Editorial: Traffic on caffeine

Posted 9/1/16

Anyone who has ever driven down Hope Street after mid-afternoon is well aware of the congestion on the two-lane road. 

The problem is not unique to Bristol; it is endemic in the East Bay, …

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Editorial: Traffic on caffeine

Posted

Anyone who has ever driven down Hope Street after mid-afternoon is well aware of the congestion on the two-lane road. 

The problem is not unique to Bristol; it is endemic in the East Bay, and, in fact, is much worse in other areas like on Main Street in Warren. But that doesn’t make it less frustrating when traffic piles up at lights, especially near Gooding Avenue. 

That frustration is compounded exponentially for residents who live off Hope Street and must sit for several minutes just to get out of their own neighborhood. Residents in the Fales Road area might have it the worst.

Directly across the street from the Defiance Fire Company and Gooding Plaza, Fales Road is the only exit onto Hope Street for about 250 homes. Residents tell of waiting upwards of 10 minutes to leave the neighborhood. Some don’t even attempt to turn left when they need to head north, instead turning right toward Asylum Road, and pulling a U-turn.

The traffic situation will only get worse if the Bristol Zoning Board approves a plan to cram a free-standing Dunkin’ Donuts with a drive-thru between Defiance and BankNewport in Gooding Plaza, a large shopping center with lots of open parking space. Yet, the new Dunkin’ is proposed for the area in the plaza with the least room for new construction, and with the most impact on the main artery through town. Placing it in the eastern section of the plaza would help minimize the traffic impact, and would likely help — not hurt — the store’s business by locating it in a more easily accessible area.

A traffic study indicates traffic to the new Dunkin’ Donuts will be nearly double what it is now, owing to the addition of the drive-thru. And that’s based on a study done on a Thursday morning in December, not exactly peak driving time for the area. Local residents know that summer tourists, especially those headed to nearby Colt State Park and the Town Beach, greatly increase congestion — perhaps explaining why traffic engineers chose to conduct the study in winter. And, again, the afternoon is the busiest traffic time in that area.

Residents have started a petition opposing the location of the proposed Dunkin’ Donuts, and the Zoning Board must seriously consider their concerns. No one — least of all the residents signing the petition — is against a new Dunkin’ with a drive-thru, but the board must consider the congestion the new store will compound in that specific area, and recommend a more appropriate location.

Dunkin Donuts, Gooding Plaza, Bristol traffic, Bristol editorials

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MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.