Click here to view Shore Road Pathway Study
Committee section
05/08/08
Shore Road Path Committee hits
the road
You may be aware that the Cape Elizabeth Town Council has appointed a committee
to study the potential for a pathway to be installed adjacent to Shore Road.
What you may not know, however, is that the entire committee is staunchly
supportive of preserving the character of Shore Road. It is that character
which makes Shore Road such a desirable place for residents, drivers, walkers,
joggers and everyone else. The committee intends, therefore, to take its
time to locate a path that is a safe place for pedestrians and preserves
the stone walls, trees, hills and curves of Shore Road.
What is the committee up to?
Now that the snow has finally melted, the committee has scheduled two site
walks for the whole committee to walk the length of Shore Road from the main
entrance to Fort Williams to the Town Center. The committee has also created
a photo library of Shore Road. Their next
step is to hire a consultant to assist the committee. (Funding for the committee
study has been provided by a grant from the Portland Area Comprehensive
Transportation Committee, PACTS.) The first task of the consultant will be
to update the right-of-way survey for Shore Road so that the path will be
located within the existing right-of-way.
Let's get together
Once the survey is complete, the committee will be contacting all property
owners on the land side of Shore Road to schedule a meeting to listen to
the concerns and preferences of abutters. (The committee is focusing on the
land side of Shore Road because it has a greater amount of undeveloped land,
fewer physical constraints and fewer abutting property owners, although a
final decision has not been made at this time.)
These meetings will be a significant commitment of time by members of the
committee and demonstrates their depth of commitment to listening to the
comments, ideas and concerns of Shore Road property owners.
Who is on the committee?
The Shore Road Path Committee includes town residents who live on Shore Road,
adjacent to Shore Road, and elsewhere in the town. Two members are
representatives of the Town Council and the Conservation Commission. The
committee began meeting in January, 2008.
Why study a path?
While the committee is devoting most of its attention to the residents along
Shore Road, the path is a townwide project that will benefit all town residents.
The path's importance is highlighted in the Comprehensive Plan adopted by
the Cape Elizabeth Town Council in the Fall, 2007. The Comprehensive Plan
includes 91 recommendations. One of the high priority recommendations is
to:
Study the potential for creating an off-road path adjacent to Shore Road
that would be designed with sensitivity to the character of Shore Road and
in collaboration with property owners abutting Shore Road.
This recommendation was included in the Comprehensive Plan under a goal that
focuses on the safety of pedestrians. Shore Road is recognized as an area
unsafe for pedestrians, due to the lack of area available to them outside
the roadway, and also hazardous for drivers who must maneuver around them.
The large percentage of town residents who live in the Shore Road area, as
well as the role Shore Road serves as a connector to the Town Center, suggests
that pedestrian traffic will continue or increase.
Enhance our sense of community
The residents of approximately 330 homes live on or adjacent to the section
of Shore Road from Fort Williams to the Town Center. Shore Road is the primary
connector for these residents to the Town Center. The popularity of Shore
Road, combined with the lack of space for non-vehicular travel, makes it
challenging for residents to leave their driveways, except by car. The path
will improve mobility and promote a sense of community as residents will
be able to walk safely to other parts of town. Many of us can acknowledge
the personal connections that develop only when we are able to leave our
cars and walk in our neighborhoods.
Not the same proposal as last time
No design for the path has been prepared at this time. It should be clear,
however, that the path concept is not the same proposal rejected by the Town
Council in 1996, which included paved shoulders to be installed on both sides
of Shore Road. (Click here for
minutes)
The purpose of the path would be to provide a safe location for walkers,
joggers, kids on bikes, and casual adult bikers. The preliminary concept
is a path approximately 5 feet wide that would be set back from the road
pavement approximately 5 feet, on one side of the road. The committee is
committed to a path design that would wind around and preserve significant
features such as mature trees and stone walls. Consequently, the committee
is flexible on the exact location of the path and welcomes comments from
town residents. It appears that there is adequate room within the existing
right-of-way of Shore Road for such a path. In order to design a path that
complements the character of Shore Road, it is essential that the path location
be dictated by the physical characteristics of the area.
What's next?
The committee is charged with making a recommendation to the Town Council,
which will probably be completed next year.
Committee Chair Paul Thelin wishes to emphasize that the path is not a fait
accompli. The committee is only providing the Town Council with its
recommendation and the decision as to whether there will be a path and, if
so, where it will be located and what it will look like remains for future
determination by the Town Council. Chairman Thelin also stresses that, in
addition to meeting with individual property owners along Shore Road, the
committtee intends to offer opportunity for public input as it moves through
the process leading to its recommendation to the council.
In the meantime, the committee is beginning to place information on the town
Web site. Please feel free to visit the
Web site or to contact the Town Planner
Maureen O'Meara, 799-0115
for more information.
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