PAWTUCKET DOWNTOWN DESIGN PLAN FINAL ... - VHB.com

INTRODUCTION
TRANSIT SYSTEMS
While public streets have been primarily used for passenger automobile traffic,
the PDDP recommends balancing this with increased priority of public transit,
both bus and rail, and bicycle travel.
Bicycle use in the downtown area is perilous, but there are a surprising number
of riders. Because there is no clear system or designated space for cyclists
and Rhode Island drivers are not attuned to them sharing the road, bicyclists
currently play it safe by riding on the sidewalk, braving it in the same lanes with
cars or even walking their bikes. The goal of the PDDP is to establish how a
hub and spoke logic can spark a new bicycle lane system that can eventually
permeate Pawtucket as a whole and link regionally. Bicycle use is ideal for the
city that is small enough to traverse and flat enough to be comfortable. With
the increase of gasoline prices, this small transit population is likely to rise.
Bicycling improves physical condition and decreases the use of motorized
vehicles improving air quality for everyone. With the number of students in local
schools, safer routes will open up new opportunities for many people who
would choose to ride if it was encouraged.
While RIPTA has a terminus in downtown Pawtucket, ridership levels could be
improved and the bus waiting area at Roosevelt Avenue, while very active, is
not perceived as positive. The area at the stop is congested and dangerous as
riders cross between waiting and moving buses to get to the other side of the
street. Simple changes in parking areas can decrease this congestion, but this
area will be in flux as the new Rapid Bus and Blackstone Valley Bikeway arrive.
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