Bike Newport

Education: safe and mutually respectful habits and practices by all road users improve conditions for biking and lead to more people biking more often. Bike newport works with local municipalities, schools, and community organizations to establish and grow bicycle safety education programs. All bike newport educational materials, programs and classes are provided in dual languages of english and spanish. Bike newport also works to ensure that people with cognitive and physical challenges have access to adaptive bicycles that meet their special needs so everyone can participate.

Infrastructure advocacy: bike newport built the big blue bike barn campus and trails to provide a location away from traffic for people of all ages and abilities to learn and practice safe cycling skills and basic bicycle maintenance while having fun. The campus and trails are on otherwise vacant land owned by the newport housing authority and include a 1/2 -acre recreational pump track, trails connecting into miantonomi park, and a 900 sq ft shelter designed by students of the roger williams university school of architecture. Additionally, we coordinate "ride island" - the bicycle network planning project for aquidneck island - a multi-municipal endeavor including the communities and municipal administrations of newport, middletown and portsmouth.

Advocacy: greatly expanded bike infrastructure is essential to expanded bike use. Separated bicycle lanes are critical to bicycle safety and therefore to bicycle use. Well-designed bike routes also mitigate unsafe bicycle use. National studies confirm the key role of good bike routes and other supports, such as bicycle parking, in increasing overall use. Bike newport works collaboratively in the development and implementation of regional plans such as the ri bicycle mobility plan, newport transportation master plan, aquidneck island's "ride island" bicycle plan, and efforts to secure federal funding for bridges, paths, and other connected infrastructure