Author: chelsea

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21 (Reservoir/Garden City/CCRI)

Ah, my first non-express route review. So, what’s on the docket for today? Oh, RIPTA’s route 21. This route is one I’ve been using for a while, actually, but that’s because of how the routes were before the 2021 service changes. In the before times, when I lived in Warwick, this was (aside from the 62/66) the only bus from CCRI to Providence, as the 22 and 30 didn’t get re-routed until late August ’21. So, likewise, I have a bit of experience with this route. Let’s get into it, shall we?

So we begin our adventure at CCRI’s Warwick campus (which, I might say as a student, REALLY sucks as a bus hub for Warwick/Cranston-based routes as current guidelines prohibit entry without a negative COVID test and/or proof of a booster. This means ‘good luck’ if you need to take a bathroom break while waiting to transfer). COVID policies aside (as of 4/10/22), this building is really friggin’ ugly. Take a look!

Look at it! Ain’t it ugly?!

Anyways, enough of me rambling about how CCRI itself is a bad place for a regional hub. The journey begins with us going around the parking lot and exiting out to East Ave and turning right on Bald Hill Road. However, we have our first deviation on this route – the old RI Mall! For those not from Rhode Island, we like to call places by their old names. So RI Mall? That’s just a Dick’s, Planet Fitness, atHome, and Kohl’s. The other side has Walmart and Burlington Coat Factory. Also in the same general area is BJ’s Brewhouse, a Sketcher’s outlet, a hair salon, and a seafood restaurant by Walmart and Burlington, while the side with Kohl’s has a BJ’s Market (not open as of writing this, supposedly slated to open in May ’22 according to Google Maps) along with Wendy’s and a Chuck E. Cheese. Nevertheless, it was here that quite a few people got on, and for all intents and purposes this stop is essentially a secondary transfer point for the 13, 21, and 29.

A salon and a dress store in a small plaza, with a Chase Bank next to it. Bald Hill is notorious for bad traffic.
A poor-quality shot of the deviation from East Ave., after leaving it.

After that deviation, we’re back on East Ave., heading towards CCRI again but this time we went past the school and over I-95. It was still businesses primarily as we turned left onto Greenwich Ave., joining up with the 22 and 30. No deviations were made into Stop & Shop, and we past a Centerville Bank and Starbucks (not one trying to unionize, that one’s near Market Basket on Bald Hill Rd./Pace Blvd.) and someone got off at the Salvation Army. After this, we past Metro Center Blvd. and crossed I-95 again. From here it was graveyards, a church, some apartment buildings, and the Nylo Hotel. Then, deviation #2.

Warwick Mall, why must your bus stop be SOOOOOOOO FAR AWAY?! Okay, maybe there’s a good chance that’s not on RIPTA but rather property management. But this deviation was a long one due to the awkward positioning of the bus stop. Where is it? Pick your options. Is it:
1. at the front door of Warwick Mall itself
2. at the front door of Target in the back
or 3. all the way in the middle of nowhere near Villa del Rio Apts.?

If you chose #3, you win absolutely nothing! But seriously though, why is this stop all the way in the middle of nowhere? And this used to be the place where the 13, 22, and 30 all terminated before the Fall ’21 service changes! Even worse, the 29 deviated here too! Fortunately, someone at RIPTA’s planning department decided this stop wasn’t good and CCRI was better (plus, from what I understand, CCRI was more eager to work with RIPTA hence why it’s one of their regional hubs). Which, to be fair, despite the major pitfalls with getting into CCRI currently, it’s still a better place than this mess. Anyways, moving right on, we did the long trek back out of the mall and eventually made it back to Greenwich Avenue. From here, we went past a few more shopping plazas, including one that has a Dollar Tree, and took a right onto Mayfield Ave.

