Rosa Parks

The event, called Transit Equity Day, was held at Burnside Park in Providence, looking out on the Kennedy Plaza bus hub that has served generations of ...

Whether those trends continue to rise or not, some of those riders in the following years will use a bus shelter honoring Rosa Parks. But he is more optimistic about the Dorrance Street project and its ability to improve on Kennedy Plaza than others. The opposition to the Dorrance Street plan is more ambivalent — if they don’t outright oppose it, some transit riders will say they haven’t seen the details and can’t firmly say yes or no (of course, other riders say they can say one way or the other). “I think RIPTA has led a good effort.” RIPTA riders aren’t all on board, to say the least. The state has released a request for proposals to build and operate the facility. She was among those not yet sold on the idea of moving the Kennedy Plaza bus hub to Dorrance Street. Grow Smart RI deputy director John Flaherty, who attended the event, said in an interview afteward that the skepticism was well earned given the history of not prioritizing Rhode Island transit riders. Her refusal to give up a seat on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955 led to a boycott that played a key role in the Civil Rights movement. Paolino Jr., the former mayor of Providence and now an influential developer. The plan right now would use $35 million from a bond about a decade ago, plus an undetermined amount of other money, potentially from a private developer. “I’m a skeptic,” Lee said.