A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD With the clang of a bell, one of our trolley buses pulled in front of St. Joseph Elementary School in Warwick rec

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A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

With the clang of a bell, one of our trolley buses pulled in front of St. Joseph Elementary School in Warwick recently to the delight of the younger students. They had been working for weeks on projects to celebrate March 20th – the day that would have been the 89th birthday of Mr. Rogers, the gentle host of the long-running classic children’s show.

A red-and-yellow trolley was featured prominently in the show, and students had been hard at work making their own out of card boxes, construction paper, glue and a lot of imagination. As a result, they were thrilled to learn that a “real” trolley was there for them. They hopped aboard, learned about riding public transportation and took a short ride.

Their Mr. Rogers birthday celebration was complete!

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Photo Courtesy of Grow Smart RI

RIPTA TEAM PART OF “MAKING TRANSIT WORK” FORUM

Last month RIPTA was proud to be part of Grow Smart RI's forum: “Next Stop: Making Transit Work for RI.” The forum, held at the RI Convention Center in Providence, was attended by nearly 200 people. The forum’s speakers included Governor Gina Raimondo and transit industry experts – including RIPTA personnel. One of the strong messages from the event was that Rhode Island already has the transit planning talent and development patterns to further its work to help more people reach as many destinations as possible – as quickly as possible – via public transportation.

The keynote speaker was Jarrett Walker, an international consultant in public transit design and policy and author of both the popular public transit blog, HumanTransit.org, and the book, Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives. Mr. Walker took the time to single out Amy Pettine, RIPTA’s Executive Director of Planning, for her expertise and transit vision.

We are proud of Amy and our entire Planning Department!

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RIPTA Riders Alliance President Don Rhodes, (in red shirt) looks over options for possible for amenities for Providence Intermodal Transportation Center before sharing his ideas.

PROVIDENCE INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION CENTER

What do amenities to you think would benefit passengers and the public who use the Providence Intermodal Transportation Center which will be built near the train station?

Cafes? Restaurants?

Service businesses, such as a dry cleaner, to help time-strapped commuters?

Retail shops?

Displays with real-time arrival information for buses and trains?

The public had a chance to weigh in at an informal public meeting hosted last month by RIPTA and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) -- but don’t worry if you couldn’t make it. You can still view the presentation and share your thoughts!

Just visit: http://www.ripta.com/providence-intermodal-transit-center

So far, information gathered from the public indicates that real-time transportation information, public restrooms, cafes with seating and covered bus platforms are among the amenities that people want the most.

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PROVIDENCE EARTH DAY SPRING CLEANING 2017

RIPTA is working with the City of Providence and WBRU on cleaning up parks around the state of Rhode Island. On Saturday, April 22nd, RIPTA will provide complimentary transportation to individuals who have signed up to volunteer and help clean up the parks.

For information on how you can participate in the Providence Earth Day Spring Cleaning, click here.

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DETOURS

BLACKSTONE VALLEY RUNNING FESTIVAL – SUNDAY, APRIL 23

RIPTA will detour Routes 1, 71, 72, 75, 78 and the R-Line on Sunday, April 23, 2017 in order to accommodate the Blackstone Valley Running Festival, which includes the Annual Blackstone Valley Half Marathon. Detours will be in effect from 6am to 12:30pm. Click here for details.

GET GORED FOR GOOD FESTIVAL – SUNDAY, APRIL 30

RIPTA will detour Routes 1, 3, 6, 20, 22, 27, 28, 30, 33, 34, 60, 66, 92, and the R-Line on Sunday, April 30 to accommodate the Get Gored for Good Festival Fundraiser. Detours will be in effect from 97am to 12pm. Click here for details.

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