Sneak Peek: Leadership from Confusion to Coordination

🚦 Goal: Reduce vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist accidents by 50% in 3 years through citywide design uniformity, enforcement, and education.

1. Uniform Traffic Design Across Providence

Problem: Every neighborhood looks and feels different when driving — confusing signage, inconsistent lane markings, and erratic signals.

Action Steps:

• Citywide Traffic Audit: Conduct a full review of intersections, signs, signals, and street layouts by ward.
• “One Providence” Design Standard: All intersections and signage will be standardized for size, color, and lighting.
• Smart Signal System: Introduce adaptive traffic lights that adjust timing based on real-time flow and pedestrian crossing.
• Curb Paint Consistency: Yellow = loading only, Red = no parking, Green = short-term, Blue = handicapped — enforced citywide.

2. Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Zones

Problem: Pedestrians and bikers are struck due to poor crosswalk visibility, bad lighting, and unprotected lanes.

Action Steps:

• LED-Lit Crosswalks: Install in all school zones, hospitals, and downtown intersections.
• Protected Bike Lanes: Prioritize main commuter routes (Broad St., North Main, Hope St., Westminster).
• Raised Intersections: Build elevated crosswalks in school and park zones to slow vehicles naturally.
• “Safe Route to School” Plan: Map child-safe walking corridors with signage and parent volunteer patrols.

3. Hit-and-Run Accountability

Problem: Too many offenders flee scenes because of weak detection and inconsistent prosecution.

Action Steps:

• Hit-and-Run Task Force: Dedicated police and traffic camera unit working with license plate reader (LPR) tech.
• Neighborhood Camera Network: Encourage residents and businesses to register their cameras with police.
• Anonymous Tip Rewards: Cash incentives for verified information leading to hit-and-run arrests.
• Mandatory Vehicle Restitution: Offenders pay restitution for public costs (cleanup, investigation, etc.) in addition to penalties.

4. Driver and Pedestrian Education

Problem: Lack of education on new traffic patterns, bike lanes, and pedestrian laws.

Action Steps:

• Quarterly Safety Campaigns: Partner with schools, RIDOT, and local media (“Drive Providence Safe”).
• Community Safety Days: Host events where residents can learn rules, take free bike safety checks, and meet officers.
• Public Service Announcements: Run monthly segments on city social media and YouTube highlighting accident data and safety reminders.

5. Data-Driven Accountability

Problem: The city reacts to accidents — it doesn’t prevent them.

Action Steps:

• Crash Data Dashboard: Public online tracker showing all pedestrian, bike, and car collisions by location and type.
• Quarterly Review Board: City engineers, Providence Police, RIDOT, and residents meet to identify trends and act.
• Transparency Mandate: No traffic project moves forward without public data review and citizen comment.

6. Better Enforcement and Visibility

Problem: Reckless driving and speeding go unchecked due to lack of consistent enforcement presence.

Action Steps:

• Traffic Enforcement Divisions by Ward: Re-establish motorcycle and patrol presence in accident hotspots.
• Night Visibility Initiative: Replace dim bulbs with LED streetlights on all major corridors.
• Red Light & Speed Cameras: Expand to top 20 most dangerous intersections, with clear signage.

7. Citywide “Vision Providence”

Problem: City lacks a unifying traffic and mobility vision.

Action Steps:

• 3-Year Vision Plan: “Vision Providence” — based on measurable reduction goals in accidents, fatalities, and response time.
• Coordination with State: Synchronize RIDOT and city projects to eliminate detour chaos and lane confusion.
• Annual Public Report: Mayor’s Office to issue yearly “Providence Safety Report  
   

The primary method the City of Providence now uses for reporting these issues is PVD311 and a paid monitor system for malfunctions of Red lights and street lights that is either not working or costly and sometimes both which is why Providence needs a Mayor that has Leadership.

This system is designed for all residents to report non-emergency quality-of-life issues, including:

• Potholes
• Damaged or missing street signs
• Broken streetlights
• Graffiti
• Missed trash pickup
• Abandoned vehicles

This will have the police officers activelly aware of their surroundings and active throughout their shifts. The Police department, will take the reports and will go directly to the service crews. 

Until that happens Here are the main ways to use the system for reporting issues:

1. Mobile App: Download the PVD311 app on your smartphone. This is often the easiest way, as you can take a photo of the problem and it can geotag the location.
2. Website Portal: You can submit a request online through the city's website.
3. By Phone: Simply dial 3-1-1 from within Providence (or 401-421-2489 if you are outside the city).

This direct-reporting system is meant to streamline the process and create a trackable work order for the Department of Public Works, reducing 3rd party cost for monitoring and attacking issues prior to issues.