Businesses Cite Parking, Driving Issues During Hope Street Bike Path Trial
Tuesday, October 04, 2022
The bike path on Hope Street on Monday -- garbage and recycling collection day in the area. PHOTO: GoLocal
Bubbies Market and Deli — which had a sign in opposition to the bike path torn down from its business — took to Facebook to let patrons know where they could park with the spaces out front taken away by the bike path that was installed late Friday night.
“We’re closed on Saturdays, on Sunday we were extremely busy,’” owner Jeff Ingber told GoLocal. “There were customers who were upset about parking, as the church across the street had the spaces [which were taken].”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIngber said that a parking lot that he shares with four other businesses — that was usually used for employee parking — is now where he tells customers to park, and that owners and employees have asked city parking enforcement for leniency so they can park on the street during the day.
“We’ve pleaded with them not to enforce the two-hour limit for us,” said Ingber.
“It’s just a test, it is what it is. They’re going around to businesses taking data,” said Ingber.
He did cite some anecdotal observations.
“I saw an ambulance go around a double-parked car,” said Ingber.
U-Turns for Parking
Kim Turner with Rhody Craft said on Monday that she had “not seen many people” using the path.
“There’s really only room for two bikes going in the opposite direction,” said Turner. “There really isn’t room for the multi-modal use they talk about.”
Turner said that she had seen delivery trucks double parked on the street — and an uptick in u-turns on Hope Street.
“When people see a parking space available on the other side of the street, they make a u-turn,” said Turner of the busy commercial corridor.
The Providence Streets Coalition, who had the path installed, is continuing to accept feedback with their community surveys here.
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