Letter: Bike path would open opportunities between campus and town

Posted 5/14/21

I want to thank the Bristol Town Council for considering the bike path project to include an extension from Hope Street to Roger Williams University.

I’m a long-time user of the bike path, …

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Letter: Bike path would open opportunities between campus and town

Posted

I want to thank the Bristol Town Council for considering the bike path project to include an extension from Hope Street to Roger Williams University.

I’m a long-time user of the bike path, both for biking and walking. This extension would allow me to more easily access the path from where I live in Bristol and finally allow me a safe way to walk or bike to work at the university. At the moment, my options are limited to either riding down Metacom during heavy traffic times of the day or riding down Ferry Road, which is poorly lit when I return after dark.

This extension would give regular path riders a safer route to reach the Mt. Hope Bridge, and RWU students, staff, and faculty who live off-campus a safer, more environmentally-friendly way of commuting to campus.

Because the Mt. Hope Bridge does not include a bike lane and there will not be a direct connection between the East Bay Bike Path and the extension, I do not imagine this route will be much-utilized by the regular bike path users, and will instead be used by those who wish to commute to work and those few who bike over the Mt. Hope Bridge. The proposed extension leads to an existing traffic light and crosswalk across from the entrance to the south end of campus and a RIPTA bus stop.

The addition of the multi-use path should reduce traffic along Metacom and make the road safer for everyone. Despite the lack of safe walk and bike ways, I see people out walking to and from campus every day, and traffic inevitably slows to avoid commuters.

Who hasn’t watched athletes running down Metacom and worried for their safety? In addition, the path would give students a safe way to access downtown restaurants and businesses, and back to campus if they miss the shuttle. It will also provide easier access to Blithewold – which many of our students have never visited, despite it being such a short walk from campus.

I encourage the council to adapt a version of the bike path with a traditional two-lane path to allow room for both bikers and walkers and a smooth surface to accommodate bikes, rollerblades, strollers, and wheelchairs.

Adria C. Updike
Bristol

The writer is an associate professor at Roger Williams University.

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