Home >> Stakeholder Process >> Past and Current Strategies

How effective have past and current strategies been at alleviating transportation problems? Stakeholders were asked what strategies they have used to handle transportation problems and how effective these strategies were/are.

Express Travel

Participation in Express Travel's services is low due in part to the lack of incentives for commuters to utilize alternative transportation. The commuter benefits provide a tax incentive for both employers and commuters, but many are not aware of the program. Additionally, employers may feel that that the tax savings are not worth the administrative costs for implementing the program. Additionally, commuters find that public transit is often not flexible or convenient enough for their travel needs. Many commuter trips by bus require at minimum a two seat ride, meaning riders have to make a route transfer to another bus. Efforts to encourage commuters to carpool have been mildly successful. The only incentive offered to carpoolers is the discounted HOV parking at Providence Place Mall. To efffectively decrease SOV travel, Express Travel will need additional resources to provide incentives and to market and expand their services.

Downtown Congestion committee

The Providence Foundation's Downtown Congestion committee has been important in terms of providing a place for the private sector to voice their transportation concerns. The committee, however, is more responsive than preventive. Measures are implemented after the problems occur rather than before. The bigger picture approach of transportation demand management is not a focus for the committee.

Parking committee

The Providence Foundation's Parking committee was borne out of increasing concern that parking was having a negative impact on the economic development of the downtown area. Much of the efforts of the parking committee has been directed at meeting the parking demand rather than reducing the demand. As an example, the committee has been working on getting government subsidies for the construction of a new parking garage. A new parking garage provides only a short term solution to the growing transportation problem. It is in the committee's long term interest to shift its focus from supplying more parking to reducing parking demand.

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