I founded the Providence Streets Coalition in 2019 to build safer streets, more transportation choices, and advance mobility justice –– as well as be a major part of the climate solution.
The emissions we produce in the United States from just our transportation sector (meaning all the carbon we put into the air out of cars and trucks) is bigger than most of the total carbon emissions of most other countries' entire economies. So just moving ourselves from point A to point B in our cars is killing the planet. Going car-free completely isn't a realistic option for most of us living in the States, but we can help to make sure that there are viable, accessible, and safe alternatives – especially for short trips. And so many folks rely on public transportation or bicycle transportation; in Providence, most of our hospitality and essential workers, our student population, our homeless community, and many others are either financially, legally, or physically unable to drive a car.
The day that we filmed this video of bike barriers going in on a notoriously dangerous corridor, it was also the first day of a huge swath of cuts to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, our bus system. Around 45 of RIPTA's 65 bus lines have been significantly impacted by frequency reductions. It's that much more important that we fight to implement these necessary interventions. The PVD Streets Coalition now has dozens of organizational partners and at least 150 people on our Slack channel who are willing to show up to a town hall meeting or implementation project.
When you stick to something, you show up year after year, month after month, week after week, people begin to understand what you're doing. Alongside our advocacy work, I also help run a meet-up group called "PVD Bike Jam" where we ride together for fun, taking up the space that we need to ride safely on the road. With more protected bike lanes and a steady community of constituents, Providence's future as a more walkable and bikable city is bright.
The emissions we produce in the United States from just our transportation sector (meaning all the carbon we put into the air out of cars and trucks) is bigger than most of the total carbon emissions of most other countries' entire economies. So just moving ourselves from point A to point B in our cars is killing the planet. Going car-free completely isn't a realistic option for most of us living in the States, but we can help to make sure that there are viable, accessible, and safe alternatives – especially for short trips. And so many folks rely on public transportation or bicycle transportation; in Providence, most of our hospitality and essential workers, our student population, our homeless community, and many others are either financially, legally, or physically unable to drive a car.
The day that we filmed this video of bike barriers going in on a notoriously dangerous corridor, it was also the first day of a huge swath of cuts to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, our bus system. Around 45 of RIPTA's 65 bus lines have been significantly impacted by frequency reductions. It's that much more important that we fight to implement these necessary interventions. The PVD Streets Coalition now has dozens of organizational partners and at least 150 people on our Slack channel who are willing to show up to a town hall meeting or implementation project.
When you stick to something, you show up year after year, month after month, week after week, people begin to understand what you're doing. Alongside our advocacy work, I also help run a meet-up group called "PVD Bike Jam" where we ride together for fun, taking up the space that we need to ride safely on the road. With more protected bike lanes and a steady community of constituents, Providence's future as a more walkable and bikable city is bright.