Council approves Dixon Street one-way change after debate over traffic displacement and emergency access

The Newport City Council approved a second-reading amendment to Chapter 10.56 designating Dixon Street as one-way in the westbound direction between Spring Street and Thames Street.

Supporters said the change was driven by safety concerns on the narrow, 14-foot-3-inch Dixon Street, where the record noted multiple vehicle strikes and pedestrian incidents. A resident and neighbor advocates raised worries the change could displace traffic to nearby Hammond Street and urged careful study of unintended consequences. “Over half a dozen cars have been hit, all hit and runs on our street,” a nearby resident said, arguing safety motivated the change.

Public safety officials said they will test emergency access under the new pattern. The fire chief described plans to run an aerial-truck test and said the city may need to limit parking on the nearby segment of Spring Street to accommodate apparatus turns; officials estimated potential impacts on response time could be measured in seconds to about a minute under alternate routing, depending on adjustments made.

Councilors noted the change follows a request for study and that traffic-count boxes and a follow-up study will provide data on the traffic shifts; the change was characterized as reversible pending the outcome of the targeted study and emergency-equipment tests. The amendment passed on the second reading with recorded votes: the motion carried with one recorded 'nay' by a councilor.

Staff will return with the traffic-study results and any needed follow-up actions related to parking reconfigurations or emergency access.