Council reviews Bridal Island bike plan; solicitor to draft language to limit unintended endorsement

The council received a communication from Bike Newport and the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee asking the town to adopt a resolution endorsing the Bridal Island bike plan as a guiding document for transportation planning.

Emily Sullivan, chair of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, told the council the plan is a "tool kit" and "not anything fully proposed, just kind of a visionary plan of what could happen, to create a more connected and cohesive bike network" across Aquidneck Island. Sullivan said the committee voted unanimously to recommend the plan.

Several councilors raised concerns about specific elements in the plan, most notably a proposal sometimes described as a "road diet" on East Main Road. One councilor said, "I don't think bikes belong on East Main Road from here to there... I think it creates a safety issue for bicyclists," and asked that language causing that impression be revisited. Others emphasized the plan's value as advisory and nonbinding.

The town solicitor told the council that adopting a resolution as currently drafted would endorse the plan as an advisory resource and that the council could amend the resolution language to make clear it does not change prior positions or commit the town to particular actions. The solicitor and staff offered to draft alternate language to mitigate concerns and return the revised resolution at the next meeting. The council agreed to that approach and received the communication.