Maine Trail Use During COVID-19: Project Summary

The University of Maine, in collaboration with Maine\u27s Office of Outdoor Recreation, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, and the Maine Trails Coalition, completed an exploratory project using StreetLight Insight metrics to document pedestrian and bicycle activity at 89 distinct trail locations and 92 sites within Camden Hills and Mt Blue State Parks

Electric, Hybrid and High Fuel Efficiency Vehicles: Cost-Effective and Equitable GHG Emission Reductions in Maine

Maine’s transportation sector accounts for 54% of Maine’s CO2 emissions, with almost all of this coming from gasoline and diesel (MDEP 2020). On a per-capita basis, Maine’s transportation sector is about average for the nation (rank 24 out of 50). Reducing transportation-related petroleum demand and emissions will benefit Maine’s economy. This can be achieved by increasing vehicle efficiency, switching to alternative fuels (e.g., electricity, biofuels) that have lower emissions per mile, and by reducing the demand for motorized transportation. These actions can and should be done while meeting social equity goals that account for regional, income and racial inequalities. The GHG benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) are particularly strong in states such as Maine that have electrical grids relying on renewable energy sources and natural gas. However, given the low current sales rate of new EVs, less than 2% in Maine, EV-focused programs do not affect the overwhelming majority of current new vehicle purchases. We provide some estimates of possible fuel and GHG savings from a used high mile-per-gallon (MPG) vehicle incentive program for Maine. These are based on common Maine vehicles and represent savings if drivers participate in the program. The GHG emission reductions realized will depend on the specifics of the program implementation and the linkage of such a program with a scrappage program to remove the least efficient vehicles from Maine’s roads

Maine Trail Visitor Count 2019 to 2021

Trail usage data are critical to informing decisions about investments in new trails and infrastructure, the maintenance of existing trails and infrastructure, and management of trails. Maine, like many other states, lacks detailed and consistent data on trail use, and this lack of information complicates decision-making, investments, and planning. New data and technologies create opportunities for Maine to improve knowledge of trail use, increase outdoor recreation experiences associated with these trails and strengthen the economic and community impacts of these trails. In collaboration with Maine\u27s Office of Outdoor Recreation, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, and the Maine Trails Coalition, we completed this project to assess the potential for using new data resources made available by StreetLight to document trail usage in Maine