During the summer of 1990, Bangor was in no danger of losing its distinction as having the downtown most inhospitable to pedestrians.

Automobile traffic continued to zip as quickly as it could through the city’s central business district, oblivious to fundamental standards of courtesy and safety toward people on foot.

People at curbside or entering crosswalks were treated as quarry by the operators of trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Motorists in Bangor do not obey either the city ordinance or the state statute protecting pedestrians. Neither law is enforced. Pedestrian travel is not a priority of city government. The only traffic law that briefly attracted the attention of the City Council this season was a ban aimed at transient horse trailers, vehicles which have yet to kill, injure or intimidate anyone.

Despite repeated appeals from people who use the downtown and who find its environment downright hostile to those on foot, City Hall’s interest in pedestrian matters remains lukewarm. That’s too bad. Municipal government should realize that the city’s self-interest would be served best by promoting Bangor to pedestrians as a user-friendly community. People may depend on automobiles to bring them downtown, but they use their feet to get around.

What can Bangor do?

Bangor first must want to become as civilized as Camden, Lincoln or Millinocket; then, it must make the commitment to enforce existing law and it must alert the motoring public that it means business.

Bar Harbor, which for its size handles much more traffic, but which is light years ahead of Bangor in its regard for pedestrians, this year stood up brightly colored barrel markers (this one photographed by A. Jay Higgins of the NEWS Hancock Bureau), supporting clear and legible signs to let both motorists and pedestrians know where that community stands on the issue.

Bangor should do the same. This city’s chronic problem with belligerent motorists and threatened pedestrians is inexcusable. It simply reflects a lack of will. In this relationship, the city should demand and expect a basic level of courtesy and safety.