The Chafee Administration has ticked off some folks in southwestern Rhode Island, especially State Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy, with his push to erect a toll at the Connecticut. But apparently, he's got some folks in the Nutmeg State quite cheesed off as well. This editorial ran in the Hartford Courant today:

If we must build a toll on Route 95 at the Connecticut border to raise dough for our cash-starved state, how about this nifty bit of tekmology just installed in New Hampshire (via the Nashua Telegraph):

E-ZPass made paying tolls easier, but for many motorists, slowing down to 15 mph wasn’t much of an improvement from the days of stopping to pay an attendant.

I've got a cover story in this week's Phoenix about the push to make electric cars the dominant form of transportation in Rhode Island and across the country.

Rhody's size could make the state an ideal incubator for the limited-range cars which, advocates say, might represent the country's best chance to wean itself off of foreign oil and declare energy independence.

The MBTA board today approved a commuter rail extension to TF Green and other points in Rhode Island. From the Providence Business News:

BOSTON – Commuter rail trains will begin whisking passengers from both North Kingstown and T.F. Green Airport north to Providence and Boston in two years under an agreement approved today.

The MBTA board is set to meet in a few minutes for a vote on a potentially big step forward for transit in Rhode Island. From the Boston Globe:

The MBTA board is set to vote today on a long-awaited contract to extend Boston’s commuter rail service to the T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island - which should make it easier for Massachusetts travelers to use the popular alternative to Logan International Airport.

The introduction of traffic light cameras around Providence a few years back has added a new and additionally entertaining dimension to proceedings with Judge Frank "Caught in Providence" Caprio and his colleagues in municipal court in Providence.

The Monday morning court session begins with a court employee screening a short clip of a motorist running a red light and getting into a cringe-inducing accident.

-- Speaking of Costantino:

-- He said Governor Carcieri needs to put forward a budget -- preferably in January -- before the General Assembly can move ahead with the process. In terms of economic development, Costantino says more needs to done to capitalize on existing state resources, such as the ports in Providence and at Quonset.

Clean Water Action's Annie Costner sends word about efforts to fight diesel pollution:

Cities and Towns, Students, and Activists Gather for ‘Diesel Pollution Revolution’ A Day of Action Highlighting Citizen Based Advocacy to Prevent Toxic Diesel Pollution

When: Saturday December 6th, 11AM - 2PM

David Lewis and officials at the Rhode Island DOT have been worried that Question 1 on the November ballot -- for transit spending, with a disproptionately heavy federal component -- might be confused with an unrelated, yet similarly titled ballot question in Massachusetts.

Now comes word from the office of secretary of state Ralph Mollis:

N4N is all for promoting bicycle use. Back in 2001, I wrote a piece exploring why there aren't more people on bikes in Providence, a surprising situation given the city's small size. Yet as I riffed back in July:

The new bike lanes on Blackstone Boulevard will probably cause more confusion than anything else.

As Greg Cook reports in this week's Phoenix:

There are the usual ways of spelling out your support for a candidate, and then there’s this weekend’s “Bike Write for Obama.”

Sarah Sandman, 28, is organizing a group “typographic bike ride” across Providence on Sunday to signal support Barack Obama for president and to promote alternative forms of transportation.

With RIPTA users bracing for cuts, and Rhode Island falling far short of its potential as a place with cool public transit, a broad selection of interested parties are getting together tomorrow to discuss the issue.

From Chris Wilhite at the Sierra Club:

Providence, RI] Tomorrow the New Public Transit Alliance will host a special summit on financing public transit in Rhode Island.

It's pretty sad -- here in the Ocean State -- that the Providence-to-Newport ferry seems to be on the way out.

And as recently reported in the Phoenix, Rhode Island's transit system is contracting when it should be getting better.

Bruce Landis has the latest:

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority said the cutbacks would affect 50 regular routes, eliminating some and chopping off sections of others.

As we hear today about the departure of a critic from RIPTA's board, it remains clear that Rhode Island has a long way to go when it comes to offering a better statewide approach to transportation. Amy Littlefield writes about this topic in this week's Phoenix:

Our traditional reliance on the car is also taking a toll on the environment.

Gas prices have fallen as we approach the end of summer. Who could've imagined that?

If you'll pardon my sarcasm, you might find fascination in Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us), by Tom Vanderbilt, which gets top billing in today's NYT Book Review:

Vanderbilt cites a statistic that nearly 80 percent of crashes involve drivers not paying attention for up to three seconds.