New Pedestrian Safety Campaign Targets Rising Fatalities in Portland, Lewiston and Auburn

PORTLAND, Maine – A new community-driven pedestrian safety campaign is launching this summer in Portland, Lewiston and Auburn as state and local officials seek to reduce the growing number of fatal and serious pedestrian crashes in Maine’s urban communities.

The campaign, developed in partnership with the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, will use messages created with input from residents, business owners, artists, commuters, neighborhood groups and community leaders.

The campaign comes as pedestrian fatalities have increased across Maine in recent years, with Portland, Lewiston and Auburn accounting for a disproportionate share of the state’s serious and fatal pedestrian crashes.

“As pedestrian fatalities continue to rise in Maine, we need approaches that connect with the people who live, work and travel in these communities,” said Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.

Stewart said the campaign differs from traditional public safety initiatives because its messaging was developed through conversations with the people who regularly use the streets in the targeted communities.

“By listening first and building the campaign with the community, we can create messaging that is more authentic, relatable and more effective,” Stewart said.

Organizers conducted focus groups, small-group discussions and outreach with residents, neighborhood organizations and local leaders in all three cities. That feedback helped shape the campaign’s language, graphics and overall approach.

The resulting campaign emphasizes shared responsibility, driver awareness and the role pedestrians play in city life.

One of the campaign’s primary messages in Portland reads: “Slow Down, Portland. We Walk Here.”

Portland City Councilor Regina Phillips, who chairs the city’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee, said the campaign reflects Portland’s identity as a walkable community.

“Portland is a city meant to be experienced on foot,” Phillips said. “Whether you live here, work here or are visiting, we all share responsibility for making our streets safer.”

Phillips said the effort builds upon Portland’s Vision Zero initiative, which seeks to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries.

“This campaign builds upon Portland’s commitment to achieving Vision Zero, and it directly reflects the values of our community in an effort to encourage drivers to slow down, stay alert and look out for one another,” she said.

While Portland participants focused heavily on tourism, neighborhood identity and the city’s strong walking culture, discussions in Lewiston and Auburn centered on visibility, everyday driving habits and the challenges faced by pedestrians in more vehicle-dependent communities.

Michael Dixon, president of the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization, said including residents in the campaign’s development helped create a message that feels connected to the people it is intended to reach.

“People who walk these streets every day were able to share their experiences, frustrations and ideas,” Dixon said. “That makes the message feel like it belongs to the community and supports the broader work underway to make our streets safer for everyone.”

The campaign will appear through transit advertising, radio spots, social media posts and digital advertisements throughout Portland, Lewiston and Auburn.

Organizers said the messages will be placed in areas where people drive, walk, commute and gather, with the campaign continuing throughout the 2026 summer season.

The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety coordinates federal, state and local traffic safety efforts and administers federal highway safety funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The campaign was also developed with Community Voices for Road Safety, an initiative operated by Travelers Marketing that works with residents to create locally focused public safety campaigns.