Rhode Island
RIPTA Master Plan a road map to a Rhode Island that works for all | Opinion
Arnold “Buff” Chace is the managing partner of Cornish Associates and a Providence resident.
The 2024 General Assembly has the unique opportunity to finally fund RIPTA and its Transit Master Plan which would, among other benefits, expand services statewide. The good news is the voters can help.
Legislation being considered in the House Finance Committee (H7774) would provide much needed operational funds in the short term and, more importantly, provide the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority with a stable funding solution that no longer relies on the federal government or declining gas tax revenue. As a downtown resident and an avid supporter of public transit, I am convinced that enhancing our public transportation system is crucial for sustainable urban living, as well as the economic growth and environmental health of our state.
In his January State of the State address and a subsequent social media campaign, Gov. Dan McKee focused on several worthy goals: improving school attendance, raising household incomes, implementing the Act on Climate and solving the housing crisis. However, it is extremely difficult to see a path to achieving these goals without an unwavering commitment to our public transportation system.
More: Over 70% of Rhode Islanders live near a RIPTA bus stop. Could this plan help get ridership up?
This system is essential to providing equitable access to employment, education and health care for all residents, regardless of socioeconomic status. It is also pivotal to attracting new jobs to our state. Despite the plans to make headway in important areas, the governor’s budget still leaves an $8-million deficit for fiscal year 2025, leaving RIPTA in the red.
Regrettably, the state has been challenged to fully fund public transit for decades. According to the Federal Transit Administration’s database, Rhode Island invested just $66 in transit per capita in 2019, compared to peer urbanized states such as Connecticut ($80), Delaware ($110), or Massachusetts ($253). Still, RIPTA is one of the most cost efficient, well-run mid-sized transit agencies in the nation, outperforming Hartford and Worcester’s transit systems by significant margins per service hour. RIPTA’s efficient operating budget has no margin for austerity; it is unreasonable to expect further savings to be possible without significant service cuts.
Highlights of the RIPTA Transit Master Plan, adopted in 2020 with the contributions of key stakeholders and the public, would set the state up for success. It would:
∎ Improve bus frequency;
∎ Create new routes;
∎ Reduce trip times;
∎ Improve commuter experience;
∎ Increase express bus service.
Following this plan and fully funding RIPTA will significantly improve the quality, efficiency and accessibility of public transportation in Rhode Island. This, in turn, will increase ridership, reduce traffic congestion and contribute to healthier communities.
More: What’s it like to rely on RIPTA to get around the state? We tried it for a week.
Imagine the savings generated when families could own one car instead of two. Imagine the economic opportunities built when Rhode Island, Massachusetts or Connecticut residents can arrive at any train station between Providence and Westerly, then take the bus to work. Imagine the cleaner air created with more public transportation options for our children and grandchildren.
I urge you, our state leaders, to finally give RIPTA the resources it needs to add more riders and move the state in the right direction. I also urge readers to support this funding request and commit to the long-term sustainability and prosperity of our state. A simple email to your state representative or senator, or to committee chair Rep. Marvin Abney, could help move this legislation.
If we allow public transportation to languish at this critical moment, inaction will be felt for generations. Providing adequate funding now for RIPTA is investing in a better future for all of Rhode Island.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Despite plans to make headway in important areas, the governor’s budget still leaves RIPTA in the red.
Rhode Island
CRMC asks RI Superior Court to force Quidnessett Country Club to take down rock wall
Rhode Island
Why a Taylor Swift wedding might shut down Westerly streets
Forget limos, Taylor Swift will need buses for her wedding guests
Airline Express Limousine Owner Chuck O’Koomian tells us why.
As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce eye possibly getting married at her Watch Hill, Rhode Island, mansion, The Providence Journal is surveying various wedding vendors about what it would take for the Ocean State to host a wedding befitting the most popular woman in the world.
Imagine a crowd of A-list celebrities descending on the village of Watch Hill in Westerly this summer to attend the wedding of mega celebrity Taylor Swift and football star Travis Kelce.
To Chuck O’Koomian, who owns Airline Express Limousine and Car Service with his wife Ginny Cauley, it’s like a scene out of a horror movie.
“It’s gonna be a logistical nightmare,” O’Koomian told The Providence Journal.
How will guests arrive at Taylor Swift’s wedding in Westerly?
While Swift has not announced when or where her wedding will be, O’Koomian talked about what would be involved in getting a large celebrity crowd to the wedding, if it were held at her Bluff Avenue mansion, the nearby Ocean House resort or the Watch Hill Chapel, where Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo tied the know with football player Christian McCaffrey in 2024.
O’Koomian, who has provided transportation for comedian Jay Leno, who has a home in Newport, said there would be three distinct phases of ground transportation:
- Getting people from airports to their hotels
- Getting people from their hotels to the wedding activities
- Getting them back to the airports
The middle phase, delivering people to wedding activities, very well may not be just a one-day affair. Many say Swift won’t have a wedding day; they’re expecting a wedding week.
While some guests, especially those in New York or Connecticut, would probably just have their drivers bring them to Westerly, others would fly in by private jets, probably landing at Westerly State Airport or Quonset State Airport, whose military runway is long enough to handle larger jets. From there, guests would need a ride to where they are staying.
What Westerly residents have to say
Folks in Westerly have surmised that, even if it’s not the site of the ceremony or reception, the Ocean House, along with its sister property the Weekapaug Inn, plus several rented, private mansions would be needed to accommodate guests.
O’Koomian expects that a large limousine company – such as Boston Corporate Coach or Carey Limousine, in Massachusetts, or Hy’s Limousine, in Connecticut – with more than 120 cars each, would get the contract to serve Taylor Swift’s wedding. “There’s not even 120 cars in Rhode Island, all the companies combined,” he said, adding that, as a subcontractor, he would hope to get a piece of the business.
Could a fleet of private cars filled with stars snarl traffic in Westerly?
This first phase of local transportation would involve many trips of smaller parties. “They may come in two, three, four at a time,” he said.
While that is suitable for limousine service, getting from hotels to the ceremony, reception and other events, would require a different strategy for that second phase. “It’s like they’re transporting a football team,” he said.
That would mean “coaches,” the upscale version of buses. They would ease the traffic burden that would be created by limousines ferrying some 300 wedding guests around the tiny village of Watch Hill.
“It’s gonna take a lot of coordination if it’s Westerly,” O’Koomian said. “They’re going to have to shut down half the city. Police would have to shut down streets.”
Rhode Island
Rhode Island man crashes into house in Raynham after apparent medical episode
A car crashed into a home in Raynham Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they responded to a report for a vehicle that crashed into a home shortly before 1 p.m. on Broadway Street.
Officers at the scene said they found a sedan that had crashed into the lower brick portion of the home.
Investigators said a man from Rhode Island appeared to suffer from a medical episode before leaving the roadway and crashing into the home.
Police said the driver suffered non life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Boston Medical Center – South in Brockton.
Officers said the home was empty at the time of the crash.
The Raynham Building Department responded to assess the home for structural damage.
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The crash is under investigation.
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