[Summit] Henderson bridge to close to bicycles

[Brian Sullivan]

Does anybody know when the Washington bridge is supposed to open? When they
closed it, there was a sign that said 13 months.

I agree that the sidewalk is not a good solution, but at least it is still
access.  No access at all would be terrible because that would mean I
*have*to drive everyday.





On 2/13/08, Coryndon Luxmoore <coryndon at luxmoore.com> wrote:
>
> Folks, Just got back from the meeting regarding the closing of the
> henderson bridge. I arrived slightly late but in time for the discussion
> regarding the construction that is being done. There were about five of us
> representing cycling interests including several folks from Brown.
>
>
> The issue is that RIDOT believes that the only solution is to close the
> bridge to cyclists and place signage to route cyclists to the sidewalks due
> to cost as adding space during construction. That accommodating cyclists
> will add additional phases of work and increase the project cost.
> They acknowledged that this was a significant issue for cyclists.
>
>
> There were several alternatives proposed by the cycling groups including
> lowering the speed limit, adding additional pedestrian aids such as curb
> cuts, extending the sidewalks to meet with the city sidewalks going into and
> out of the east-side etc. There were concerns raised that cyclist would
> be unlikely to obey the restrictions and that if the speed limit was lowered
> that drivers would not obey the new speed limits both of which could lead to
> unsafe situations.
>
>
> RIDOT stated that they believe that fixing and cleaning the sidewalks is
> part of the contract and first phase of work however the engineers and plan
> were not present to confirm that.
>
>
> RIDOT proposed that the committee approve the change to restrict cyclist
> to dismount and use the sidewalk and they would look into accommodating the
> cyclists concern. Ultimately the committee asked the RIDOT to confirm the
> details of the plan and ensure that it at least addressed
> the inadequate sidewalks and ensure that appropriate signage will be
> provided before the travel lane restriction goes into effect. They asked
> RIDOT to work with the various cycling groups to ensure that
> the safety issues raised are addressed.
>
>
> The next meeting will occur on march 13th.
>
>
> Thanks --C
>
>  --------------------------------------------
>
> Coryndon Luxmoore
>
> Interaction Designer
>
>
> coryndon (at) luxmoore (dot) com
>
> ---------------------------------------------
>
>  On Feb 13, 2008, at 11:48 AM, Jennifer Luxmoore wrote:
>
> Coryndon is attending the meeting today, he'll send out an update of what
> happened... Even the sidewalk idea isn't great, it's only available  on one
> side of the bridge, you have to bike against traffic to get to it, probably
> can't ride across it and then have to cross the road to get to the right
> side of the street in order to continue on, so hopefully they'll make some
> sort of allowance for us. We'll see....
>  Jennifer Luxmoore
> jennifer at luxmoore.com
>
>
>
>
>  On Feb 13, 2008, at 11:31 AM, Brian Sullivan wrote:
>
>  I just got off the phone with Pleshette in Mayor Cicilline's office.  I
> was rerouted a couple of times and told that bridges and highways are state
> jurisdiction.  Relatively quickly I got to Pleshette and asked if Mayor
> Cicilline could use some "pull" with the state because we love our city and
> we bike commuters, tourists, and residents are all being cut off.  My
> suggestion was to simply clean up the sidewalk of all the broken glass.  I
> was on the recieving end of three flat tires last summer.  I also know that
> people renting bikes from the Hub on Brook Street have had the same
> problem.  Understandably we are not going to halt bridge repair and
> construction, but if we are to be funnelled to one sidewalk, coud we please
> have it cleaned.  She was pleasant and helpful and said she would ask the
> mayor to make a request to the state.
>
> For what it's worth.
>
> (401) 421-7740
> Providence City Hall
> Ask for Pleshette in the mayor's office.
>
> Brian Sullivan
> Tenth Street
>
>
> On 2/11/08, John Bazik <jsb at cs.brown.edu> wrote:
> >
> > There will be a meeting of the State Traffic Commission (STC) this
> > Wednesday, February 13th, and among the items to be considered is
> > restricting bicycles to use a single sidewalk - to be shared with
> > pedestrians - on the Henderson Bridge during construction beginning
> > this Spring.
> >
> > Note that the Washington Bridge is closed to cyclists and will remain
> > so until the "linear park" is completed, so the Henderson is the only
> > way to get from the East Side to the East Bay and the bikeway (unless
> > you head north to Pawtucket).
> >
> > This request comes from RIDOT, which apparently has little regard for
> > cyclists.
> >
> > Attached is the meeting agenda.
> >
> > John
> >
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> >
> >
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