Sierra Club Shines Light on Road Blocks for Local Transportation Choices

New Report Urges Local and Statewide Action for Mass Transit and Walkable, Bikeable Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 28, 2007
CONTACT: Chris Wilhite (401) 521-4734

[Cranston, RI] – Today, Sierra Club’s Rhode Island Chapter released a report that identifies the main obstacles to improving the effectiveness and reliability of Rhode Island’s mass transit system. “Getting from Here to There: Transportation Solutions for Rhode Islanders” also points to ways to overcome those obstacles and create better, cleaner transportation alternatives in local communities.

“It's ironic that while the state officials tell commuters to use RIPTA on bad air days, we have built ourselves a world where using public transit isn’t easy,” said Tom Sgouros, author of the new Sierra Club report. “Improving mass transit in Rhode Island must begin with building our communities better.”

The report outlines the obstacles that commuters and our mass transit system face, including poor pedestrian accessibility, competition with massive automobile subsidies, and ex-urban sprawl. These obstacles revolve around our dependence on the automobile and the gaps in good planning that separate commuters from their destination. For instance, many new developments do not include sidewalks that connect shopping areas or residences to the nearest bus stop.

“Rhode Island’s dependence on automobiles is hurting our communities, our environment, and our economy,” said Chris Wilhite, Program Manager for Sierra Club Rhode Island Chapter. “It’s clear that we need to turn the direction of our state toward a future of clean, affordable transportation alternatives like better bus systems, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes.”

The report also offers solutions to the state of Rhode Island and its communities to overcome the obstacles to better transportation alternatives. These solutions start with smart growth policies for municipal planning, improving corporate and institutional support of mass transit, and changing how we fund our cities and towns.

The report highlights several specific service improvements for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, including:

• Improving service for current bus riders
• Lowering barriers to would-be riders
• Creating short-fare zones for people traveling shorter distances
• Creating a late flex service to get people home in the later evenings
• Improving and expanding bicycle lanes and other bicycle commuting infrastructure
• Considering bus-rapid transit for some routes
• Connecting and expanding commuter rail service
• Incorporating streetcars into the RIPTA system

Rhode Island Sierra Club’s new report, “Getting from Here to There” is available online at www.ri.sierraclub.org/Here to There.pdf.  

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