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Will the federally-required RI Carbon Reduction Strategy (CRS) for the transportation sector move Rhode Island closer to meeting the State's aggressive and mandatory targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
Many advocates seem to have strong doubts after reviewing the draft spending and action plan.
Despite images of passenger rail adorning the draft, for example, the plan doesn't actually propose any investments in carbon-efficient rail.
Five changes that Grow Smart RI proposes in this plan:
- A prioritization of forward-looking and equitable strategies suggested by frontline employees from RIDOT, Division of Statewide Planning, RIPTA, RIDEM, Office of Energy Resources and Quonset Development Corp. during a September workshop (see p. 10). These strategies do not seem to be meaningfully reflected in the funding allocation chart (see p. 30-31).
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Recognition that investment in bike path "preservation" does not constitute a "mode-shift" strategy (see p. 24 and 30). Robust investment in "new" bike infrastructure would achieve this important change.
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Elimination of strategies that rely on costly highway capacity expansion projects to reduce congestion, idling and greenhouse gas emissions (see p. 27). For more on why we recommend this, see induced demand.
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A commitment to implementing Rhode Island's nearly 3-year-old Transit Master Plan (TMP) and Bicycle Mobility Plan (BMP). The TMP is projected to achieve 80% of the State's 2050 target for reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and related emissions, and yet there has been no meaningful commitment to fund its implementation.
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Adopt an innovative program modeled after the state of Colorado which cuts greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by estimating emissions for each transportation project in its multi-year pipeline of investments. Colorado can then meet the required reduction levels either by reprioritizing projects or investing in additional measures that reduce GHG emissions, also known as mitigations. RI should apply this approach to its 10-year, $9 Billion pipeline of transportation projects.
Anyone may use this RIDOT portal to review the plan and provide comment.
The public will also have a chance to comment in-person before the State's Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the conference room at the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, 269 Melrose Street, Providence. Use RIPTA's trip planner to find your route.
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