VIDEO: Wheelchair Rider Uses Highway Because Providence Streets Aren’t Clear

VIDEO: Wheelchair Rider Uses Highway Because Providence Streets Aren’t Clear

A person riding a motorized wheelchair on the 6/10 connector was escorted off the highway in Providence by Rhode Island State Police (RISP) on Tuesday afternoon.

GoLocal obtained the video footage of the incident from Janetsy M, who told GoLocal it “backed up traffic” going into the city.

On Wednesday, GoLocal spoke with RISP Col. John Allen about what took place. 

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“We received calls [about a wheelchair rider] on the highway. We basically gave them an escort off the highway and spoke with them about the dangers of being on the highway,” said Allen. 

Police also spoke with the rider.

“They said they were concerned about being on the city streets with no place to go,” said Allen. “But again, we shared our concerns about them being on the highway, and that they should not do it again.”

Allen said the police made the decision to escort the rider off the highway out of safety. 

“For safety’s sake we got them off the highway - for instance, [if we pulled them over], what would we do with the scooter?” said Allen. “It’s a decision for safety for everybody so we’re not blocking the highway."