Is Portland a cycle friendly area? (Bangor, South Portland: rent, maintenance, tax)

[gg]

I was wondering if your area was cycle friendly and is there much in the way of bike lanes and/or trails in and around Portland? What about if you wanted to cycle from South Portland to downtown? Sorry, I don't know the area very well, but want to get a feel if the roads are all really tight and if you are in danger of getting hit by some crazy pickup truck driver if you ride a bike around that region?

Thanks.

[gg]

30 folks looked at this post and no one has a feel regarding cycling in Portland? That makes me a bit nervous. There is a pretty big cycling community in Pittsburgh, but there are a certain set that sort of hate cycling. Many drive pickups, but I had a feeling up in Portland, they might be more tolerant? I know Maine has a certain protocol in the way you are supposed to discuss things. If I am not asking the question in the style that is acceptable up that way, please correct me. If I am going for a visit, I certainly want to be kind to the natives.

Thanks.

[inthewoods]

h_curtis,

Maybe those folks (including me) took a gander at the post to see if it had any answers. Sometimes I'm interested in the answer, but I don't notice that it has no replies yet before I click.

Would this map help? http://www.portlandmaine.gov/bikemap.pdf

I live well north of Portland, but I like to keep an eye on the Eastern Trail. I would love to take a trip down there and rent bikes and take a nice ride. Not much for riding on bike paths up my way.

[gg]

Thanks, inthewoods. Nice map and it at least shows bikes are on the radar up that way.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I was wondering if your area was cycle friendly and is there much in the way of bike lanes and/or trails in and around Portland? What about if you wanted to cycle from South Portland to downtown? Sorry, I don't know the area very well, but want to get a feel if the roads are all really tight and if you are in danger of getting hit by some crazy pickup truck driver if you ride a bike around that region?

Thanks.

Maybe it was your somewhat derogatory comment about pickup drivers that Mainers found offensive. Maybe you would prefer to get hit by a Volvo driver(?) Portland is sooooooo into bicycling, you can get bicycle snow tires for the winter. Just don a snowmobile suit and pedal on. At this point, it will be snow plows you need to be concerned about.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Portland is so cycle friendly that they contribute tax dollars to develop a bicycle trail to Key West, FL. You can now ride from Portland to Kittery and maybe beyond. One of the bridges across the Piscataqua River is out of service for repairs, but when it comes back into service there will be a bicycle lane on it to get you to Portsmouth, NH. They even built a bridge across the Maine turnpike for walkers, runners, bicyclists and cross country skiers. They have lots of money for things like that in Portland.

In Down East Maine they tore up a whole railroad to establish the John Baldacci bicycle trail. It goes from Bangor to Calais where you can cross into Canada. Every fall there is a charity "Bike Across Maine" from the NH line to the ocean in Rockland or Rockport; not sure which town. Ham radio operators assist in this event.

Caution: The Maine Department of Transportation is going to reduce maintenance on roads that have less than 600 vehicles per day so paved shoulders will be the first to go and you will be sharing what pavement is left with behemoth logging trucks. Chip trucks leave clouds of "pin chips" blowing in the wind. These get in your eyes and actually cause small splinters to stick into your eyeball. They do not show on Xrays. It might be a good idea to stick with the more urban bicycle routes.

[jeneric13]

My hubby bikes from south portland to the old port every day for work. Very cycle friendly here.

[gg]

Originally Posted by mainegrl2011

Maybe it was your somewhat derogatory comment about pickup drivers that Mainers found offensive. Maybe you would prefer to get hit by a Volvo driver(?) Portland is sooooooo into bicycling, you can get bicycle snow tires for the winter. Just don a snowmobile suit and pedal on. At this point, it will be snow plows you need to be concerned about.

I thought about the pickup comment. My area is FILLED with pickups, so I didn't mean anything Maine specific.

Thanks for your comments.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Portland is so cycle friendly that they contribute tax dollars to develop a bicycle trail to Key West, FL. You can now ride from Portland to Kittery and maybe beyond. One of the bridges across the Piscataqua River is out of service for repairs, but when it comes back into service there will be a bicycle lane on it to get you to Portsmouth, NH. They even built a bridge across the Maine turnpike for walkers, runners, bicyclists and cross country skiers. They have lots of money for things like that in Portland.

In Down East Maine they tore up a whole railroad to establish the John Baldacci bicycle trail. It goes from Bangor to Calais where you can cross into Canada. Every fall there is a charity "Bike Across Maine" from the NH line to the ocean in Rockland or Rockport; not sure which town. Ham radio operators assist in this event.

Caution: The Maine Department of Transportation is going to reduce maintenance on roads that have less than 600 vehicles per day so paved shoulders will be the first to go and you will be sharing what pavement is left with behemoth logging trucks. Chip trucks leave clouds of "pin chips" blowing in the wind. These get in your eyes and actually cause small splinters to stick into your eyeball. They do not show on Xrays. It might be a good idea to stick with the more urban bicycle routes.

Wow, thanks! That is what I was hoping to hear. Pin chips? That doesn't sound good, but I am more of a city cyclist. Looking forward to a visit sometime. It sounds really nice and the only place I have been to in Maine was to canoe down the Allagash River for 7-8 days. It was GREAT!

[WhoFanMe]

There is a bike trail on Baxter Boulevard in the Back Cove area, where my Portland office is and many others throughout the city. Portland is known for being dog and bike friendly, although I've yet to see a dog riding a bike alone.