Tell Us: Would Local Bike Path Curb Summer Traffic?

On Monday, plans for an 18-mile bike path that would connect Aquidneck Island to Tiverton and Little Compton via the Sakonnet River Bridge were released by the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission.

The bike path would connect Easton's Beach with Newport County's more northern towns via Burma Road, which runs along the island's western coast. Planning Commission Executive Director Tina Dolen told the Newport Daily News that the bike path could encourage tourists, locals and students alike to choose alternative methods of travel to their destinations. The path will connect Tiverton to Easton's Beach in Newport and could reduce traffic during the congested summer months.

Using mostly existing roads, the path is expected to be constructed within two to three years and cost significantly less than another on-island proposed pathway, the Shoreline Bikeway. The Planning Commission is looking into constructing the Shoreline Bikeway along the island's coastal railway corridor at a cost of up to $24 million over about 15 years.

Do you think the bike path will encourage alternative means of travel to coastal destinations in Newport County in the summer? Will a bike path help curb summer traffic jams by offering beach-goers an alternative travel route? Tell us in the comment section below.