More Than 20 Hope St. Merchants Call on Elorza to Cancel “Urban Trail” Bike Path Trial
Monday, August 22, 2022
In a letter to Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, more than 20 small business owners are urging the proposed "urban trail" trial on Hope Street to be canceled.
The proposal would replace many of the very limited parking spots with a walking and bike riding lane.
Here is what the store owners wrote;
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTDear Mayor Elorza,
We, Hope Street Merchants, respectfully request that the upcoming Urban Trail trial scheduled for October 1-8, 2022 be called off. Still reeling from COVID losses, we fear an unnecessary interruption of business in the short-term, and have serious concerns about the project in general. We are strongly opposed to both the upcoming trial and the plan itself.
Contrary to the repeated assertions of Liza Burkin, Dir. of the cycling advocacy/lobbying group Providence Streets Coalition (PSC), neighborhood outreach wasn't performed before the October trial was planned and set. We are unable to identify any merchant or neighbor who was contacted for input on this plan, nor provided preliminary information. Most of the businesses in the hope Street business district only became aware of this project a few months ago when word leaked out. It was only then, at the onset of pushback that Liza began scheduling community meetings. We are concerned that future planning and communication will be as opaque and disinterested in the reality of our day-to-day reality on Hope Street.
We are skeptical of the data compiled and presented as it was gathered by agenda driven volunteers. Going forward (if we must), we call on City officials to require that any data gathered and used be collected by a neutral third party.
We are dismayed at the lack of transparency surrounding this project. For instance, how and why was the PSC given permission to co-opt a busy commercial street even for a week for this trial? The merchants have been tending to upper Hope Street for years, providing planters, benches, holiday decorations, bike racks and so much more to enhance the neighborhood and create goodwill in the community, and yet we were never consulted about this drastic change that threatens the viability of our small, independently-owned business, many of which are minority and women-owned. Why aren’t we being treated like partners and constituents?
This project is not being planned “with” us as advertised, but despite us. We merchants, along with the overwhelming majority of our customers and neighbors, don't feel that Hope Street is a viable location for an urban trail. The idea may make for an attractive rendering in a presentation but, in reality, Hope Street is a narrow, commercial corridor that needs to attract customers from far and wide to survive. Hope Street also hosts both school and city buses as well as myriad delivery vehicles of all sizes, including emergency vehicles to Miriam Hospital throughout every single day. In winter we already have difficulty with snow removal and this would be compounded by the existence of a partitioned trail and further narrowed street.
We believe our neighborhood side streets are quiet, residential spaces that shouldn’t be overrun with customers seeking parking. Additionally, the numerous closely placed driveways on Hope Street make a bike lane hazardous creating too many points of entry through the trail. The nearby bike lane on Blackstone Blvd. is barely used and does not beg for expansion to an additional path so close by.
If the city is wishing to spend future funds on Hope Street, we urge City officials to repair sidewalks, plant additional street trees, and enhance its street cleaning program. The addition of decorative street lamps would beautify the area and serve as traffic calming. For now, we call for the October trial be cancelled and Hope Street be taken off the list of prospective locations for an urban trail.
Best regards,
Kim Clark, Rhody Craft
Pat Zacks, CameraWerks
Lena Zafirides, Hope Street Pizza
Athanasios Meltsakos, Hope Street Pizza
Elise Michel, Luli Boutique
Joanne Vincent, Tortilla Flats
Jim Harris, Pizzico Oyster Bar
Priya Himatsingka, Ph Factor
Bob D’hambra, D’hambra Auto
Mohammad Islam, Not Just Snacks
Sam Lin, Eden Park Cleaners
Ernie Persechino, Executive Hair Salon
Pam Hargraves, Blooming Blossoms
Sonia Chea, Owner Justina’s Nails
Shuwen Chen, Owner Lucky Kitchen
Claudia Curl, Owner Claudia Curl Salon
Dan Goldman, Green River Silver
Daniel Ronkin, Bubbies Deli
Beverly Alessandro, Best Little Hair House
Greg Moore, Coiffurium Salon
Nunzio & Stefano Zirilli, Stephanos Barber Shop
Amy Lockaby, Evolve Apothecary
Marysia’s Custom Tailoring
And many more...
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