Providence Streets Coalition holds rally In support of South Water Street Urban Trail

"I can't believe we're even here talking about South Water Street right now. We should be talking about North Main, Allen's Ave, Elmwood and Smith St - and all the streets that are so dangerous."

“We're here for common sense transportation policy. We're here for the community,” said Liza Burkin, lead organizer of the Providence Streets Coalition and member of the organizing team of the Providence Bike Jam. “We're here for the health and safety of children and families in Providence. We're here for our older adults. We're here for those who cannot afford a car, for those who cannot drive due to disabilities or refugee status - whatever the reason, we need to make this city accessible and safe for everyone on our streets.”

In response to the Smiley Administration’s recent statements to the media regarding Providence Mayor Brett Smiley's intention to remove the South Water Street Bike Lane as a possible countermeasure to congestion associated with the Washington Bridge, the Providence Streets Coalition held a rally outside Providence City Hall on April 1st in support of this urban trail connection, its ability to keep all road users safe, and its constructive role in meaningfully reducing traffic congestion. The event was organized by the Providence Streets Coalition, Providence Bike Jam, and members of the Providence City Council. Nearly two hundred people, pedestrians, and bike riders.

Here's the video:

“Let me be very clear and share some facts,” said Providence City Councilmember John Goncalves (Ward 1). “The transformation of the South Water Street Bike Lane from a former highway ramp to a complete street has led to an 84 to 96% reduction in speeding, dramatically improving area safety. During my last term, we spent significant dollars on police overtime and police details mitigating the concerns [about] drag racing and noise disturbances caused by loud music, street racing, ATVs, altered mufflers, you name it. The South Water Street Bike Lane has addressed those issues and has fostered a quieter, safer waterfront for everyone. The new road setup, with the bike lanes, has made drag racing impossible and it's made the area safer and quieter at all hours of the night...

“We are urging the Green and Complete Streets Advisory Council to oppose the removal of the South Water Street Bike Lanes. We won't stand for it. Removing these bike lanes undermines our city's commitment to a healthier, more connected Providence. It ignores the overwhelming evidence of their benefits, reduced fatalities, decreased traffic injuries, and a more livable, multimodal future for our city.”

Liza Burkin

The push to remove the bike lanes comes a month after Mayor Smiley endorsed the Vision Zero resolution, an agreement and commitment to redesigning city streets for the safety of all who walk, bike, ride, and drive.

“As we look to increase the safety of our streets for all folks in Providence, regardless of how they're able to get around, we also must reduce the pollution emissions to address climate change. Protected lanes for non-car traffic will be increasingly important,” said Providence City Councilmember Sue Anderbois (Ward 3), in a statement read at the event. “The issues with the Washington Bridge are serious and will last many years. This is not a short-term emergency. And any changes to the roadways need to reflect the long-term duration of these issues. Luckily, we already have a strong process in place for evaluating these changes through the Green and Complete Streets ordinance. This process needs to be respected and followed in any major transportation changes. Further, the answer to reducing car traffic is not to remove the opportunities to travel outside of cars. Providence residents need more options for travel - not to be pushed towards further overreliance on cars as the only option. I strongly oppose the removal of the South Water Street protected bike lanes and urge us to take a pause and a breath before making any hasty decisions.”

After the rally, there was a bike ride and march from City Hall to South Water Street.

“The response to this has been stunning,” said Burkin. “We've generated over 300 emails to the mayor's office in under 24 hours. On talk radio, they call us militants. The mayor calls us passionate. Anyone who's ever ridden a bike or walked for transportation knows that's what happens when you are almost killed once a week just trying to get to work. That adrenaline... makes you kind of passionate.”