Author: create_cd4mfd

YOU are invited to attend our next annual meeting. The date for the annual meeting is yet to be determined but please check in again later for an update.

The annual member meeting is a chance to celebrate what we have accomplished in the past 12 months and begin to formulate a plan for the upcoming year. Join us to mingle with the returning board members, meet some new faces and discuss the three areas of our work–advocacy, education and community. Refreshments will be served.

Remember what we said at the Summit–Better routes, Better rides, Better together. Emphasis on BETTER TOGETHER. We would love to see you!

Final preparations are being made for the installation of the Hope Street Temporary Trail. The very last element that is needed for it to be a success is YOU!

The trail is a test run and usage will be counted and evaluated; the more people who ride, stroll, skate, or roll on the trail during the very short trial period the better. So, grab a friend or two and find an excuse to roll along Hope Street between Lauriston Street to Olney Street (Frog & Toad to Tortilla Flats) October 1-8.

It shouldn’t be hard since there’s a ton to do on this section of Hope Street. Buy a toy or a gift or kitchenware or fish or a bottle of wine. Check out the East Side YMCA or the Rochambeau Library. Grab a drink or meal at one of the many fun restaurants along this stretch. You can even just ride through to soak up the immaculate vibes of the neighborhood! It is a truly vibrant and fun part of Providence.

Don’t have a bike or scooter? SPIN will be positioning lots of their rental options in the area and is offering discounts for the trial period.

You can read more about the Hope Street Temporary Trail but then mark your calendar and make a plan to see it for yourself.

We know there’s a need for complete streets all over Rhode Island. This is a chance to demonstrate that and collect the data needed to help design streets that work for everyone. Hope to see you out on Hope!

This is the beginning of a series of posts discussing candidates and their positions on issues important to the bicycling community. First up, Nellie Gorbea’s Climate Plan.

As we all know, climate change is a wide ranging crisis impacting every single Rhode Islander. While there are many factors at play, transportation contributes more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector. Therefore, any climate action plan must address transportation and help every resident shift away from car dependency and toward active transportation and transit. This will require a radical change of focus at the Executive level and at RIDOT in order to provide the physical infrastructure, policy environment, process changes and financial support required to create a modern, multi-modal transportation system that delivers true travel options for each and every resident of the Ocean State. 

Let’s look at the newly released plan from gubernatorial candidate Nellie Gorbea entitled FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE by Seizing Rhode Island’s Climate Opportunity. Of course, I urge you to read the plan for yourself, but here are some initial thoughts from our perspective.

Let’s start with the good news. First, by even publishing such a document, Secretary Gorbea signals the importance of the climate crisis in Rhode Island and we applaud her for that. This is a wide ranging document that demonstrates the candidate’s grasp of the complicated nature of the issue and the necessity for fighting it on many fronts at once. We are gratified that Gorbea does address bicycling and other transportation issues and are heartened by several points. First, the plan calls on RIDOT to identify funds for the Bicycle Mobility Plan (BMP). 

The biggest line item in the federal infrastructure law is for the building and repair of roads and bridges.  A least $242 million is available for Rhode Island. The Department of Transportation should speed up repairs while also identifying funds for RI’s Bicycle Mobility Plan. (p9).

The BMP was adopted as part of RI’s Long Range Transportation Plan, but to-date, no specific funding has been set aside to build the projects. Although in the most recent session of the General Assembly, Representative Teresa Tanzi tried to force the issue by sponsoring a bill to provide $25 million to jumpstart building out the BMP, actually this is part of RIDOT’s job. One positive aspect of Gorbea’s call here is that it correctly places the responsibility for funding the BMP at RIDOT’s feet.

Another positive call in Gorbea’s plans is a focus on safety. Safety, of course, should be top of mind for everyone. All road users deserve safe passage, no matter what mode of travel they choose. We applaud Secretary Gorbea for calling for this use of infrastructure funding.

The Infrastructure Law focuses on highway safety, but funding is also designated for pedestrian safety, pipeline safety, and wildlife crossing areas. I will direct the Department of Transportation to include the use of Infrastructure Law funds for safe pedestrian walkways and bike paths (emphasis is ours) (p10).

Another item in the plan calls for every roadway project to assess the climate impact. We think this is very positive and will naturally lead to the construction of more climate friendly active transportation and transit projects. 

These guidelines must also include a requirement for an assessment of climate impacts on every state road construction project (pg11).

Further, we are pleased with the calls for multimodal integration (p13) and community input (p14).

One statement, while we agree is a necessary and important change, seems to come with a hedge.

I will direct RIDOT to overhaul its engineering guidelines to require state engineers to include to the maximum extent practicable (emphasis ours) sidewalks, protected bike lanes, transit-only lanes, crosswalks, traffic calming….. (p11).

We very much agree that engineering guidelines need to be overhauled and there should be a focus on more sidewalks, protected bike lanes, transit only lanes, crosswalks and traffic calming. This would be a huge leap forward for everyone. Our fear is that if RIDOT is given an out, it will find a way to take it. Perhaps not everyone will read it this same way, but this phrasing gives us pause. We have seen RIDOT avoid public input, convert work to smaller projects to avoid oversight and transfer money from active transportation to bridge work because there was a hole they could slip through. We would prefer language that makes active transportation and transit infrastructure a given with very few allowable exceptions.

