Everyone is distracted. I was out in the city walking a few dogs last week and literally every car that passed us the driver was doing something that wasn't looking at the road. This included city workers and police officers. I even saw some school bus drivers almost take out a few cars.

North main is just too much like a highway, needs a road diet. Throw in light rail while we're at it.

Wide multi-lane roads like North Main Street are extremely dangerous and should not be used anywhere you expect there to be pedestrians. The UK has some of the worlds least deadly roads, both per capita and per vehicle miles traveled. Almost nowhere in the entire country (at least as far as I’ve seen) will you find multi-lane roads. Pretty much every road is either a motorway (which are only for motor vehicles) or a narrow local road/street.

Most North American multi-lane roads, especially in RI, were originally widened so there could be a car lane and a streetcar lane, but when we abandoned the streetcars the extra lanes were kept, to be used by cars. This created more traffic, and made the roads unpleasant both for walking and driving. If you expect people to cross a road, making it multiple lanes in each direction pretty much guarantees people will die on it, and traffic engineers know this. These types of roads should not exist

Unfortunately, it's Route 1, which is a state road. Peter Alviti, the director of the Department of Transportation, is on WPRO on Thursday mornings at 8 am. Call in and get the ball rolling, especially since this is a news show (despite it being hosted by Gene Valicenti), and it's a recent issue. They don't have much time, so be brief.

Have a clear, concise question, like: Good morning. Given the repeated instances of pedestrians getting hit on North Main Street in Providence, what changes are you planning to improve vulnerable user safety?

I can't call in myself, but hopefully you can use this script?

this city is an absolute nightmare for anyone who doesn’t drive everywhere. i’m just thankful there hasn’t been a big snow, last winter so few sidewalks were actually dug out it was so difficult to get around. also, hey look! an article posted with actual text in the body of the post!

It starts with functional and accessible sidewalks. Stop allowing utilities to block the public right of way with utility poles and boxes. Enforce already in place laws and regulations. Including parking laws that prevent parking too close to intersections and crosswalks.

Then create safer streets by allowing high level traffic roads to travel at reasonably quick speeds with coordinated stop lights and curb bulbs for pedestrian crosswalks. Use proven methods to slow traffic on other streets and make more pedestrian/bicycle friendly travel ways. Increase public transportation and reduce outside parking in dense neighborhoods.

Have appropriate lighting at crosswalks and enforce traffic laws.

Other cities have done this and been successful.

Related: Smiley has put new speed bumps on pause.

>Mayor Brett Smiley's administration has paused all speed bump requests, it acknowledged last week, and when the pause will be lifted is anyone's guess.

>"Similar to all other large infrastructure projects, the administration is conducting an in-depth review of installments across the city," Smiley's spokeswoman, Patricia Socarras, said in a statement.

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/02/14/new-speed-bumps-in-providence-on-pause-city-studies-traffic-calming/69893144007/

There's a survey Smiley just put out available on the 311 app.

You could send him some urbanist "propaganda" in the "tell me more" sections regarding what you would improve.

NJB - Continuous Sidewalks
CityNerd - Making a Walking Paradise Out of a Car-Centric City
Strong Towns - The Whole Channel
Climate Town - The Suburbs Are Bleeding America Dry

We need to advocate more to the city and the new mayor, who is very pro-business and seems more likely to be concerned about roads for cars than for pedestrians and bikes. He needs to hear this a a priority for people or he’s just going to focus on the other stuff that people complain about, like speed bumps, snow plowing, and pot holes that don’t do anything for pedestrians.

The “how” for that is a bit trickier to figure out, but there will undoubtedly be opportunities to speak at public meetings on this.

Obviously, we can call and message the mayor’s office as well as city counselors at any time too.

And sure, North Main may be a state road but the city will have at least some input on changes made.

Nothing. The city doesn't care, trust me, I've tried. This has been an issue around the city, North Main St though has been a hotspot as well.

There was a lego art showcase of North Main of what it could look like. The comments around it were horrible... People dont want to be slowed down with crosswalks, lights, busses, bikes, bumps, etc.

For fucks sake, there's still uproar about the small speed bump near whole foods plaza. Slimey Smiley is likely gonna remove it after the developers of that plaza complain.

I walk, run, bike and scoot around the city. And there seems to be nothing you can do against cars. Every time I’m out I almost get hit. Even if it’s crossing on the crosswalk with the cross symbol. Cars are crazy, and they don’t seem to pay attention to anyone else. It’s scary.

Back in late December/ early January I saw the aftermath of a pedestrian hit by a car across from the speedway next to the Dunkin on North Main St. Someone was performing CPR. I was so shocked I stood there and prayed (not religious but it just seemed like all I could do while I watched the ambulance pull up). Thankfully the guy regained consciousness as they loaded him into the ambulance

It starts with police actually enforcing traffic laws instead of turning a blind eye.

I'm a pedestrian. I waited at Branch Ave for the light to turn green so I can cross. I wait for an Ambulance to take a right turn in front of me (no lights on) and start crossing. A red pick-up (waiting at the light to take a left just like me) nudges the crosswalk and then nudges me. I slam on the hood (like Dustin Hoffman) and yell, "WTF is your problem?" and just stand there. He puts down his window and yells "Green lights are for traffic!"

