Hotel and Rental Survey on Transportation
November 2020


#RespectBI emailed 45 hotel, inn and other lodging organizations a survey on transportation modes used and recommended to overnight visitors. There were 19 responses.

  • Walking and bicycling are the most common transportation methods used by visitors.

  • Mopeds are the least commonly used mode of transportation by visitors

  • Bicycling is the method most recommended to visitors

  • Convenience and flexibility are the most common reasons to recommend a transportation option

Walking and Bicycling Most Used by Visitors

Bicycles Used by Nearly 90% of Visitors, Mopeds Least Used

Bicycles Most Recommended Mode of Transportation

Walking and Bringing a Car More Used than Recommended

Flexibility and Convenience Most Often Reasons to Recommend

Significant but not Universal Support for Jitney

Comments

Block Island needs to drop the car culture and stop treating transportation as it is treated on the mainland. This is one place you don’t need a car. Drop zoning requirements that demand parking.

A shuttle would be a wonderful addition!!! Perhaps the second most popular question (#1 being how far are you from the ferry) is "how close is the beach/how do I get there?

Our tenants primarily bring their own cars unless they are very close to beach and town. We discourage moped rentals.

All moped renters should be given a free map showing which roads they can and which they CAN NOT ride on. Town regulations/ordinances, rules of the road & other helpful info could be included on the back.

I don’t think a shuttle should be free. I also think it should travel to both light houses. One shuttle to Town-beach-northlight-SE light-town.  Another shuttle to new harbor-beach-old Harbor-new Harbor.

I would love to see a shuttle service to all major points of interest on the Island.  $1.00 per person & an option to purchase a day pass to get on and off as the shuttle continues to travel around the Island.  The shuttle could run all day, 8:00 - 8:00 during the peak summer times.

While I understand the concerns around mopeds & too many cars. The problems I had this summer were related to ALCOHOL, in both cases excess at Ballards. I had 1 group of young people who rented mopeds and likely used them irresponsibly, but soberly. I had several couples rent 1 moped as means of transportation versus a car. Taxi's were scarce this summer. Alcohol is a far greater problem here than mopeds. From a sustainability and pollution standpoint people bringing cars are an issue. Is there a way to limit/control that? Alcohol is still the biggest problem. Thank you for doing this survey.

Very in favor of shuttle/bus/jitney services !!! For many reasons ... less congestion in town, less huge car emissions, less need for parking.

I am located very close to town and do not offer vehicle parking during the high season as my parking area is not large enough to accommodate many vehicles and I actively discourage visitors to bring cars as we have enough cars on island. I wish we had a jitney to take visitors to points of interest or drop them off at beaches. I think this would help decrease congestion downtown and elsewhere.