A resurgent RIPTA? One transportation leader’s vison for RI in 2025

Predicting the future isn’t easy. Back in 2000, who would have thought that by 2025 the Pawtucket Red Sox would no longer exist, or Rhode Island’s first female governor would be telling people to “Knock it off” as a pandemic shut down the state?

Now, as we embark on the second quarter of the 21st century, what could Rhode Island look like in 2050? The staff at The Providence Journal asked leaders in their field for their respective thoughts on what they think Rhode Island will look like in 2050. Here’s what they have to say.

Name: Liza Burkin

Hometown: Providence

Title: Board president of Providence Streets Coalition

What will Rhode Island look like in 2050?

Public transportation and walkability have never been big campaign issues in Rhode Island, but the Providence Streets Coalition is hoping to change that by launching a 501(c)4 political arm this past November. (The group’s first endorsement went to Providence City Councilwoman-elect Jill Davidson.)

“What transportation in Rhode Island looks like in 2050 is entirely dependent on the 2026 elections – which is why the Providence Streets Coalition is planning to play a much bigger role through our new political arm,” Burkin said. 

“Lack of political will, corruption, and status quo thinking is causing all of us frustration and needless hardship: whether you’re stuck in ever-worsening traffic on ever-expanding highways, waiting forever for an infrequent and unreliable RIPTA bus, or fearing for your life while walking or biking. Instead, taxpayers are forking over ungodly sums of money to an unaccountable DOT that is not producing results for drivers, failing to meet our emissions reductions goals, and rejecting dignity, safety, and convenience for nondrivers.” 

But she lays out an alternative vision “with the right leaders in place.”

“By 2050, RIPTA could be resurgent and flourishing with a network of rapid bus lines across the state, reducing traffic congestion and parking issues. If our next governor puts attention and effort into interstate rail travel, the same could be true for improving travel times to Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.”  

Burkin says the rising cost of car insurance will likely trigger a move toward alternative modes of getting around.

“With cars and insurance getting more expensive each year, I predict more and more people will choose e-cargo bikes and scooters as car replacements – but only if we incentivize shifting onto those modes through smart policy design and safer streets,” she said.

“If Rhode Island responds to the housing crisis by producing more units without considering how they integrate into public and active transportation networks, then we’ll all be spending a lot more of our precious time sitting in traffic on crumbling roads,” she added. “If we choose to change course, we can finally take advantage of our small size and density and make traveling around the Ocean State easy and seamless for everyone.”