Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition

FALL BACK and LIGHT UP! Bicyclists are reminded to be visible at night with local bike shops helping with 20% discounts on bike lights. As the clocks fall back, cyclists need to light up. Can you believe it, daylight saving’s time is just around the corner! It will get darker a lot earlier, but that’s NO reason to stop cycling and every reason to make sure you’re WELL-LIT! White lights on front, red lights on back, and plenty of reflectors and reflective clothing. Join us in chanting the mantra “See and be seen!” Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 4th. Area bike shops are joining the chorus by offering discounts and promotions on bike lights at a special “Fall Back and Light Up” sale during the weekend of November 2nd – 4th. Participating stores are: Newport Bicycle on Broadway, Pedal Power on West Main Road, and Ten Speed Spokes on Elm Street. For bike enthusiasts, riding at night can be fun, relaxing, and a delightful end to the day. For bike commuters, riding in the dark is a fact of life. Statistically, there are more crashes at night than during the day. This is due in part to the difficulty motorists have in seeing cyclists at night, and in part to cyclists not seeing unsafe road conditions in the dark. There are several ways to improve cyclist visibility and safety at night: Headlights: Handlebar mounted headlights can be USB rechargeable or run on batteries. There’s a range of brightness, and settings that are steady and flashing. Newport law requires a white lamp on the front of your bike that can be seen from 500 feet. Bike shops can help riders choose the best light based on how and where they ride. Front light on your helmet: Helmet headlamps send light whichever way the cyclist looks. Smart! Rear light: Law also requires a red light on the rear of a bicycle. Many cyclists use red blinking lights throughout the day to be more visible as cars approach from the rear. Rear lights can be mounted on fenders, seat posts, seat stays, racks, or saddlebags. Reflective Vest or Jacket: Reflective material increases visibility exponentially and can make cyclists much more obvious on the road at night. In fact, highly reflective material can be far brighter even than the bike lights. Be careful – brightly colored clothing is not the same as reflective. Bright clothing may be highly visible in the daylight, but no different from any other color at night. Be sure that nightwear is reflective. Please contact Bike Newport at 401-619-4900 for more information about the “Fall Back, Light Up” program. For more bike safety information and local ordinances, click here. The post Fall Back and Light up 2018 appeared first on Bike Newport.

Bari Freeman, Executive Director of Bike Newport RI, presenting at the rally in support of the Green Economy and Clean Water Bond. Video courtesy of upriseri.com ___________________________ On November 6th, not only will you be able to vote for your governor, senator, and various local officials next month, Rhode Islanders will also have a chance to vote on Question 3. There is a $47.3 million bond on November’s ballot that, if approved by voters, would support a state-wide investment in clean water, land cleanup, farmland, recreational facilities, BIKE TRAILS and BIKEWAYS, open spaces and public safety. This would include $5 million for bikeways to expand and improve the state’s bikeway network that runs through many communities. ‘Another $5 million would go toward building and maintaining our state’s parks and recreation facilities, while $5 million would expand and improve Rhode Island’s heavily used bicycle network. These are worthy causes, helping Rhode Islanders stay healthy and enjoy life.’ – The Providence Journal How can you help? Bike Newport supports the Green Economy and Clean Water Bond and encourages you to join us. Here are some actions you can take to help ensure this bond is passed: Do your research. Find out which candidates in your area support having a clean ocean, open green spaces, equity in recreational and transportation opportunities, and who wants a resilient community in the face of climate change. Spread the word to you friends and family and a wider audience via social media. Like our Facebook page and share our posts and blogs with your friends. VOTE YES ON 3 on November 6th. Add your name to our advocacy list. We’ll contact you when we need your support and voice. This might be writing letters, attending council meetings etc. Fill in this form and click the ‘advocacy’ box. The post On November 6th 2018, vote ‘Yes On 3’. Here’s why you should…. appeared first on Bike Newport.

The post below first appeared on the Bike Newport blog. Original source: Annual Tour de Fright 2018

The post below first appeared on the Bike Newport blog. View post:  The survey results are in!

What a splatter fest! Join us at the Broadway Street Fair at our annual ‘Pie Jousting Contest‘ Saturday • Oct 6th • 12-6pm Face off against another pie wielding competitor on a bike. When the judge says “JOUST” ride past each other and try to throw your pie at the other competitor. There are only two rules; 1) No Contact (the pie must leave your hand before making impact) 2) No ducking or dodging ( you have to maintain a straight line & not lean away from an impending pie) We’ll have a booth close by where you can stock up on  t-shirts and water bottles, bike maps and news about the Big Blue Bike Barn. See you there! The post Riders Ready?…JOUST! appeared first on Bike Newport.

The post below first appeared on the Bike Newport blog. More here:  Why protected bike lanes are more valuable than parking spaces.

Saturday, October 6, 5pm-7pm 186 Carpenter St, PVD It’s once again time to come together, celebrate what has been accomplished and meet kindred spirits working for better bicycling throughout Rhode Island. We’ll talk about the accomplishments made for the year READ MORE

It’s also not too early to be thinking about holidays, presents or treating yourself to a new tee and water bottle. Bike Newport is ready to splat our way into the Broadway Street Fair with our annual ‘Pie Jousting Contest‘ on Saturday, Oct 6th. Join us to help fundraise for our youth education programs and treat yourself to a t-shirts and water bottle. Where else in Newport can you duel with your buddy by riding bicycles and throwing whipped cream in each others’ faces, all in the name of education! Read about last year’s shenanigans and get ready for the duel of your life. T-shirts $20 each • Water bottles $10 The post The Bike Newport t-shirts are back! appeared first on Bike Newport.

