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Maine Better

Maine Better

Maine Better

Discussions of community and connection with the Maine Better Transportation Association.

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Top 10 Maine Better Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Maine Better episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Maine Better for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Maine Better episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Jacqueline Gelb and Paul Ruiz of the American Trucking Associations share their perspective on California's Advanced Clean Trucks Rule that is in the process of being adopted by multiple states and has a public hearing on August 17 with Maine's Board of Environmental Protection.

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Maine Better - Maine State Treasurer Henry Beck Talks Bonds
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07/19/21 • 15 min

Everything you always wanted to know about state bonds and more with Maine State Treasurer Henry Beck.

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Senator Brad Farrin of Norridgewock and Representative Lydia Crafts of Newcastle give us bipartisan view of the big transportation news coming out of the Maine State Legislature and the Transportation Committee, including highway funding.

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Maine Better - Gordon Page of Owls Head
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09/17/20 • 7 min

Gordon Page is running for the District 12 seat of the Maine Senate and talks about railroads, hitchhiking, transportation funding and more with the Maine Better Transportation Association https://mbtaonline.org/news/news-releases/

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Maine Better - Congressman Jared Golden
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09/03/20 • 14 min

Congressman Jared Golden talks with Orion Breen about which Maine county has the worst roads, being a truck guy, gorgeous day trips in Maine, the need for accountability and leadership across government and who inspires him. Maine Better is a new series discussing community and connection for the Maine Better Transportation Association https://mbtaonline.org/news/news-releases/

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Maine Better - Chloe Maxmin of Nobleboro
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08/21/20 • 9 min

Representative Chloe Maxmin is running for the District 13 seat of the Maine Senate and talks with Patrick Brady & Orion Breen about why she is running, transportation access for seniors, growing up driving tractors, and what's one of her favorite spots in Maine. Maine Better is a new series discussing community and connection for the Maine Better Transportation Association.

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Maine Better - Duncan Milne of Waldo County
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10/09/20 • 7 min

Duncan Milne is running for the Maine Senate in District 11 and says access to transportation is key to a resilient economy and careers with family wages and good benefits. Maine Better is a new series discussing community and connection for the Maine Better Transportation Association https://mbtaonline.org/news/news-releases/

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Senator Angus King talks about infrastructure negotiations right before President Biden agreed to the bipartisan deal. Senator King also shares his views on voting rights, innovative forest products and sense of pride fixing his first car as a teenager.

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Maine Senator Susan Collins shares her perspective on the big infrastructure plans being discussed in D.C.

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At the 73rd Maine Transportation Conference, a crowd of experts, engineers, planners, and policymakers gathered to consider the future of how people move—by foot, by bike, by bus, behind the wheel and more. It was fitting that Marshall Elizer of the Washington State Department of Transportation and Vice-Chair of the AASHTO Committee on Design, opened the event with a talk that melded the technical with the philosophical. What stood out in his speech wasn’t just his technical expertise, but his ability to connect the arcane world of geometric road design to something much larger: the way we live, work, and build our communities. This is an excerpt of that speech and conference slides can be viewed at https://mbtaonline.org/73rd-maine-transportation-conference-slides/

“Geometric design,” Elizer began, “is impactful not just to those who are actually performing it on a daily basis, but also to any of us who walk, bike, or drive. It says a lot about how our life works—or doesn’t work—as we move around our communities.”

For many, the phrase “geometric design” may conjure visions of technical manuals filled with precise dimensions for traffic lanes and curves. But Elizer’s message went far beyond the Green Book, the manual that serves as the bible for roadway design in the U.S. Yes, the Green Book provides engineers with standards for road widths, speed limits, and alignments, but Elizer urged his audience to think of it as a starting point—not the final word.

“The Green Book allows a design that fits in this big box, but we’re really comfortable in this little box in the middle. That’s where we feel most comfortable, and that’s where we want to stay. But that flexibility says, look outside the small box. Think about the alternatives.”

This push for flexibility reflects the challenges of modern road design. The days of building entirely new highways through untouched land are largely behind us. Today’s transportation professionals are grappling with how to retrofit and adapt aging infrastructure to meet modern demands: safer spaces for pedestrians and cyclists, more efficient traffic flows, and designs that harmonize with community goals rather than bulldozing over them.

Elizer’s perspective is grounded in pragmatism, but also urgency. He didn’t shy away from addressing the sobering reality of safety on America’s roadways. Each year, approximately 1.2 million people die on roads worldwide. In the U.S. alone, more than 42,000 lives were lost in 2022. Pedestrians, he noted, are especially at risk.

“Good geometric design equals safety and efficiency for all users,” Elizer said. Elizer also touched on the broader systemic factors that put Americans at greater risk than their global peers. He cited a global ranking that placed the U.S. 26th in road safety, behind countries like Norway, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. One reason, he suggested, is that America’s land-use policies often favor suburban sprawl, which forces people into cars and increases exposure to risk. In contrast, many European countries emphasize compact, walkable urban planning, coupled with stricter enforcement of traffic laws.

Despite these challenges, Elizer struck an optimistic tone about the future. He highlighted the Safe System Approach, an international framework that the U.S. Department of Transportation has adopted to eliminate traffic fatalities. It’s a bold goal—Vision Zero, as it’s called—but one that Elizer believes is achievable if professionals embrace innovation and flexibility.

In the end, Elizer’s speech was about more than roads. It was a call to rethink how we design the spaces that connect us—to create systems that don’t just move people efficiently, but also protect their lives and reflect their communities’ values.

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FAQ

How many episodes does Maine Better have?

Maine Better currently has 27 episodes available.

What topics does Maine Better cover?

The podcast is about News, Business News and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Maine Better?

The episode title 'Advanced Clean Trucks with the American Trucking Associations' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Maine Better?

The average episode length on Maine Better is 15 minutes.

How often are episodes of Maine Better released?

Episodes of Maine Better are typically released every 13 days, 3 hours.

When was the first episode of Maine Better?

The first episode of Maine Better was released on Aug 17, 2020.

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