In This Issue:
- From the Chair
- Aquidneck Island Transportation Study
- House Party near you?
Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 11 6:30 - 8:30 pm Sierra Club Chapter Office
Sierra Club RI Chapter 17 Gordon Avenue Suite 208 Providence, RI 02905
(t) 401.521.4734 (f) 401.521.4001 | |
From the Chair by Dick Graefe
Back in the days of the “Cold War,” when propaganda was flying in all directions, a joke circulated that showed how facts can be twisted. The story goes that there was a car race (fuel-efficient cars, of course) between a U.S. car and a car from the Soviet Union. The U.S. car won. In the Soviet Union the facts of the race were reported as follows: “The car from the Soviet Union came in second. The car from the United States came in next to the last.”
On July 28, our chapter hosted a community forum at the Channing Memorial Church parish hall in Newport on recent progress and future plans regarding public transit in Rhode Island and on Aquidneck Island in particular.
Mark Therrien or RIPTA provided an update on what RIPTA is able to do now that funding is more secure with an additional 2-cent per gallon gasoline tax designated to RIPTA. It is truly refreshing to hear that almost all of the service cuts have been cancelled and that RIPTA has forward-looking plans for serving Aquidneck Island and the overall Rhode Island community.
John Burke, Transportation Project Manager for the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission spoke about the Transportation Study currently underway by the commission. The plans that are developing are truly multi-modal, addressing not only public transit by bus, but also other options such as trolley, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian options. This fall, there will be public meetings on dates yet to be determined to comment on the proposed plan when it is complete.
Chris Wilhite, Chapter Director, wrapped it all up with a vision of the future of public transit in Rhode Island and what needs to happen to get there.
Wow! Rhode Island is actually moving forward in intelligent planning for future needs and for “green” transportation options. Wouldn’t it be great if Rhode Island could someday be “next to the last” in comparison to whatever state has been the national leader in providing effective state-wide public transit? Could we ever become the most progressive state that other states emulate in developing public transit?
What? You missed the meeting? Well, you will have another chance to get involved. The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission’s Transportation Study and a similar study in Providence will be seeking public comment this fall. Watch our chapter web site as details develop.
You can help by getting involved. We need volunteers to host house parties this fall to spread the word, and we need volunteers for “phone banks” to get out the support for improved public transit options in Rhode Island. To host a house party, attend a house party, or help in other volunteer capacities, visit our Web site at http://www.ri.sierraclub.org/. We need YOU!
Aquidneck Island Transportation Study by Chris Wilhite
The recently launched Aquidneck Island Transportation Study is charged with creating a plan to reduce traffic, make walking and bicycling safer and easier, and expanding transit choices. The Sierra Club supports the scope of the study and will work to ensure that Aquidneck Island's future transportation system offers its residents and visitors walkable village communities, energy independence, and choices that are clean, affordable and efficient.
The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission has created a new web site that is already accepting public comment and surveying Island residents. So, we've created a new web site to help you get involved in the process and coordinate with the Sierra Clubs basic principles.
One of the big questions with the Study was articulated at a Sierra Club meeting in Newport last week by our friend, David Stookey, of Cool Aquidneck Island. He asked if the study was going to address the cost of gasoline beyond 2020 and how the study would address energy independence. Stookey points out that nowhere in the study is the word "energy" used. This is a problem when the biggest energy user in Rhode Island is our transportation sector. Our personal cars alone account for as much greenhouse gases as all the electricity used in the state.
This is a question of what Aquidneck Islanders want for their future. Do we want continued dependence on gasoline and foreign oil? Do we want to continue to rely on costly automobiles whenever we need to go somewhere?
Or do we want energy independence, transportation choices, and healthy communities?
The fact is, there is no reason why we should depend on a car every time we go to work, the beach or to the shops.
There is a better way! Get involved today!
House Party Near You?
Sierra Club members in all parts of Rhode Island are hosting house parties to mobilize neighbors for energy independence and a 21st Century green transportation system. RSVP for a house party near you, or consider hosting a house party in your neck of the woods.
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