A not so good quality picture of an apartment complex

From here, it was primarily residential as we booked it down Mayfield Ave. as the 30 left us. Nobody got on or off here, but eventually the scenery changed…..and kinda drastically, too. Eventually, we reached Howard Ave., where things became slightly unsavory and we reached where the most unsavory of the unsavory people of Rhode Island were housed – the state prison. And yes, we passed where THE worst of the worst are housed, being Harrington Hall. If you know, you know. If you don’t, let’s just say they were involved with “cheese pizza” (for the lack of a better way to put it). Soon enough, as the announcements read the addresses of various buildings in the prison, we eventually reached the DMV and traffic court, being deviation #3.

One of the signs on the prison campus
You don’t wanna end up here.

Of course, after this deviation, we turned onto New London Ave., which quickly became Reservoir Ave. after Garden City. Speaking of which, deviation #4! To get to this one, we went down New London Ave., skipped Chapel Hill and its Shaw’s Market, took a right onto Sockanosset Cross Road, then hooked a left into Midway Road. From here, one person got on, though I must wonder something. Why doesn’t the 21 deviate INTO Garden City? Does it have to do with property management? Anyways, we passed two parking lots, a few apartments, and a third on the other side which RIPTA seems to treat as a park & ride lot, given the QX also stops here. After that, we hooked a left on Garden City Dr., and onto Reservoir Ave.

We would deviate to serve the backside of this shopping center.

From here, it was essentially a clean shot to the end of the section, as we bolted across the road, occasionally stopping to pick someone up. As we booked it, it was basically all businesses and houses on the side streets. However, like all things, it had to come to an end. And for this section, it was with us crossing RI-10 and turning onto Pontiac Ave. However…..

Two shots: A McDonald’s and a CVS on Reservoir Ave.
RI-10. We would then turn onto this very highway.

WE WENT EXPRESS, BABY! The bus turned onto RI-10 and booked it past the industrial sections of Niantic Ave., the shopping sections of Garfield Ave. and the Brewery Parkade, and jaunt over Cranston St. and under Union Ave. and the US/6 interchange. From here, it was quite urban as we booked it through the freeway. We even passed a cannabis farm! Lastly, we exited off the last exit, which dumps all traffic straight into Memorial Boulevard.

Texas Roadhouse off Garfield Ave., and a Wendy’s billboard!
Some old/run down industrial buildings off US-6 in Providence, next to the Northeast Corridor and MBTA tracks

From here, it was just a matter of two or so right turns onto Fulton Street, as the bus dropped us off at Kennedy Plaza. In the meantime, it laid over for a short bit, and then began the return trip.

Kennedy Plaza, home to some interesting figures.

The good:
– It’s the most direct route from CCRI’s Warwick campus to Providence
– It serves some places that benefits greatly from public transit (the prison and the DMV)
– It runs somewhat late into the night (last bus leaves CCRI at 10:15pm on weekdays)

The bad:
– So many deviations. Like, I get how all four or so deviations are ridership generators, but couldn’t the DMV’s at least be cut short by approaching via RI-2 instead of Howard Ave.?
– I get this one isn’t at the fault of RIPTA but it’s still a nitpick I have. What’s with the property developers of the Warwick Mall and Garden City not wanting the 21 (and 22/30 in the Warwick Mall’s case) not being more direct and serving the front door?
– It runs a very real risk of being chronically late due to US-6 being congested during peak hours. Again, not a fault of RIPTA necessarily, but it’s still a problem point that this (and other routes with express sections) has.

Nearby points of interest:
There’s the old RI Mall with the few shops it has, along with Walmart. Warwick Mall is also along the route, with the Apple Cinema that just opened up. The DMV? More a necessary evil. Garden City also exists. Oh, there’s also a hot weiner joint on Reservoir Ave. that’s a 10/10. As for anything that largely sticks out vs. the rest of the route, it’s mainly just Garden City, CCRI, and the malls as well as the DMV and prison.

