T4ME Policy Priorities: The Deep Dive
T4ME’s policy priorities emerge from decades of combined experience across our coalition of multimodal transportation advocates. Policy priorities are updated regularly as the landscape changes and new voices come to the table. Right now, Maine has an unprecedented opportunity to invest in the rest in the near term while building toward a more sustainable and equitable transportation system for generations to come.
Reliable Multimodal Funding: Identify and implement reliable transportation funding solutions for public and active transportation that benefit all people in Maine.
Maine is facing a transportation funding shortfall to the tune of $280 million by 2027. This means less money for repairing roads, funding public transportation services, and revitalizing walkable downtowns, and it's already having an impact. The Maine Department of Transportation had to scale back its 3-year work plan in the spring of 2026, canceling at least 6 projects across the state due to lack of funding. Even before this major shortfall, safe and sustainable transportation options like public transportation, walking, biking, rolling, and community rides have been chronically underfunded for decades as Maine continues to prioritize funding for highways and bridges instead of multimodal options. Historically, the largest source of state funding for transportation has been the gas tax, but when Governor LePage froze the tax relative to inflation in 2011, Maine’s transportation system missed out on nearly $600 million dollars that otherwise could have gone toward making our state safer, more accessible, and more connected. Now, we have to find a transportation funding solution that can meet the needs of all Maine communities.
Maine’s transportation funding shortfall provides an opportunity to find solutions that benefit all people in Maine. We can’t continue to build endless road projects that require ongoing maintenance and reinforce car dependency as costs and pollution continue to rise. Instead, any new funding proposal must include reliable funding for the services that often get pushed to the side: public transportation, safe walking and biking paths, and accessible downtowns that prioritize people, not just cars and trucks.
Transparent Decision-Making: Implement processes to increase transparency, improve public engagement, and establish clear decision-making criteria aligned with Maine’s health, climate, economic development, and comprehensive planning goals.
Building a transportation system that works for all isn’t just about money; it’s about what we do with that money. Right now, those decisions are largely made behind closed doors without a clearly communicated rationale for why certain projects are being prioritized over others. To reduce conflict and ensure alignment with other statewide goals (like public health, climate, and economic development), transportation projects should be selected according to consistent, publicly available criteria with clear opportunities for public engagement. These decisions affect all of us, and we should all understand why they are being made and how we can be involved.
It is also critical that decisions are informed by the best available data. We need to know what is working and what isn’t, and that should be assessed regularly by decision makers. Did this project reduce traffic congestion? Did this project increase access to essential goods and services for Mainers? Did this project save money for Maine transportation users? Did this project reduce pollution that harms Maine’s environment and communities? These are the types of questions that should be regularly answered as we assess how our system is currently working for Maine people.
Enhanced Planning Capacity: Increase capacity within state government for public transportation, mobility management, active transportation, and multimodal planning.
Right now, most of Maine’s funding for transportation goes to roads and bridges. That also means that most of our transportation planners and engineers are focused on roads and bridges. To effectively improve our multimodal transportation options, we need additional capacity to focus on public transportation, community rides, and active transportation. This means having people in state government that can coordinate existing services and plan for expanding those services in the most cost effective way to meet the mobility needs of all Maine communities. As we advocate for more funding and more transparent decision-making, we need to make sure we have the people in place to plan a better transportation system and turn those plans into reality.
Support for Community Priorities: Increase technical and financial support while reducing barriers for local communities to actualize their transportation vision in keeping with regional and statewide planning.
Transportation solutions will not work without local leadership and buy in. Communities know what is best for our towns, and more often than not, the biggest obstacle to implementing our transportation vision is lack of resources and support. Small towns often don’t have the planning and implementation capacity to improve public transportation or walkability locally, but everyone wants more safe options to get where they need to go. By allowing local communities to lead the way on visioning while assisting us with technical and financial support, Maine can ensure durable transportation solutions that meet the needs of a given community while keeping coordination with regional and statewide planning.
Visionary Long-Term Planning: Incorporate actionable and measurable goals to expand public transportation and active transportation infrastructure and services in statewide and regional long-range plans.
Transportation planning is often limited by immediate needs and budget constraints. In order to build a transportation system that provides access for all Mainers, we need to think big about what we can achieve together. Right now, we are struggling to maintain existing services, let alone expand those services to more people in Maine. Instead, we can work toward a world-class transportation system that is interconnected with public transportation and safe active transportation, making progress toward that long-term vision every year. Maine is an incredible place to live and to visit, and we should be visionary as we continue to improve together.