I want to call attention to two items in the latest League of American Bicyclists e-newsletter.
One refers to “Sunday Streets.” The article focuses on San Fransisco, noting that due to its past success it is being expanded. On 9 Sundays in 2010 in different parts of the city, some streets (including roadways in Golden Gate Park) will be closed to traffic, and not only are reserved for bikes/peds, but there are also various street activities scheduled (e.g. martial arts exhibitions) The Mayor there strongly supported the program and notes that merchants have found increased business on those Sundays! There is a section for FAQ . Apparently various cities around the world have similar programs (e.g. Kiev, Bogota)
I wonder if there is potential for this in Providence, though we have less of a rectangular grid for motrists to find alternative routes than in SF. Perhaps in Roger Williams Park? Providence city government might be interested, as evidenced by their recent successful application for a small planning grant to investigate a bike-sharing program.
The other issue relates to a study of bike/transit interconnections with emphaisis on (sheltered, safe) bike parking at stations, bike routes to the stations, and taking bikes on transit vehicles. I noted that statistic that the % of buses with bike racks in the US went up from 27% in 2000 – when RIPTA already had them – to 71% in 2008.
Related issues I think we in RI might consider:
- Adequate bike parking at the PVD train station
- bike access routes and parking at new stations being planned in Warwick, Wickford Jct (where a potential bike path connection to Wickford is being blocked so far by neighborhood opposition) and maybe Pawtucket
- policy related to carrying bikes on the new commuter rail service being planned
- bike policy on Amtrak’s northeast corridor services.