Archives For General Assembly

Assembly Bill would rename Iway bridge for late architect William Warner

Jef Nickerson —  April 24, 2013 — 4 Comments

Iway Bridge

Iway bridge viewed from the Hurricane Barrier

A bill (H 6029) before the General Assembly would rename the Route 195 Iway bridge over the Providence River for late architect William Warner.

Warner, who passed last summer, is perhaps best known for the napkin sketch that eventually resulted in the relocation of the rivers and the creation of Waterplace Park. Fittingly, Warner also designed the Iway bridge which would take his name.


AN ACT
RELATING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY – PERMANENT JOINT COMMITTEE ON NAMING ALL NEW BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, EDIFICES, AND OTHER STATE CONSTRUCTIONS

Introduced By: Representative Cale P. Keable
Date Introduced: April 24, 2013
Referred To: House Municipal Government

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 22-7.4 of the General Laws entitled “Permanent Joint Committee on Naming All New Buildings, Bridges, Edifices and Other State Constructions” is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

22-7.4-119. The William D. Warner Memorial Bridge. – The bridge in the city of Providence known as the I-195 Providence River Bridge, (Bridge #1081), shall hereafter be named and known as the “William D. Warner Memorial Bridge.”

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
This act would name the I-195 Providence River Bridge the “William D. Warner Memorial Bridge.” This act would take effect upon passage.

In 195 Relocation Project , , , , ,
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A cornucopia of highway safety bills at House Judiciary – March 5, 2013

gcpvd —  March 4, 2013 — 5 Comments

Rhode Island State House

The General Assembly House Judiciary Committee will have hearings on the following bills Tuesday, March 5th:

Subject: House Committee on Judiciary Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at the Rise in the House Lounge

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
NOTICE OF MEETING
DATE: Tuesday, March 05, 2013
TIME: Rise of the House (around 4:30pm)
PLACE: House Lounge – State House

SCHEDULED FOR HEARING AND/OR CONSIDERATION

House Bill No. 5061pdf

BY Corvese, Malik, Palangio, Ucci, Azzinaro

ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES — PASSING, USING OF LANES, AND RULES OF THE ROAD {LC49/1} (would create additional penalties for motor vehicle violations at intersections and rights-of-way that cause serious bodily injury or death)

01/10/2013 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary
03/01/2013 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration

House Bill No. 5101pdf

BY Palumbo

ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES – MISCELLANEOUS RULES {LC322/1} (would prohibit dogs from sitting on the lap of a motor vehicle operator. Any person in violation of such would be subject to fines)

01/16/2013 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary
03/01/2013 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration

House Bill No. 5149pdf

BY O’Neill, Gallison, Lally, Amore, Jacquard

ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES — MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENSES {LC591/1} (would grant judges and magistrates the authority to prohibit drivers adjudicated of certain motor vehicle offenses from operating a motor vehicle not equipped with an ignition interlock system)

01/23/2013 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary
03/01/2013 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration

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In Bicycles, Government, Roads, Transportation , , , , , ,
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Brown Daily Herald: Fee on non-R.I. Brown students proposed

Rep. John Carnevale, D-Providence and Johnston, introduced legislation in the General Assembly that would place a $50 fee per semester on every out-of-state student attending Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson and Wales University Feb. 14. The money raised from this fee would cover the redevelopment of the land opened up by the relocation of I-195, an area each university included in the fee has expressed interest in acquiring. Carnevale said in a press release he chose to raise funds from these universities because he did not want the state to invest heavily in land that would ultimately benefit “wealthy institutions” more than taxpayers.

“If one of those schools buys some land today, relatively cheap, and sells it five years from now when the area is active and thriving, who will reap the profit? Not the taxpayers,” Carnevale said in the press release.

I’m not prepared at the moment to talk about how damn foolish I think this proposal is, but feel free to discuss amongst yourselves in the comments.

Posted by Jef Nickerson on February 28, 2013 In 195 Relocation Project, Colleges/Universities, Government , , , , , , , , , ,
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Guest post: Parking reform should start at the State House

Guest Post —  February 21, 2013 — 23 Comments

historic-state-house

The State House with a lot less parking. Photo courtesy of the Providence Department of Planning & Development.

Reader James Kennedy writes about reforming parking at the State House. Follow James on Twitter: @TransportPVD.

The State House is a great place to start reforming Providence’s parking crisis. The great map that Jef put up last April shows that the State House contributes considerably to the overwhelming of our downtown space by surface parking.

From the outset, 10% of State House parking lot space should be repurposed as a vegetable and flower garden, which could be run in private-public partnership with the Southside Community Land Trust. Repurposing State House parking will highlight one of the city’s best reasons for optimism, the Land Trust’s Lots for Hope program. Produce from the raised beds could be used to fill food banks around the state, or could be sold at Rhode Island’s farmers’ markets to return a modest revenue boost to the state budget.

The remaining spaces should no longer be free. Legislators and other State House employees should receive a transportation stipend, equal to the amount of money currently being spent on paving a parking spot for them to use. Those who continue to drive to the State House would not lose money, but they will at least be aware that parking is a fiscal choice. But many others will choose to save money by carpooling, taking transit, or biking to the capital. The plan will be revenue neutral to taxpayers, in that it will simply repurpose funds already being spent.

Parking demand will decrease if this plan is put in place, and as it does, the state should gradually remove more spaces to increase the area of the garden. As in Denmark, where cities have committed to remove 2-3% of parking spaces per year to reduce their carbon footprints, the State House could set a per year goal for removal of spots, with the eventual culmination of a parking lot half the size of the current one. The gradual pace of change will allow for other transportation options to be developed.