Overall, it’s a pretty decent route. It’s largely direct, gets the job done, and attracts quite a few riders in my experiences. Ridership is also pretty decent normally, with my trip getting about 10-15 people total. Overall, as of official 2019 statistics, the ridership clocks in at 1287 passengers daily. This could be attributed to the fact it was the only CCRI-Providence route that ran locally until this past fall. However, I do have some criticisms, mostly boiling down to the fact that (in theory, anyways) the DMV deviation could be shortened. Although I do understand that the prison should have bus service and such a reroute would basically be suicidal. One other thing I’d change, given the fact RIPTA treats the Midway Rd. stop (@ Garden City Dr.) as a park & ride, is maybe to have some commuter-oriented route 21 trips in the morning and evening peak hours. Of course, I’d also make non-express 21 trips be more straightforward with Garden City, and move the Warwick Mall stop to the front door of the food court, but that’d involve property management for both (and they probably aren’t willing).
Rating: 6.5/10

Opinions on 2022 Proposed Service Changes

Ah RIPTA, proposing some changes to existing services and new routes again. Let’s see what’s on the docket for this round:
– Three new routes, two out of CCRI Warwick, and a Newport/Middletown crosstown route
– Moving the Pawtucket Visitor’s Center bus stop to the Pawtucket/Central Falls MBTA station, with some routes being shortened and others extended
– Axing route 49
– Improving service on routes 13/29 (inc. interlining, in this case), and route 78

Alright, let’s take a more detailed look at the changes.

The new kids on the block

Ah, new routes. Always a joy if done correctly. On the list this round are two new routes originating from CCRI’s Warwick campus with one terminating in Quonset and the other terminating at the Walmart Supercenter in Coventry. The third is a Newport/Middletown crosstown route that originates at the CCRI Newport campus and terminates at the Middletown DHS offices.

– Route 16: A Bald Hill-oriented route made to service the infamous stroad. I hate the road, but it’s a frequently visited part of the state (esp. during the holiday season) that isn’t serviced by the bus system. However, I do have concerns for on-time performance given the fact that Bald Hill Road isn’t exactly known for free-flowing traffic. The route south of Bald Hill and beyond NEIT, though, might be better in the on-time department. Overall, not bad to have supplemental service to Quonset along with the 14, and on the upside East Greenwich is getting additional bus service (if greenlit). Proposed frequency? 1 hour between buses.

– Route 23: A West Warwick-oriented route, largely replacing the West Warwick section of the 29. However, unlike the 29, this route will service the Walmart Supercenter just off I-95 in Coventry. Interestingly, it’s proposed to use Providence Street like the 12X’s inbound trips instead of East Main like the 13 and 29 do. However, much like the 29, this route is proposed to go down Main St. But, unlike the 29, it’ll turn onto Tiogue Avenue instead of Cowesset Ave., and then to Arnold Rd, before meeting up with the New London Turnpike and deviating into Walmart. What I find interesting personally, though, is that there’s a park & ride just on the other side of the interstate that could be just as useful. Maybe rush hour-exclusive runs that deviate into the Exit 7 P&R to facilitate transfers with the 95X? Frequency on this route is proposed at 1 and a half hours to start. It’s something, but could be much better.

– Route 68: A Newport/Middletown crosstown route?! Holy hell! Yup. This route is the result of the 2021 Beach Bus pilot program, which was found largely successful. This route is proposed to bisect Newport via the North End and First Beach, passing through the Gateway Center and terminating at the DHS offices just across the border in Middletown. Much like the 63, it’s proposed to deviate into Town Centre, while largely following the 67 on the southern section until splitting at Bellevue Avenue to continue towards the beach. No headways/frequency was proposed. Will it be hourly? Half-hourly? Who knows.

