Providence Backs Off Speed Bump Proposal for Blackstone Boulevard
Friday, December 18, 2015
GoLocalProv News Team and Kate Nagle
The City of Providence is pulling back on a proposal for speed bumps -- and lumps -- in their look at addressing what some say are speed and safety issues on Blackstone Boulevard
As GoLocal reported Tuesday, a public meeting Monday night drew strong opposition to a plan to restructure the Boulevard with "traffic calming" measures.
On Thursday, City Director of Public Works Russell Knight provided the following statement to community organizer Cheryl Simmons.
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City's Statement
“The City Traffic Engineering Division studied a number of options to calm traffic on Blackstone Boulevard in response to concerns raised by community members. A public meeting was held on Monday, December 14, 2015 to solicit feedback and gauge public support for their recommendations.
After analyzing data and collecting feedback from community stakeholders during the public hearing, the City will not be placing traffic calming devices -- such as 'speed bumps' or 'speed lumps' -- on or around the Boulevard.
The Department of Public Works is working closely with public safety officials to better enforce speed limits and identify less invasive measures to increase pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety.
The Department of Public Works relies on and greatly appreciates input from the community in these processes and I thank everyone who has taken the time to participate.”
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