Since March, the city has considered temporarily closing the South Water Street bike lane to relieve traffic congestion from the Washington Bridge closure. On April 3, the city formally revealed the proposed removal of the bike lane alongside other traffic mitigation plans.
The bike path, located near the Providence Pedestrian Bridge, open in October 2021 as a segment of Providence’s Great Streets initiative. From the Washington Bridge closed in December 2023, “drivers are often opting to leave state roads to travel along city roads”, according to to a press release.
“The city has listened to feedback from neighbors and local businesses about the impact the closing of the Washington Bridge has had on our community, particularly the dramatic increase in traffic on our roadways locals,” city spokesman Josh Estrella wrote in an email to The Herald. . “By eliminating the two-way protected bike lane along South Water Street, we are opening that road to two lanes of travel which will significantly improve traffic congestion in this area.”
Local leaders, community members are opposed
The proposal faced a backlash from community members and organizations. On April 4, City Council members who vote past a resolution presented by Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) opposing Smiley’s proposal.
According to Councilwoman Rachel Miller, the City Council received 294 letters opposing the closure proposal. Only one letter received supports Smiley’s decision.
“I have deep concerns about the potential removal of bike lanes on South Water Street,” Goncalves said. “Removing bike lanes would be completely backwards in terms of positive quality of life.”
In his resolution, Goncalves cited the bike lane’s contributions to increased safety. Deaths, total crashes and injuries have decrease Since the installation of the South Water Street bike lane and other two-way protected bike lanes, the resolution affirms.
“If the streets are narrow, you’re going to drive slower,” said Dylan Giles, an organizer with the Providence Streets Coalition, a group of locals who advocate for more transportation safety and accessibility. Slower speeds reduce the likelihood of pedestrian and cyclist accidents and promote traffic safety, he added.
Estrella emphasized that the city intends to “develop an enhanced urban path adjacent to the current bike path and soon install a safety infrastructure for pedestrians, including an elevated walkway.” Estrella added that the plans are not finalized and that community feedback will be taken into consideration.
Katrina Demulling, owner of Unpredictable Finds and other small businesses downtown, said Smiley’s proposal prompted her to look into it. federal guidelines on bikeway selection. Citing those guidelines, he argued that sharing the sidewalk with bikes and pedestrians “only makes sense when walking and biking volumes are relatively low.”
The city estimated that removing the bike lane and building the overpass would cost $750,000. “Worth it?” asked Tyler Justin, owner of Mission Electric Bikes. “I don’t feel like we’re solving a problem.”
Stakeholders are hesitant about the effectiveness of the mitigation plan
Giles expressed doubts that adding a second car lane on South Water Street would ease the traffic. “All these cars would have to go down one lane each way to get onto the freeway,” he said.
Justin expressed a similar sentiment and said he would like to see more data from the city on exactly how removing the bike lane will improve traffic issues.
Estrella did not provide specific information on how the removal would improve traffic times. But he pointed to studies that addressed the general problems with the original bike lane construction plan in 2021. He highlighted traffic data from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and a Fuss & O’Neill study commissioned by the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
“Ill-conceived from the start”
Smiley has described the bike lane as “badly designed from the start”. Several local businesses, the Rhode Island School of Design and the University signed a letter opposite the construction of the bike lane when it was originally proposed.
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“We have supported a bike lane on South Water Street,” University spokesman Brian Clark said in an email to The Herald. “What we objected to was the design of the bike lane, which we believed created a safety risk.” Clark explained that the design forces large trucks to obstruct traffic during deliveries, causing other vehicles to make a ninety-degree turn with limited visibility, increasing traffic problems.
As for Smiley’s current plan, “Brown is not directly involved in conversations with the city,” Clark wrote. “We continue to support the need for bike lanes along South Water Street.”
Plant City, one of the companies that initially opposite the design of the bike lane, declined to comment on the mayor’s proposal. Several other business owners expressed support for the bike lanes and opposition to Smiley’s plan.
Demulling wants to “capture as much potential business as possible, which includes drawing in those who can ride a bike.” For her, the bike lane attracted additional customers traveling by bike or walking, opening up a parking space for customers traveling by car.
A forward cycling ecosystem
Some advocates suggested that increasing the presence of bike lanes and encouraging people to bike their commutes would be beneficial in relieving congestion from the closing of the Washington Bridge.
“I have to drive for work, and I hate traffic as much as anyone else,” Tim Jewett, a member of the Providence Streets Coalition, wrote in an email to The Herald. “The only way to reduce traffic congestion is to provide alternative methods of transport.”
“Most people who drive during commute times are a single occupant in their car,” Giles said. If a fraction of those people biked to commute, Giles argued, that could help improve traffic flow.
Sam Archer, a resident of East Providence, has been riding his bike for his commute since long before the closing of the Washington Bridge. He moved to Rhode Island from Boston in July and chose his home in part because it was at “the meeting of two bike lanes.” Archer bikes into Providence — often traveling via South Water Street or Main Street — and then takes the train to his job in Boston.
He described the South Water Street route as “safer” than other streets and a route he feels more comfortable taking his 12-year-old son.
Archer, Justin and Jewett all cited walkability and bikeability as reasons they moved to the Providence area. Justin moved to Providence seven years ago and said that, in general, “it’s gotten a lot more bike-friendly” since then.
While bike lane advocates said the City Council’s resolution opposing Smiley’s proposal showed general public support for bike lanes, the resolution was not binding. As of now, Smiley also plans to move forward with the removal.
The mayor host a community meeting on April 8 on the impact of the Washington Bridge closure, where many more bike lane advocates attended to share their opposition to the plan.
“The purpose of the community meeting was to hear directly from the community about the impacts that the closing of the Washington Bridge has had,” Estrella wrote. “There will be ongoing engagement around the design of a future bike lane.”
Ciara Meyer is a senior writer covering the Beyond Brown beat. She is from Saratoga Springs, New York and plans to major in Statistics and English nonfiction. In her free time, she loves scrapbooking and building lego flowers.
