It's a Wednesday night on Thayer Street, and the sidewalks are packed with students on their way to the library and party-goers getting ready for a night at Fish Co. Everything seems normal, except for the conspicuous absence of a once-unavoidable Thayer Street institution ? motorcycles and their owners.
Months after a law requiring motorcyclists on Thayer Street to park in specially designated spots was passed in city legislature, the presence of bikers on Thayer Street has declined, due in large part to the limited amount of legal motorcycle parking, said Lt. Paul Campbell of the Providence Police Department substation on Brook Street. On a recent weekday, only eight motorcycles were parked on Thayer. This past summer, nearly 50 were seen parked on a weeknight.
The law, signed in its final form on July 11 by Providence Mayor David Cicilline '83, mandates that bikers must park in specific spots ? for example, near the corner of Thayer and Olive streets, outside of Store 24 ? between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. or risk receiving a $30 ticket for a parking violation, Campbell said. The designated parking spots on Thayer Street accommodate about 30 motorcycles, but city code doesn't regulate motorcycle parking on side streets.
The same fines apply to cars parked in spots reserved for motorcycles at night. During the two-and-a-half months since the law was passed, Campbell estimates that the PPD has issued around 30 tickets. Officers have ticketed cars and motorcycles at the same rate, Campbell said.
Motorcyclists "have conformed unbelievably well" to the law, Campbell said.
Ward 2 Councilman Cliff Wood, who proposed the law, said that the regulation "is about the noise."
"As councilman, you deal with issues of ... quality of life. Thayer Street is a commercial area juxtaposed with a residential area," he said, adding that residents have "been complaining about (the noise) for years."
The new law has drastically reduced the number of calls Wood receives from irate College Hill residents, he said.
"People should be able to come and go (to Thayer Street) as they please. This was a way to give motorcyclists a place to park without having them be too disruptive," Wood said, calling the new parking law a success.
East Side residents, as a whole, are also pleased with the new regulation.
"The motorcycle situation has gotten increasingly out of hand because there are so many motorcycles ? we counted as many as 80 on a summer evening ? which is too much for such a small area," said Susan Hardy, who is a member of the College Hill Neighborhood Association. "The signs are fabulous," she said, adding that the regulations "are a really good thing."
Wood said Thayer Street business owners were an important lobby for the passage of the law and are happy with the results.
Employees at Spike's Junkyard Dogs and Andreas Restaurant said that the number of motorcycles on the street has decreased since the summer and that there is less noise at night.
"It's been a positive change," said Jen Chaves who works at Tealuxe. "It has certainly made things quieter."
Still, not all business owners are pleased with the law.
"I think it is ludicrous that there is a law at all," said Anne Dusseault, co-owner of Pie in the Sky on Thayer. Dusseault did say that most motorcycles come to Thayer after her store closes, but she still feels that motorcyclists "should be able to park where they want."
A PPD officer who was ticketing an illegally-parked motorcycle near the corner of Thayer and Cushing streets, said the law seems to reduce the number of motorcycles parked on Thayer. The officer requested anonymity because his statements were not approved by a PPD official.
"Some people are angry ... especially in the beginning, but I give tickets when I see them," the officer said. "I am not targeting anyone, just following the law."
Motorcyclists interviewed by The Herald called the law unfair and discriminatory.
"The motorcycles are not bothering anyone," said a biker parked outside CVS. "It is purposely discriminating against the motorcycles, which have no place to go anymore on Thayer."
He also said that the law has hurt businesses other than restaurants that have outdoor seating.
"You can fit five bikes in the space that one car fits, and that's five times the business."
Some motorcyclists also said that bikers have occasional confrontations with PPD officers over the law's enforcement.
"There are cops everywhere, but we don't really understand what the rules are," said biker Chez Davies.
