Narragansett work session yields split public feedback on completing town bike path

Narragansett Town Council convened a 90-minute work session to gather public feedback on options to finish the town’s bike path from the community center toward the shoreline. Council leaders and an ad hoc advisory committee presented five candidate routes and emphasized that the meeting was not a public hearing and would produce no decision.

Council President Alex (last name not specified) opened the session by stressing the meeting’s purpose: “This is not a public hearing, so that means we are not making any decision whatsoever tonight,” and asked the ad hoc committee to report back after collecting public input. Council Member Tori Alde and committee secretary Rupert Bridal summarized a recent committee meeting that enlisted maps supplied by Community Development Director Jill Sabo and narrowed the list of routes, saying the panel agreed two options should not be considered further.

Why it matters: the council must balance grant timelines, cost and regulatory hurdles, public safety, neighborhood character and the economic interests of the pier business district. Speakers at the meeting urged routes that either protect neighborhood character (especially the Strathmore/Knachit Farm area and south-side residential streets) or that serve businesses and preserve parking near the pier (Kingstown Road/Prospect Avenue/Narragansett Avenue options).

Many residents who live along Strathmore, Wanda Street and the Kanachut/Knatchit Farm area described narrow roadways, blind corners, retention ponds and existing parking patterns that they said would make a paved bike path dangerous or disruptive. Attorney Mike Lynch, speaking for a group of property owners, urged the council to reject a Strathmore route on safety, environmental and legal grounds, saying earlier engineering reviews (noted in the record as a 2019 Dupree report) had rejected that corridor and that further permitting with CRMC and DEM as well as archaeological review could be required. Lynch estimated infrastructure costs “ranging from half a mile at about $370,000 up to a mile at a cost of about $740,000” and said “there’s less than $3,000,000 to complete this project,” arguing those figures and permitting burdens weigh against the Strathmore option.

Business owners and other residents pressed the council for routes that pass by the pier and commercial district. David Carty, owner of Carty Realty, and a petition signed by roughly 40 local businesses urged a Kingstown Road/Prospect Avenue approach that would route cyclists past stores and restaurants and avoid the loss of parking on Narragansett Avenue. “Routes passing through the heart of the pier will increase year-round foot traffic, reduce car congestion, and strengthen our vibrant close-knit community,” Carty said.

Speakers on both sides raised data questions. Lynch and several speakers referenced projections of tens of thousands of annual users (one figure cited was 50,000); others urged caution about counters and projections. Don Frederick described a 2015 eco-counter reading of 64,343 crossings at Peasdale but committee members cautioned counters must be installed and interpreted correctly. Ad hoc committee members said they will weigh workshop feedback before returning a formal recommendation to the council at a later meeting.

Safety and environment were recurring themes. Multiple residents cited blind spots, narrow driveways and a retention pond in Knatchit/Strathmore that they said could pose hazards for mixed users; Dr. Neil Bridal and others said inadequate sightlines and lack of lighting on some approaches increase risk. Several speakers noted potential regulatory reviews: the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission were named as likely participants if a route crosses sensitive shoreline or archaeological areas. Concerns were also raised about protected wildlife (long-eared bats and salt-marsh sparrows) identified by speakers as present in the Strathmore area.

Alternatives mentioned included completing the path along Kingstown Road into Narragansett Avenue and routing through Prospect Street (which some speakers said already has an existing paved segment and signage), a route via Wanda Street (newly suggested and opposed by multiple homeowners because of many driveways and line-of-sight issues), and the committee’s Smith Route variant that uses Kingstown Road, DeWanda (Wanda) Street and near Ganzett (Gansett) Avenue. The ad hoc committee reported a split preference among its participating members: three favored Kingstown Road to near Gansett Avenue, two preferred the Smith Route, and one preferred the Strathmore-to-Hoxie-Lane option.

No formal vote or council action occurred at the session. Council members said the ad hoc committee will meet again (the committee noted a next meeting planned for Oct. 22) to consider workshop comments and possibly present a formal recommendation or no recommendation. Council leaders repeatedly encouraged written comments from residents who could not speak during the meeting.

The discussion underscored unresolved tradeoffs: routes that direct cyclists through or near the museum and Kanachut Farms may invite complex environmental, archaeological and legal review and draw sustained recreational traffic through quiet residential areas; routes that pass by the commercial pier could preserve parking and business visibility but may require removing parking spaces and reworking busy streets. The ad hoc committee and staff will incorporate the comments heard tonight as they refine options and next steps for the council.