This guy drives for a living. His pick-up had the logo of an Auto Parts Co. on its doors.

Everyone is on their phones, both drivers and pedestrians. Not a good combo

I dunno, I get nearly run over everyday in a parking lot. Makes me wonder if people ever get of their cars.

There is a HIGH number of unregistered/uninsured drivers in Providence. Their cars stick out (often no front license plate, expired registration sticker, expired inspection sticker, etc.) If you know what to look for, you will see these cars everywhere. When one of these drivers HIT someone they are motivated to run. The Providence police do little / no enforcement on this issue. Many of these drivers may also be unlicensed. This will only change if people talk repeatedly to their city council member (I have) and urge the mayor to have the police enforce.

so much of it is cultural, which has been exacerbated 1000 fold by cell phones. there is a culture of selfishness here that would take a generation to reverse. there will always be unfortunate accidents… but it still is so unacceptable - nothing will change until widespread autonomous car safety features.

This is unfortunately the second pedestrian fatality on/near Doyle in the last few months :(

https://turnto10.com/news/local/pedestrian-crash-accident-emergency-injury-car-struck-providence-rhode-island-doyle-camp-street-hospital-emergency-room

Most US cities could care less about pedestrians and biking safety, unfortunately. Cars rules.

i’ve lived in boston and nyc for over 20 years and i’ve almost been hit by a car more times in the 4 months i’ve living in providence than in my life — one woman had the audacity to call me a bitch as if i was the one who blew through a stop sign

Turn out to oppose RIDOT head Alviti's reappointment (they haven't shoved is date yet they're trying to fly it under the radar in the finance committee).

Get involved with the Providence Streets Coalition maybe?

We could do a big die-in at city hall and try and cyber bully the mayor?

A dramatic letter writing campaign like miracle on 34th Street? I volunteer to dump the letters at city hall.

But IRL call your city councilor and your state reps.

The biggest problem is that it is a blocker road for people trying to get to and off of 95. Instead of dispersing into a street road network off of the exit, the presence of the North Burial Ground and the old Drive-In (now Job Lot etc.) effectively mean that all of this traffic has to come onto North Main and then use those choke points to get onto Branch Ave./Smithfield Ave to get to/off the highway.

The second biggest problem is that North Main itself is a stroad not a street. It was designed to bring traffic (auto and trolley) from downtown to the stores on the Pawtucket border quickly, when there were stores there. It is too wide and no matter how many 25 mph signs you put up noone is going to go that speed on that long straightaway with wide lanes. The road design itself induces speed. And you can tsk and tut the evil people who speed but road design is part of it, this is proven by nearly every traffic study.

The third problem is that Miriam is between North Main and Hope instead of North Main and I-95. Which in itself is just a figment of the real problem which is the Frankenstein approach to "planning" in most of the city (natural given the age and the fact that RI was wealthiest at the absolute worst time in US history to be wealthy, at least if you believe in urban living and fewer cars)

The fourth problem is that RI (to be fair it is not unique to here) traffic engineers think the way to solve every traffic light problem is to make the lights longer - this queues more traffic and makes it more likely that people will speed to try and make a light rather than get stopped for a full 2 minutes like at the Branch Ave light. A second problem this causes is traffic slugs, where you get a giant parade of traffic every turn of the light, which makes people on side streets jump at the opportunity to get on the road ahead of the slug.

A subset that falls under 3 of these is that people abuse the hell out of the right on red. Whether it's not actually stopping, not looking when they even bother to stop, etc.

Generally speaking, on top of all this, RIDOT is not interested at all in anything other than throughput numbers. At least, this is all they seem to talk about. So roads like this that are state roads are not going to get pedestrian attention. Noone likes sitting in traffic but noone talks about reducing the number of cars, it is all talk about letting cars get from place to place faster. Alviti would pave the entire state if he could tell people you could get across RI 25% faster.

For the record, the relevant city councilors all know how bad North Main is and talk about it all the time if you actually engage with them.

Big Oil has been lobbying against pedestrian rights for far too long. i can forgive... but i will never forget. Big oil has taken humanity away from the humans.

If drivers had been trained to use the Left Foot Braking Method when braking an automatic or electric vehicle, and thus been able to apply the brakes ¾ of a second sooner and stop 30-60 feet shorter and make ‘hit the gas instead of the brake’, IMPOSSIBLE, would these car versus pedestrians/cyclists crashes have even occurred? Why is the GOVERNORS HIGHWAY SAFETY ASSOCIATION (GHSA), the Transportation Research Board (TRB), NHTSA and US DOT opposed to the BTSCRP scientific study that would make this possible? When we went from 2 wheel braking to 4 wheel braking, we had SCIENCE. When we went from mechanical braking to hydraulic braking, disc brakes, etc., we had SCIENCE. Why no SCIENCE to compare driver braking methods? Just Tradition and Testosterone! Note: The simple use of your left foot to brake is NOT, repeat NOT the Left Foot Braking Method. leftfootbraking.org

Defensive walking. Same with defensive driving. We just need to be more attentive to our surroundings.

You need to defensively walk in this fing place. Walking around “rush hour” (impatient npcs race to get home) is suicidal.