Traffic engineers, bicycling advocates and others interested in increased modes of transportation for Freeport will gather at a public forum at the Freeport Community Center on Wednesday, April 29, at 6 p.m.

The Active Living Task Force, formed at the request of the Freeport Town Council in 2012 to assess Freeport’s existing walking, biking and hiking infrastructure, is hosting the meeting. Last summer, the council accepted the parameters of the task force’s Active Living Plan – a comprehensive but non-binding proposal intended to accommodate a more active lifestyle in the community.

At the April 29 public forum, guest speakers and others will discuss “Complete Streets,” a concept that dovetails with the Active Living Plan. Complete Streets was developed by Smart Growth America, a national coalition the works to improve neighborhoods. Complete Streets seeks low-cost ways to encourage, enhance and improve the travel experience for all users – rail, bus, car, bicycle and pedestrian.

Paul Niehoff, senior transportation planner for the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) and Tom Errico, a traffic engineer with T.Y. Lin International trained in the Complete Streets program, will be the featured speakers. Following their presentations, the task force will open up the meeting to public comments.

Niehoff said that that PACTS has enlisted the Bicycle Coalition of Maine to broaden the dialogue pertaining to the laws that govern pedestrians and cyclists. Niehoff said that Freeport, while busy, has a built-in advantage for bicyclists.

“There are motorists going at low speeds, and there are lots of pedestrians,” Niehoff said. “My personal feeling is that all can interact. That would allow cyclists to move with the traffic as opposed to being separated from the traffic.”

Niehoff said that education would be important for Freeport to become more bicycle-friendly.

“It’s more of an educational than an infrastructure process,” he said. “Cyclists have all the rights and responsibilities of motorists. They can be in the travel lane by law.”

In order to promote that, Niehoff said, PACTS is helping member towns put up lane markings and signage. Sections of Portland, Yarmouth and South Portland have bicycle-lane markings in place, and Freeport and Brunswick are “talking about it,” he said.

The holdup to becoming a bicycle-friendly community could be a lack of understanding of the law, and fears among cyclists about riding in traffic, Niehoff said.

“There’s a little bit more of a challenge than just putting paint on the ground,” he said. “But we’re learning that it’s safer and allowed under the law to ride with traffic.”

Niehoff said that Freeport is a good place to encourage cycling and other modes of transportation.

“Freeport has been very proactive in some of the things it has been doing,” he said. “Downtown Freeport is a liveable, walkable community. But it still takes a conversation.”

Anne-Marie Davee, chairwoman of the Active Living Task Force, said that the town’s Traffic and Parking Committee is hoping to bring in bicycle lane stenciling and signage.

“PACTS has offered to help Freeport with that, and that’s why we’re working with them,” Davee said.

Davee said the committee wants to encourage the travel experience for all users in Freeport. The Amtrak Downeaster offers passenger train service to and from Freeport, and Portland Metro will begin bus service to town this summer. The public forum at the community center should help to facilitate the travel possibilities, she said.

“We feel like each year it will be important to do a public forum that engages residents as to what they would like to do to encourage active living,” Davee said.