The other changes

  • Route 49’s axing. Not much of a loss, this route is largely rendered useless, given the fact is only runs three times outbound and twice inbound, while the two routes it’s sandwiched between (the R Line and route 1) run considerably more often (up to every 10 minutes on the R Line!)
  • Route 78’s frequency increases from every 45 minutes to every 25 minutes. This also ain’t that bad a change, especially given how major a corridor the 78 is. At this point, RIPTA may as well designate it as a key corridor route.
  • Route 13/29. Oh boy, this is a doozy. Route 29 is essentially being axed past CCRI and is being interlined with the 13. This means one seat rides between Conimicut and Woodland Manor (if you’re crazy enough). This also means the 29 inherits all of the 13’s qualities (hourly buses, Sunday service being the big two, as well as running later into the night). Both routes are also proposed to run into the 9pm hour on weekdays and Sundays/holidays.
  • Pawtucket routes being transplanted to the Pawtucket/Central Falls MBTA station. I can’t really comment on this too much given the MBTA side of things isn’t operational yet. However, a centralized intermodal hub is definitely better than having things spread out. Scheduling will also take a hit as needed to acommodate the new station.

12X (Arctic/RI-117 Express)

Alright, first RIPTA route review! And it’s an express route! What do we have here? Oh, just an express route from Arctic Village in West Warwick to downtown Providence. Alright, let’s take an in-depth look at this route.

Here comes the bus! A 29ft Gillig BRT.

We board the bus at Arctic Village in West Warwick, just past Main & Washington St.’s, across from CVS. For the time, it was just me until we reached West Warwick Ave. and Centerville Road. From there, another person got on the bus.

After that, we made a left turn onto Centerville Road and it quickly turned into a mix of woodlands and housing. It wasn’t long until we were going right across Bald Hill Road, continuing down Centerville Road for another five or so minutes. After passing some housing and an apartment complex, we reached the route’s other namesake. This is what causes the route to be drawn out in a weird way. Allow me to explain.

My not so good attempt at taking a picture of the outside from the seat across the window.

The RI-117 Park & Ride is in the middle of a divided highway interchange. This means that it’s essentially one-way. So, what was RIPTA’s solution? Easy. They made the 12X go in a circle, with inbound trips going down Main St. and Centerville Road, while outbound trips go through Toll Gate Road and Providence Street. With this in mind, it doesn’t take a valedictorian to see that anyone who gets on/off anywhere other than downtown Providence, the park & ride, or Arctic Village is essentially only getting one-way service.

The RI-117 Park & Ride lot

Anyways, moving right along. We sat at the park & ride for about five minutes, waiting for a group of people to get on from their cars. After that, we went express down the interstate. The scenery was predominantly woodlands, as we jaunted past 295, the Airport Connector, and RI-37. This continued until Jefferson Blvd., where it became very suburban very quick. Soon enough after that, we were in Providence and it got more urbanized. We were then dumped out of the highway onto Memorial Boulevard. From here, the bus then turned left onto Exchange Street and then left again onto Exchange Terrace. This would mark the end of the journey for me. However, the route also includes the Downcity Loop. These stops are the Convention Center, Lasalle Square, and a few spots along Empire and Weybosset Streets. Finally, the trip ends at the Turk’s Head building in the middle of downtown.

The good:
– Direct connection to Providence at peak hours

The bad:
– Local section in Warwick/West Warwick is essentially one-way, due to the aforementioned P&R location. But hey, at least Providence St. is served by the 23, with a small section of RI-117 being served by the 16!

Overall, it’s not that bad a route, all things considered. It could be better, in the event RIPTA figures out how to make the local sections bidirectional. A midday run round-trip wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. Definitely a nice to have since the 13’s express section to Providence got axed around 10 years ago. Granted, demand isn’t that high normally, with this trip in particular having around 6 people, but I have been on runs with half a bus full of people, which is something on a commuter-oriented route in an age where working from home is more commonplace than before. As for official statistics, the route netted 59 weekday passengers as of 2019, making it the 4th least-used fixed route in the whole system. As for personal changes, I’d try to make the route bidirectional somehow (likely via an effective U-turn in Apponoag).
Rating: 7/10