i like how the pictures clearly show the stop signs at all the intersections, even if they were taken by a cannon and not a nikon.

A point of correction, while there are stop signs along the path at private driveway and public road crossings, to which path users do they apply? My reading of 31-19-12 does not indicate any such requirement for a bicyclist to stop in order to use a crosswalk.: A person propelling a vehicle by human power or operating an electric personal assistive mobility device ("EPAMD") upon and along a sidewalk, or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk, shall be granted all the rights and shall be subject to all the duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances.

How about this....you see a stop sign, stop or you may get hit by a car. I think it's pretty simple logic. I always use caution when I near a bike path intersection but someone from out of town may not because they do not realize it is there. The motor vehicle drivers do not have a stop sign to abide by.

While bicyclists may have the same rights as pedestrians in crosswalks they still have to stop. They have to stop in order for the motorist to see them and then the motorist can stop and let them cross. Most intersections are blind to both motorists and cyclists. Seeing that cyclists have stop signs at all intersections and motorists don't whose to blame? I ride and walk the bike path frequently. I also am driving around town all the time. Bicyclists seem to have adopted the thinking that the bike path belongs to them and they are imune to the rules that govern the bike path. For several years I rode to work in Providence from Warren during the good weather. One thing I was always aware of was announcing my passing of a walker on the bikle path by a loud "on your right" so the pedestrian knew I was comming. When I walk I'm lucky if 1 cyclist out of 50 lets me know they're coming. The others, most on road bikes that are very silent with high pressure tires, blow by me at speed only inches from my elbow. If I even leaned to the right many times I would have been clipped or worse. By in large cyclist on the path are rude and careless (and don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about because I've been on the bike path since the first section was built in 86). Walkers are not entirely blameless either but cyclists are the biggest problem.

We wouldn't dare tell you you don't know what you're talking about. Of course when you're walking and you're closer to the middle of the path than you are to the left edge of the path, when you lean right you might be over that center line, correct? Into their lane? Good way to work around that problem is stay closer to the edge when you're a pedestrian on the bike path. When a bike path is 60 inches wide, you are always inches from an oncoming cyclist "blowing by" at an average 12-14 mph, which is not even fast. Being aware of that shouldn't require the cyclist announcing himself, even though that is part of the rules of the road for cyclists. I jog regularly on the path, eyes down usually, and as long as my feet are hitting close to that white line on the (left) edge of the path cyclists aren't even a part of my world. In my experience 85% of the people who are violators of the rules of the road are not cyclists at intersections, they are pedestrians who are not in the correct lane. Worst are baby carriage pushing mothers in pairs side by side, over the center line. Next are parents walking with small children on their bikes, on the same side of the path as they, if they aren't straddling the center line, with no instructions from the parents on what to do when others are present. And if most cyclists are passing you on your right, without you knowing they are there because they're silent -sorry if they're ignoring you they're not rude.

I am an avid bicyclist and rode my bike around Providence as my only means of transportation before moving to Warren. Part of the problem is that Warren is dense, like an urban area, but many bicyclists and cars act as if biking is only recreational and treat it as such. Drivers often yell "get off the road!" to those who bike off the bike path -- although any pedestrian or biker can tell you that biking on the sidewalk is a Bad Idea, even though is may still be legal in Rhode Island.

Bikes should act like cars; stopping at red lights and stop signs, biking on the right side of the road, using signals, and abiding by rules of the road. I always shout "behind you," "on your left/right," when biking down the bike path and hear it back from other cyclists about 50% of the time (or less). When I lived on Martha's Vineyard, even the tourists seemed to know about this basic courtesy on bike paths. Weird.

By the way, serious cyclists are usually going upwards of 20 mph. No joke. A low to medium speed is 10-15 mph.

Not only am I not good enough to go 20 mph, I agree, I wouldn't do it on the East Bay Bike Path. But some folks do.

And unfortunately there is no way to factor in human error. Oh, if only. The best thing to do is just follow the rules and bike defensively, and watch out for pedestrians who aren't doing the same.

As has already been stated, bicyclists are required to obey the rules of the road, such as riding with traffic, signaling their turns ( which I guess is a very difficult concept for many of our fellow motorists) etc... Some people who ride bicycles are either ignorant or uninformed of the rules they should follow. They somehow feel there is a magic, protective force field that exists on the shoulder of the road where they can travel with traffic if they feel like or against traffic, the thinking being they can see the car that is going to strike them and maneuver out of the way if necessary. Not only are they a hazard to motorists, but also to correctly riding cyclists. I know we have all seen these wrong-way cyclists while driving and I have personally had some close calls where I've almost hit a bicyclist simply because they were not where you are expecting them to be. So my question is to any police officer who might be reading this: have you ever, while on patrol, (even you bike cops) noticed a wrong-way cyclist and stopped to tell them they are violating the law and are putting themselves and others in danger? Is this ever brought up or does bike safety consist solely of the usual lecture and possibly bike rodeo every year? I know I have told many a wrong-way cyclist "you're on the wrong side of the road, and that's usually met with the MYOB look. So how about some enforcement out there. Issue some citations if necessary.