Ward 6

City Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia announces over $100K in infrastructure improvements in Ward Six neighborhoods.

“My job as a Councilor is to advocate for my constituents, and to support quality of life initiatives that will benefit everyone in our community,” stated City Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia. “Investing in sidewalks and street trees are important to my neighbors and helps create pride and place. Taxpayers deserve to have city services that work for them, and as long as I am in office that is where I am laser-focused.”

President Pro Tempore Correia has allocated $6K for street trees on Academy Avenue, Atwells Avenue, Chalkstone Avenue and Berlin Street in Ward Six. He has also authorized $100K for the repair and replacement of sidewalks along Academy Avenue and is installing a pedestrian push-to-walk button installed at the corner of Manton Avenue and Sisson Street.

“As a City Councilor I am awarded funds through the Neighborhood Infrastructure Fund and I ensure that every penny is spent on bettering the Ward. Fixing and repairing these sidewalks will provide pedestrians safe places to walk, homeowners pride in their property, and along with the street trees will help to beautify the neighborhood.”

The infrastructure work is expected to be completed no later than the end of November.

With today’s announcement, the City has taken a positive step forward in addressing the safety concerns of residents by suspending the JUMP Bike program.

After engaging with the community, the overwhelming response was that this initiative, although good in theory, lacked key controls such as a safety and retrieval plan. My Council colleagues and I put forth a resolution in July that has prompted the administration to take action, and we look forward to working with them to create a program that works for all residents.

I want to commend the Providence Police Department for doing a fantastic job responding to complaints and investigating the problems associated with the JUMP Bikes over the past year. The City Council is committed to making sure that the need for reliable and affordable forms of transportation continues to be a top priority, and will work with our partners in government to achieve that end.

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Michael J. Correia, President Pro Tempore, Providence City Council, Councilman – Ward 6

City Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia (Ward Six) has called on the companies behind JUMP Bikes, Bird Scooters, and Lime Scooters to remove them from Manton and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods until a community meeting can be scheduled in September.

“I have received numerous daily complaints about these bikes and scooters being left on sidewalks, blocking walkways and driveways, and being a hazard for those with mobility issues,” stated Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia. “I have even had complaints of bikes being vandalized by young people. I believe that we need to provide alternate and economical forms of transportation across the city, but I’m concerned that a safety plan or retrieval plan are not in place. I will be inviting representatives from these companies, and the City departments that oversee these partnerships to join me for a meeting in September to hear from the community directly.”

JUMP Bikes, an affiliate of UBER, began to appear in cities around the world in 2013, followed by Bird and Lime E-Scooters which popped up in the San Francisco area in 2017 before going global. They first appeared in Providence in 2018.

President Pro Tempore Correia is a co-sponsor, along with lead sponsor Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan, and other co-sponsors Council President Sabina Matos, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr, and Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris, of a resolution that was passed on July 18, 2019 that calls upon the City to conduct a formal and thorough analysis of the JUMP Bikes, Bird and Lime e-Scooters programs and prepare a formal report to be submitted to the Council for review within 30-days.