Letter: Many residents are opposed to this bike path design

Posted 2/25/21

In the Feb. 18 Bristol Phoenix, an article concerning the design of the proposed bike path on Ferry Road stated that 14 residents had written to the Bristol Town Council to support the plan and only …

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Letter: Many residents are opposed to this bike path design

Posted

In the Feb. 18 Bristol Phoenix, an article concerning the design of the proposed bike path on Ferry Road stated that 14 residents had written to the Bristol Town Council to support the plan and only two opposed. But the Jan. 26 Zoom meeting concerning the Ferry Road/Hope Street proposed design, at least a dozen people spoke out in opposition. Their concerns were:

• Speed of traffic, because of the grade of the road, and how that would affect the safety of bike riders and walkers;

• The removal of 20 old trees and the maintenance of proposed new ones;

• The effect of new hard surfaces on water runoff and drainage, already a problem on the street;

• The aesthetics of the proposed robust signage and wayfaring prompts on what has been designated a scenic highway;

• The narrowness of the road and path and how that would affect riders, walkers and the ancient stone walls;

• The safety of riders and residents as they maneuver by and out of the more than 15 driveways and streets that are along the proposed path;

• And the removal of mailboxes from in front of residences to across the road, making the daily collection challenging, especially for older residents.

The question that many have is why the proposed path does not begin at the Roger Williams University campus, traveling north on Metacom Avenue and then connecting west with a number of streets to the downtown, bringing residents of the east side of Bristol and the students there, and then ultimately to the East Bay Bike Path.

Not all citizens write letters or sign petitions, but they all have opinions, especially when it is about their neighborhood.

Kathryn Dunn Swanson
Bristol

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