Of course, no plan is perfect. Here, we are disappointed that there is no mention of electric bicycles, electric bicycle charging infrastructure or electric bicycle purchasing incentives. We believe that any and all supporting infrastructure and financial incentives offered for electric vehicles should be extended to electric bicycles as well. Electric bicycles are rapidly becoming car replacements here and across the world and we have a huge incentive to encourage this transition–it will allow Rhode Island to address climate change and roadway congestion at the same time. Additionally, it is disappointing that there is no mention of RI’s current Complete Streets guidance in Gorbea’s plan. We urge the next governor to strengthen the implementation of complete streets across all road projects. Finally, we would encourage Secretary Gobea to include a timeline for the completion of the BMP. We suggest requiring RIDOT to advance a specific plan with funding for yearly progress that completes the BMP over the next 5 years. 

Finally, on a more style related note, we recommend the candidate to call official documents by their proper names–it is the BMP not the Bike/Ped Master Plan as it is referred to in the references (p18). We are proud of the BMP and want everyone to be able to access and read it, which is only possible if they know its proper name.

It is our hope that you read the Gorbea plan in its entirety and come to your own conclusion. It feels to us that this would be a big, but imperfect step forward for Rhode Island. What do you think?

Another guest blog from our friend Barry Schiller with advice about combining cycling and public transportation to make the most of your summer riding.

It is summer and getting outside on a bike is great and, as the League of American Bicyclists says, it helps build a “greener and healthier nation.”

Most of us know that, but not all of us know about how much public transit here can extend the range of bicycling. For example, you may have missed the announcement about the return of the Providence-Newport ferry, operating until October 9. Through September 2 there are 4 round-trips/day on weekdays. The ferry leaves Providence at 9:30am, 12:30, 3:30 and 8pm and each trip takes an hour. There is free parking at the Providence dock. Return trips leave Newport at 11am, 2, 6:30, and 9:15pm.  On weekends two of the trips also stop in Bristol so the schedule is different. See www.seastreak.com for more information including holiday schedules and reservations. Fares are $12 each way, half-price for seniors, disabled, children and bikes are carried at no additional charge. It is a fun way to see the Bay, and then ride around Newport, or, if from Newport, ride around Providence or even access the Blackstone bikeway. The ferry is supplemented by frequent Providence-Newport Route 60 RIPTA service that provides a lot of flexibility for a round trip. RIPTA also carries bikes for no additional fare, and has connecting service between downtown Providence and the PVD ferry landing. See www.RIPTA.com for additional information.

MBTA trains are another transit option. Weekdays have 20 trips each way between Boston and Providence, 10 of them also stop at TF Green and Wickford Junction. 15 of the 20 trips will carry bikes, also for no additional fare.  On weekends, all 9 trips allow bikes though there is no service to the airport and Wickford stations.  However, the MBTA has a $10 weekend pass that can be bought on the trains that allow use of the entire commuter rail system all day both on Saturday and the following Sunday. I note Back Bay station has easy access to the Charles River bike paths that give access to Watertown, Harvard Square, and MIT. With the weekend pass one can consider going to Plymouth, Scituate, Rockport, Concord, Lowell and many more places. See www.mbta.com for full schedules and further details.

I’ve found that in many cases RIPTA service is much better than non-users think it is. For example, Providence -Newport #60 runs 50 trips/day each each way on weekdays and even on weekends has 30 round trips Saturday and 22 on Sunday.  Many of RIPTA’s core routes have similar levels of service. RIPTA goes not just downtown but to just about all the bike paths, such as the East Bay path served at multiple points by that Route 60, and also by Routes 32, 33, 34. Routes 71 and 75 can take you to the Blackstone, while 13, 17, 30, 31 accesses points along the West Bay path, as 64, 66, 69 does for the South County path. RIPTA goes to all the community colleges, colleges and universities, hospitals, the Roger Williams Park zoo, Slater Mill, most big shopping centers. Check it out, including maps, at www.ripta.com or call 781-9400. RIPTA ‘s bike racks are on all full-sized buses and again note there is no extra charge for using them for your bike.

All this makes bicycling even more practical as transit extends the range. Enjoy!

Long time transportation activist Barry Schiller sums up a disappointing legislative session. Thanks to all who wrote letters, spoke at hearings or provided other support for our legislative agenda this year. We will be right back at it in January!

From Barry:

The RI General Assembly ended its 2022 session which was disappointing for bicycle advocates, as none of the bills RI Bike was promoting was passed.
The bill to establish rules and rights of for electric bikes, H7839, actually did pass the state’s House of Representatives on June 3, but despite an appeal to the Senate Judiciary Chair (where it was sent) and to Senate President Ruggerio, the Senate never even gave it a hearing or consideration. But we thank Rep Rebecca Kislak for sponsoring and working for the bill. She also sponsored H7899, a bike safety bill that House Judiciary let die.

The Senate Judiciary Committee also refused to act on bill H7810, backed by the Attorney General, that would crack down on repeat drunk drivers even though it passed the House.

Also stuck in committees were bills H6634, S2286 to exempt bicycles from the sales tax (as are planes and boats) but we thank the sponsors Rep Arthur Handy and Sen Alana DiMario respectively.

DEM’s “green bond” proposal, incorporated into the budget, again left out bicycle infrastructure, even as the climate crisis worsens and RIDOT has largely stalled the bike program. But the legislature rejected both efforts to add biking to the bond and bill H8113 to authorize a separate bond for bike projects, though again we thank its sponsor, Rep Teresa Tanzi.

Bike advocates have to remember its necessary to be in it for the long term, and RIBike will continue to work for better, safer bicycling.