speed limits
+ remove snow from sidewalks
+ better street sweeping in
bicycle lanes
+ reduce teen/adult drinking
+ manage/control curb cuts
(access management)
c) Examine carrying capacities
+ traffic carrying capacity --
how many cars are too many (inside park and out)
+ how many RV's are too many
and/or what size is too big?
+ for Acadia -- how many people
are too many when looking at hiker, biker, equestrian impacts on the resources
+ for towns -- what is the
carrying capacity according to parking; should development be tied to automobile
parking
+ how many hotel rooms should
be built? should there be a limit?
+ should development be limited
by water/sewer use?
+ how many curb cuts are
appropriate for the area?
At the April 2003 MDI Tomorrow conference, a citizen group began meeting to find ways to make MDI more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Concurrently, efforts are ongoing to establish year-round bus service, provide more commuter options to MDI, address parking issues, and study visitor capacities at Acadia. Through all of these projects, the MDI region is moving toward a more sustainable transportation future.
References:
Bar Harbor Parking Review Committee. 1999. Strategies document, May 25, 1999. Bar Harbor, ME: Bar Harbor Planning Department. 9 pp.
Bowley, Diana. 2002. “Car-crash deaths of young people concern officials”. Bangor Daily News. p. C2, Col. 1. Volume 114, No. 179. Saturday/Sunday, January 11-12, 2002.
Buell, Susan. 2002. Phone conversations with MDI schools, September/October 2002.
Crikelair, Tom. 1999. Island Explorer Onboard Survey Results. Memorandum. Bar Harbor, ME: Tom Crikelair Associates. 25 pp.
Crikelair, Tom. 2000. Island Explorer Onboard Survey 2000. Memorandum. Bar Harbor, ME: Tom Crikelair Associates. 24 pp.
Crikelair, Tom. 2001. Island Explorer Onboard Survey 2001. Memorandum. Bar Harbor, ME: Tom Crikelair Associates. 25 pp.
Crikelair, Tom. 2001b. Year-round Transit Plan. Unpublished. Bar Harbor, ME: Tom Crikelair Associates.
Cossette, Bob. 2002. Airport Manager, Bar Harbor/Hancock County Airport, personal communication. 667-7329.
Cossette, Bob. 2003. Airport Manager, Bar Harbor/Hancock County Airport, personal communication. 667-7329.
Downeast
Transportation. 2000.
Downeast Transportation Bus Schedule.
Effective October 1, 2000. Ellsworth:
Downeast Transportation.
Fisher, Jim. 2001. Mount Desert Island Park and Ride Study. Revised: 06/26/01. Ellsworth, ME: Hancock County Planning Commission. 38 pp.
Fisher, Jim. 10/21/02. Transportation Planner, Hancock County Planning Commission, personal communication via e-mail, jfisher@hcpcme.org.
Hancock County Planning Commission. 2000. Acadia Byway Corridor Management Plan. Revised: April 12, 2000. Ellsworth, ME: Hancock County Planning Commission. 67pp.
Hodson, Bruce. 2002. Maine State Ferry Service, December 10th, 2002. Personal Communication, Reached through Butch Sawtelle, Maine State Ferry Service Manager, (207) 596-2243.
Littlejohn, Margaret. 1999. Acadia National Park Visitor Study. Summer 1998. Report 108, Visitor Services Project. University of Idaho: Cooperative Park Studies Unit. 108 pp.
Maine Department of Transportation. October 2001. Bangor –Trenton Transportation Alternatives Study, Phase 1. Executive Summary. Augusta, ME: Maine Department of Transportation.
Maine
Department of Transportation. 2001.
www.state.me.us/mdot/traffic.
Maine
Department of Transportation. 2002.
Maine Strategic Passenger Transportation Plan:
Explore Maine. Maine DOT
website: www.state.me.us/mdot/opt/sptp.htm
MDI
Tomorrow: A Look at the Future of Mount Desert Island.
May 30, 1991. Special Supplement to the Bar Harbor Times, p. 11.
Murphy, Paul. 2002. Operations Manager, Downeast Transportation, personal communication via e-mail, paul@exploreacadia.com.
Murphy, Paul. 2002b. Operations Manager, Downeast Transportation, personal communication via e-mail, paul@exploreacadia.com.
National Park Service visitor statistics website, 2002. www2.nature.nps.gov/stats
Perez, Tracy. 2002. Office of Passenger Transportation, Maine Department of Transportation, personal communication via e-mail, tracy.perez@state.me.us.
Smith, Victor. 2003. Traffic Engineer, Ellsworth Division Office, Maine Department of Transportation, personal communication. 667-5556
Wilbur Smith Associates. 2002. MDI Bikeway Plan. Final Report. Portland, ME: Wilbur Smith Associates in association with Coplon Associates. 24 pp. plus 2 appendices.