The following notes were shared by Bike Newport to RI Department of Transportation as part of the community review process. These notes reflect input discussed and gathered at numerous community reviews, including Newport Health Equity Zone, North End Neighborhood Association, Bike Newport Board of Directors, Newport Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, and other Bike Newport community gatherings. The following notes should be taken into consideration as we continue to improve/refine the plan for the ramp realignment and surrounding areas within the project limits. PLANNING FOR BICYCLES AND PEDESTRIANS: The plan needs to address motorized traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians together from the first stages of design. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodation are referenced as primary but are not reflected in the designs. The designs represent motor traffic and promise bike and pedestrian accommodation later. It shouldn’t be assumed that the location of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure will be added on or even adjacent to the road. We should consider the entire project area to determine what spaces will accommodate all modes safely and comfortably. Additionally, the connections to city sidewalks, parks, and paths just beyond the project limits should be addressed to ensure connectivity. Please have a look at this workshop report[1] from Lynn, Massachusetts. This level of consideration should inform the roadway design. Some of the most relevant pages address: households with no car; pedestrian and bicycle facilities and facility designs; and what facilities might work in their project area. We do not have to hold for the design stage to introduce the facilities that the project managers are already considering. Now is the time. Traffic volume reports are vital to understanding the recommendations, but the reports provided are difficult to interpret and lack context. When were the traffic volumes recorded? What day of the week, and what season of year? We want to make our plans in the best interest of resident livability when we are adjacent to residential areas. Along with traffic volume, we need to consider existing levels of comfort for bicyclists and pedestrians, along with projected demand based on points of interest. The studies should be addressing all road users, their safety, flow, destinations, and improved accommodation from the outset. Additionally, the final plan has to recognize the important corridors and intersections outside and adjacent to the project area. The plan should advance the goals of the Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the Open Space Plan. These alignments with these City plans should be sought, noted, and shared.   The plan should be made with intentional attention to the long-term future – thinking 30, 40, 50 years out – considering known and projected weather, transportation modes, traffic patterns, and development. Gather a Project Advisory Board to continue to represent/oversee as plans move forward – and to keep it moving forward. Nothing need delay or derail the project. This Advisory Group can assist with assembling the list of recommendations according to existing plans – STIP, LRTP, Bike Mobility Plan, Open Space Plan, Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Solicit information from other entities with relevant plans in the vicinity. This recommendation goes beyond listening sessions, it is the active collecting and consideration of planning that is relevant in terms of location, traffic flow, pedestrian and bicycle activity, residential and commercial development and more, and includes these offices/agencies and more: Newport Office of Civic Investment, RIPTA, the Navy, City of Newport Public Services (re other road projects), Bike Newport, City Parks, Aquidneck Land Trust, Newport HEZ, RK Properties, Carpionato Group, Discover Newport, Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad, Newport Housing Authority, Trinity Management, and others. This project is our opportunity to demonstrate innovative creative contemporary planning and forward thinking – let’s make it the best it can be and a model for the island, the state, the region!   SPECIFIC DESIGN ELEMENTS Roundabouts, side paths, and other infrastructure elements that support vulnerable road users can now be based on contemporary best practice facilities in place in other cities, as in the workshop report from Lynn Massachusetts referenced above. A road trip by the project managers, consultants, and primary stakeholders to experience these designs first hand would enhance the expertise to make the best recommendations for our conditions. The 200-space parking lot is not sufficient to accommodate drivers who shift to other transportation modes into the city. By comparison the three parking lots at the Steamship Authority in Falmouth accommodate a total of 5500 cars for people leaving their cars behind headed to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The design studies should recognize/reference the different mode shifts that are being considered along with some predictions of usage. What modes are in the works? Bike Share, People Movers, City Shuttles. Where is that vision expressed? The road originally planned to run north between Festival Field Apartments and the RK Newport Shopping Center is a potential method for channeling a high volume of outbound traffic out of town efficiently, without using Admiral Kalbfus or the rotary, and bypassing both the Point and the North Side neighborhoods. This option needs to be considered and addressed. Traffic should be diverted away from neighborhoods. High volume traffic should be directed onto Connell Highway and potentially onto the road referenced in (2) above. Plans should include calm and comfortable connections and passages into/ out of the neighborhoods. The intersection of Malbone Road, Girard Avenue, and Admiral Kalbfus Road represents the eastern limit of the project area and requires very focused attention for vulnerable road user passage. This intersection is currently one of the most dangerous in the city while also a site of concentrated vulnerable road user activity. It represents the nexus of neighborhoods, schools, businesses, residences, and Miantonomi Park – and it is also part of the direct connect between the First Mile Bikeway and the North Side neighborhoods. Extend the project area east to West Main Road in order to provide the necessary traffic calming and pedestrian-safe measures along Admiral Kalbfus Road in consideration of the adjacent neighborhoods, residences, park activity, and safe routes to schools. Any rotary must be designed as a modern roundabout with bicycles and pedestrians safely accommodated on a separated outer rim. All bicycle connections on roads of 25mph or higher must be separated/buffered/protected.   The board, staff, and participants of Bike Newport, thank RIDOT for the attention given to community input. We hope these notes are helpful and confirming. We look forward to continued and timely progress on this critical and promising project. [1] Link to: http://lynnbikeped.com/system/images/2446/original/Lynn_Walking_and_Bicycling_Plan_Workshop_1_Presentation.pdf The post Regarding the Pell Bridge Ramp Realignment Designs appeared first on Bike Newport.

We received word from the WRWC that projects will be moving forward. See below: Hello partners and thank you for adding your voices to bike projects v. bridges issue, In a surprise turn of events, Lisa and I attended a READ MORE