More people are riding bikes to the Newport Folk Festival. How to make this year's trip safe
Over the years, the number of people arriving at the Newport Folk Festival by bike has steadily climbed. With current averages at 1,600 bikes per day, the highest number counted was 1,800 in a single day in 2022 – a full 18% of all people arriving to the festival that day arrived by bicycle.
The sea of bikes at the Newport Folk Festival has become part of the Festival’s character. In addition to the enjoyable time and avoiding traffic delays, people who bike to the Festival contribute to reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion by an estimated 750 cars each day. Ensuring the safety of all bicyclists, and everyone on the road, is a priority for the City of Newport. Plans are underway to improve safety for the large numbers of people on bikes who are expected next week on July 26, 27 and 28.
While bicycle routes and traffic management for the Folk Festival have remained relatively unchanged over the years, this year brings several major changes – all designed to improve safety for bicyclists and for everyone on the road.
Efforts are underway to alert festival goers and others of these changes and to the guidance they will receive from road signs, police officers, and volunteers on the route.
Road safety improvements
Spring Street Bike Lane: Initially, the plan for the new festival traffic patterns included new pavement markings for bicycles on the full length of Spring Street, however, the city is holding off on painting until it gets additional support from Newport City Council, with the hope of adding them by Newport Jazz Festival. Where there is enough room, there will be a painted, designated bike lane on the left side of the road. Where there is not enough room, there will be a shared lane mark in the single lane. The lanes will help to better position cars so that people on bikes will have an open channel to travel.
Harrison Avenue bike lanes and change in traffic pattern
Between Beacon Hill Road and the Fort Adams entrance cars will travel westbound only.
The eastbound lane will be for BICYCLES ONLY, in two directions.
Cars leaving Fort Adams will only exit to the right.
People in cars and on bicycles will be instructed by signage and by police officers.
This traffic pattern will be in place during all three days of the Folk Festival, from about 8:00 AM until about 8:00 PM (or when all bikes have cleared the area). The eastbound lane will open if needed for emergency vehicles, in which case bicycles should move to the shoulder.
New bike routes
New recommended bike routes will be shorter and more direct, allowing bicyclists to choose routes that best suit their destination. Cyclists are asked to watch for the signs and follow the instructions of police officers and volunteers. The routes can be viewed and downloaded at bikenewportri.org/new-bike-routes-for-folk/.
Road rules
When on city roads, people on bikes must always ride in the same direction of traffic on Thames Street and all one-way roads. Bicyclists must dismount and walk their bikes when heading in the opposite direction or move to a street going in their direction. The bike lane on Spring Street will offer a new and improved option.
What about the Newport Jazz Festival
As bicycle ridership diminishes significantly for the Newport Jazz Festival, the Harrison Avenue detour for cars will not be in place at that time. The new routing, however, will remain in place, providing improved opportunities for bicycles to separate from cars much earlier in their exit ride.
Bicycle counters
Together with the bike lanes, counters will be installed to track road use and cyclist behaviors. The counters will be in place on Harrison Avenue, Spring Street, and Thames Street. The data collected by the counters will be helpful in the work to continue improving safety for people biking and walking.
These improvements are made possible by the collaboration of numerous partners in advancing road safety:
Bike Newport coordinates with Festivals Foundation to plan and manage bike routes, bike parking, and all public outreach to encourage and support biking to the events.
11th Hour Racing encourages fossil-fuel-free transportation as the Environmental Awareness Sponsor at Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals
Rhode Island Department of Health provided a “Street Transformation Demonstration Grant” to help fund these improvements.
MetroCount generously provided the bicycle counters to assist in data collection.
Partners in the Ride Islandinitiative - BikeNewport, Grow Smart RI, Toole Design and van Beuren Charitable Trust - provided the technical, planning, and financial support for the bike route design.
Newport Police Departmentworks closely with Bike Newport to establish, implement and support the safety plan.
The City of Newport manages the installation of the Spring Street bike lane and many other bike safe pavement markings in advance of the Festival.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport Folk Festival 2024: Tips for safe bike riding to Fort Adams
