These cuts are not considering people’s safety, connectivity, or economy.”

Daniela Abbott, Portsmouth Town Council

Hearings on funding cuts set for Feb. 25, 28

Public hearings have been scheduled on a state Department of Transportation proposal that could lead to funding cuts for bicycle transportation programs locally.

The state Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) hearings on the proposed amendment to the state Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25, at Narragansett Town Hall, 25 Fifth Ave., Narragansett; and at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, in the second-floor Conference Room A at the R.I. Department of Administration, 1 Capitol Hill, Providence.

TAC is accepting comments on the proposed change, which is classified as “Amendment #11.” It’s available for review at www.planning.ri.gov or at the R.I. Division of Statewide Planning’s Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. A copy may also be obtained by calling 401/222-2177.

You may either testify in person at one of the public hearings, or file a written statement with the secretary of TAC and mailed to Michael D’Alessandro, R.I. Dept. of Administration, Division of Statewide Planning, 1 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908 or e-mail Michael.DAlessandro@doa.ri.gov.

All comments on the amendment must be received prior to or during TAC’s Feb. 28 hearing.

PORTSMOUTH — Longstanding plans for a bike path in Portsmouth, along with other cycling and pedestrian improvements, would be eliminated under a recent proposal by two state agencies, according to local biking advocate groups.

Under an amendment to the state Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) that was requested Jan. 24 by the R.I. Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and the R.I. Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), the primary source of funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects statewide, would be slashed by 33 percent over four years.

“Projects in Portsmouth and Middletown have been cancelled,” Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72) of Portsmouth stated on her Facebook page Sunday. 

In a statement released Jan 30 (further down), RIDOT says it's not eliminating any bike projects, but is delaying them due to reduced funding for the department.

According to the R.I. Bicycle Coalition, the proposed amendment eliminates, cuts or delays funding to 35 bicycle and pedestrian projects statewide, including separated bike paths, sidewalks, and critical on-road connections. 

“On Aquidneck Island, the Melville Connector and the Mount Hope Bay Path in Portsmouth will be eliminated; the shared use path and sidewalks on East Main Road in Portsmouth and Middletown will be eliminated; and scheduled improvements to Thames Street, Spring Street, Farewell Street, Bellevue Avenue, and Marlborough Street in Newport will be delayed to 2023 and beyond,” the Coalition said in a prepared statement.

According to the Coalition, the $27 million in proposed cuts includes eliminating the $5 million Bicycle Improvements Contingency Account funded by the 2016 Green Economy Bond, a proposal that was criticized by Bari Freeman, Bike Newport’s executive director. She also sits on the state’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) and Bicycle Mobility Plan Committee, and is a member of the statewide coalition Paths to Progress that advises the state on bicycle and pedestrian project planning and funding. 

“The TAC created the contingency fund in response to these statewide coalitions and in order to ensure assignment of those funds to align with the statewide Bicycle Mobility Plan priorities. Those funds are untouchable,” Ms. Freeman said. 

“Our state electorate resoundingly voted those funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects by 79 percent. That’s not approval — that’s a mandate, and they will not be redirected to highway or any project other than those for which they were intended,” she said.

The R.I. Bicycle Coalition said RIDOT’s reasoning for the proposed amendment doesn’t hold water.

Reasons for cuts

“While RIDOT asserts that shortfalls from the General Assembly’s Capital Budget, delays in constructing toll infrastructure, and deteriorating bridges are the cause of the amendment, very little of the proposed change will fund bridge work,” the group stated in a press release. “Instead, one new $28.8 million highway project in western Cranston is one of the biggest proposed changes, along with large allocations to build toll gantries ($61.6 million) and ‘Headquarters Operations’ which includes more than doubling the ‘legal’ line item to $24.9 million.”

Portsmouth Town Council member Daniela Abbott, who was one of the lead organizers of the inaugural Farm-to-Farm Bike Ride on Middle Road in May 2018, is one of many bicycle and pedestrian advocates opposed to the cuts.

“East Main Road is finally getting the sidewalks and bike paths so desperately overdue for transportation safety,” she said in a Bike Newport press release. “These cuts are not considering people’s safety, connectivity, or economy. RIDOT needs to, and will be, better informed by the people of this state who intend to walk and ride to get where we’re going.”

RIDOT responds

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, RIDOT spokesman Charles St. Martin released this statement from the agency:

The decision to reschedule some projects affect other areas of our transportation program, most notably the pavement program and the bike program. 

The Governor and Legislature mandated through the RhodeWorks legislation that RIDOT reach a state of good repair by 2025. RIDOT has amended the TIP in a manner that ensures the safety of the thousands of Rhode Islanders who travel our roads and bridges every day.  We are also under a federal mandate to have no more than 10 percent of our bridges rated structurally deficient.  We will use our funds to accomplish this mission.

It should also be noted that the only expansion projects in the 10-year plan are in transit and bicycle/pedestrian projects. We have $4.7 million allocated for bike/ped projects this year and a total of nearly $60 million worth of bike projects in the 10-year TIP period (2018-2027). All other bridge and road projects are merely state of good repair.

 The 2018 green economy bond funds the voters approved (and referred to by the statement) are administered by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and as such, are not affected by this TIP amendment.

Informational meetings

Bike Newport and the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission are planning community information and discussion meetings to take place in addition to the upcoming public meetings scheduled by RIDOT. These meeting dates will be announced next week. 

For more information and updates, follow Bike Newport online at www.bikenewportri.org and @bikenewportri on social media.