Blackstone Valley Leisurely Bike
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Editorial by
Donald Grebien, Mayor of Pawtucket - September
25, Providence Journal
It was John F. Kennedy who refined the praise of
two-wheeled transportation down to its purest
terms when he said, “Nothing compares to the
simple pleasure of a bike ride.”
These days, bicycles have come to represent more
than a smooth, quiet ride down your favorite
road. Bicycling is justly touted as an
alternative form of transportation that
substitutes outdoor exercise at your own pace
for sitting in your car saying bad things about
stalled traffic.
Because their only engine is the rider, bicycles
offer exercise unapproachable by sitting in
vehicles belching carbon monoxide. Bicycles were
“green” long before scientists were creating
theories about climate change or talking about
holes in the ozone layer. Even in our New
England climate, they offer a viable commuting
option to your local school or workplace, and
quite a cost-effective one, much of the year.
America’s abiding love of the automobile
notwithstanding, the bicycle is not only here to
stay but seems to be growing in popularity, at
least if judging by the kids I see in my
neighborhood, including my own two children when
they let their dad ride along.
Urban roads though have not always been the
friendliest to bicycles, nor urban motorists.
That may help to account for the tremendous
popularity of the off-road lanes of the
Blackstone Valley and East Bay bike paths. In
Pawtucket, we don’t just sit between those two
landmark recreation magnets but are now are on
the verge of helping to join them together.
In a project it has been coordinating with the
city for more than two years, spending $125,000
on design plans in the process, the Rhode Island
Department of Transportation is bringing an
on-road bike path through Pawtucket to stretch
from Taft Street Landing to Waterman Street on
Providence’s East Side. It may not have the
cycling cachet of the off-road paths we see
north and south of us, but what shouldn’t be
lost sight of is that it does not preclude us
from adding such off-road stretches later,
including along the scenic banks of the
Blackstone River.
In August the Pawtucket City Council, in a
unanimous resolution, recognized the virtues of
what is known as “Complete Streets,” a trendy
phrase to describe the simple idea that, as the
resolution put it, “providing defined space for
users of various modes of transportation,”
including striped paths for bicycles, is a good
idea. Complete Streets, the council noted, allow
“safe and convenient access for pedestrians,
bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists of all
ages and abilities.”
Back in July, I was in the lower fitness range
of an “all abilities” group that inaugurated the
bike-path connector from East Providence up
through Cumberland. Okay, so I’ll admit my own
ride started at our downtown Visitor Center and
didn’t make it all the way to the end. Certainly
long enough, however, to feel the great
enthusiasm all the riders shared as they helped
break in the “sharrows,” or share-the-road
markers on the pavement, that say, “Bicyclists
welcome here.”
What RIDOT officially calls Segment 1B/2 is the
section of the Blackstone River Bikeway that is
now being built from Providence to Pawtucket.
After much study, RIDOT made several
recommendations to eliminate a number of what it
saw as little-used parking spaces in the areas
from Taft Street to Alfred Stone Road. The idea
concerned some neighbors, who enlisted the help
of City Council members, and now the parking
spots will remain untouched.
On Oct. 11, RIDOT will hold a public session
(specific time to be announced) at the Varieur
Elementary School, in Pawtucket, so that
residents can hear the most up-to-date facts and
offer comments.
It should be made clear, however, that
substantial alteration of the already-contracted
project, two years in the planning and several
years in the concept stage before that, could
mean no bike path or many other road-related
improvements there at all. And to acknowledge
the obvious, people have been riding their
bicycles from neighborhood to neighborhood, and
indeed city to city, in that area for many
years, though in a less safe way than a
well-planned bike path route would allow.
It was Albert Einstein who said, “Life is like
riding a bicycle — in order to keep your
balance, you must keep moving.”
Bike paths, which typically act to enhance the
value of properties around them, can bring great
benefits to more than just the bicyclists who
most directly use them.
Pawtucket should keep a balanced approach in our
transportation and recreation choices, and offer
its residents and visitors an attraction that
costs us nothing and brings great benefits.
Continuing this section of the bike path would
make Pawtucket a better, more livable city.
Donald R. Grebien is mayor of Pawtucket.