BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2024
Even senior developments considered walkable by the state are set away from transit lines, prompting a nuanced debate in Maine’s housing policy realm between those who want the state to pay to make bus lines more flexible and those who want cities and towns to pay more attention to the locations of new developments. Even when housing projects are on a bus route, that doesn’t mean residents have around-the-clock access to transportation. To overcome that, Maine would need to send more funds to transit operators. More money for fuel, insurance, wages and benefits would allow routes to extend farther, more drivers to be hired and more buses to be purchased. This would be a short-term solution, leading critics to ask why Maine is still building housing developments away from transit routes and amenities.