Newport Folk and Jazz Festival Event Transportation Plan and Evaluation
Project Objectives:
The Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals are two of Newport's most popular summer events, held annually at Fort Adams State Park each July. Large events such as these pose major transportation challenges, as above-average traffic volumes create congestion throughout the city, frustrating both festival-goers and local residents. For the past several years, Festival organizers have partnered with Bike Newport to promote biking as a key part of a balanced, multimodal plan for event transportation. I also led an effort to collect quantitative and qualitative data around biking trends at the g
Action
Developed a transportation safety plan for the 2000+ daily festival attendees who arrive by bike. For the first year, established a protected bike lane on the dangerous road leading to the park entrance. Worked with transportation engineers at Toole Design to create striping and signage plan for the route. Managed communications with local residents about temporary traffic pattern changes. Collaborated with the local police department to implement plan and install traffic control equipment.
Data Collection
Collected data on rider trends using a MetroCount pneumatic traffic counter. Also designed a voluntary rider survey to collect feedback and rider testimony about this year's route improvements, as Bike Newport continues to advocate for the implementation of further safety measures for riders.
Results
Findings from my analysis of Festival biking trends are presented in this summary report, which was shared with the Newport Police Department and City Council to inform transportation planning for future events.