The R.I. Department of Transportation’s plan to create multiple bus hubs in downtown Providence would reduce bus berths in Kennedy Plaza from 12 to four. This would significantly reduce congestion there. But The Providence Foundation says even four berths are too many, if the goal is to count the plaza among the nation’s great public spaces.
But should that be a major goal of the plan, which RIDOT says is still being finalized?
Downtown business leaders have long said the plaza is too congested to serve as a major draw for tourists and businesses looking to locate near the city’s financial center. They say the buses are a primary cause of that congestion.
But others see the plaza as a public space that should remain welcoming and accessible to all Rhode Islanders. If buses no longer stop there, it would make the plaza less accessible for some residents.
How should the plaza fit into the state’s new downtown transit plan?