Continue Reading…

In Government, Parking, Reader Submissions, Transportation , , , , , , , ,
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RI House of Representatives Pass Same-Sex Marriage Bill – Shot and edited by Sam Valorose

Posted by Jef Nickerson on January 25, 2013 In Government, Video , , , , ,
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What Cheer / What Jeer 2012

Jef Nickerson —  January 1, 2013 — 4 Comments

It is that time of year for us to take a look back and What Cheer the good and What Jeer the bad.

whatcheerWork commences on the Washington Bridge Linear Park

It has been in the works for years, but finally RIDOT has started work on the Washington Bridge Linear Park.

Through a $22 million contract, RIDOT will rebuild the remaining section of the original Washington Bridge that carries the existing bikeway and a section of the original highway bridge. In the same footprint will be a much wider bikeway and linear park. It will feature a separate bikeway and walking path, scenic overlooks, park benches, flag poles, decorative lighting and landscaped planters. The project also calls for restoration of the historic, multi-arch granite façade of the Washington Bridge and two operator’s houses from which an original drawbridge was controlled.

When opened, the new linear park will be named the George Redman Linear Park, after the East Providence resident who was instrumental in making the East Bay Bike Path a reality 25 years ago. Redman continues to advocate for bike path development across the state.

whatcheerWind Turbines at Fields Point

While they were installed in January, the whole City was speculating when the would finally start spinning. Turns out they wouldn’t start up until October. But now they are finally spinning and adding some environmental goodness to the Providence skyline. Hope we’ll some more.

whatcheerOvernight parking expansion

While it has been studied endlessly for years (even as the rest of the world seemed to be able to embrace it and not devolve into chaos), in April, overnight parking has finally started spreading throughout the City.

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General Assembly approves Complete Streets legislation

gcpvd —  June 12, 2012 — 4 Comments

Rhode Island State House

General Assembly Press Release:

Assembly OKs ‘complete streets’ bill

STATE HOUSE – With passage in the House yesterday, the General Assembly has approved legislation aimed at ensuring future road construction projects are developed with an eye toward the safety and ease of all types of users.

The legislation (2012-S 2131, 2012-H 7352) sponsored by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma and Rep. Peter Martin, requires the state to use “complete street” design features in all federal- and state-funded road construction projects, with an eye not only toward motorists, but also bicyclists, public transportation users and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

The goal is to plan streets that encourage people to use healthy, greener transportation modes whenever possible, contributing to their own health as well as the well-being of the environment.

“Cars shouldn’t be the only consideration when public roads are being built. The health and environmental benefits of walking, bicycling and other active modes of transportation are well known, and we should be building our roads in ways that are safe for those activities and encourage people to choose them,” said Senator DiPalma, (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Newport, Little Compton, Tiverton).

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In Bicycles, Government, Pedestrians, Roads , , , ,
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GoLocalProv: House Passes Bill Stiffening Penalties for Leaving Scenes of Car Accidents

The House has passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Joy Hearn (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence) that would instill a mandatory suspension of an operator’s license in the instance that a driver is convicted of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily harm to an individual.

Posted by gcpvd on May 30, 2012 In Government, Roads , ,
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This is our Senate leadership

Jef Nickerson —  April 4, 2012 — 3 Comments

Watch Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed’s statement:

Ciccone steps down from leadership role: wpri.com

Pathetic.

No word from the Senate President on Senator Ruggerio who was the one who actually plead to refusing a breathalizer.

There’s also this from the Journal:

Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio on Wednesday called Sen. Frank Ciccone’s decision to resign from two of his committee posts “courageous.”

“Obviously he is thinking about the Senate as an institution,” Ruggerio said after the regular Senate session ended. “I wish him the best and he is my friend and I am sure things will work out.”

Yes, courageous that Ciccone, who along with Ruggerio, works for Laborers International Union of North America, will remain the Vice-Chair of the Senate Labor Committee. What does organized labor in Rhode Island think of all this, threatening police officers pensions?

You know what would have been courageous? Putting your drunk friend in a cab.

Ruggerio also stated that he would stay in his post as Senate Majority Leader (the number 2 spot in that chamber) and remain on all his committees. People, Ruggerio was the drunk driver, Ruggerio was the one who could have killed someone.

In Government, Video , , , , , , ,
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Oopsie! Apparently the RI Senate thinks Drunk Driving is no big deal.

Jef Nickerson —  March 29, 2012 — 13 Comments

RuggeiroSurely you’ve heard that Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio who represents the North End of Providence and North Providence was arrested for driving drunk and refusing a breathalizer early Wednesday morning.

As WPRI reports:

Ruggerio stopped his car, a black Buick sedan, in the middle of the road instead of pulling over to the side and later failed a field sobriety test, according to the arrest report. Patrolman Walter Larson, the arresting officer, said Ruggerio had bloodshot, watery eyes, “heavily slurred speech,” “a strong odor of consumed alcohol” on his breath and swayed from side to side.

Ruggerio has been described as “taking full responsiblity for his actions.” However, WPRI quotes him as saying:

“Last evening the vehicle I was driving in Barrington was pulled over by the Barrington Police. I declined a breathalyzer test.” He did not say whether he was inebriated at the time.

The vehicle you were driving in? No Senator, you were pulled over because you were driving drunk. Though you refused a breathalizer hoping to you could beat the rap. That does not full responsibility make.

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In Government , , , ,
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