Street Stories: Adrienne Keene

Adrienne Keene with her bicycle

Street Stories is an interview series with Providence residents about how they move around the our city by local photographer Brittanny Taylor. Would you like to share your story? Get in touch

Name, age, any personal identities you feel like sharing, neighborhood where you live, who you live with/care for, school you go to, type of work you do or hope to do.

Adrienne Keene, 34, West Broadway, live with my Chiweenie, Mochi Nuna. I am a faculty member at Brown University in American Studies and Ethnic Studies. I teach courses in Indigenous studies, and I’m a writer and podcaster on the side. 

How do you typically travel around Providence? Is that working for you? How does it affect your life, your job, your family?

I typically drive or walk to the awesome restaurants and bars in the neighborhood. I’ve recently gotten a lot more into biking, but mostly bike on the East Bay Bike Path. I definitely recognize that I’m lucky to have a car in Providence. I know that others have a lot more challenges getting around town. I’m often giving rides to students to places the bus can’t reach.

How would you ideally like to get around Providence, and what would need to happen to make that a reality?

I love biking and would love to ride to work on the east side, but I’m a relatively new and timid urban biker, and worry a lot about cars and not being seen by drivers as I’m trying to share the road. The streets with dedicated bike lanes, especially those that are blocked off from traffic like downtown, are amazing and make me feel much more confident and safe riding, so more bike lanes would be fantastic!

Do you feel safe when traveling around Providence? Where do you feel safe, and where do you not?

I feel very safe overall in my daily walks around my neighborhood with my dog and bike rides on the East Bay Bike Path, but I do worry about cars on most of the Providence streets when biking. 

How could the City or RIPTA improve your experience getting around?

Bike lanes, and more education through signs or ads about how to behave with bikers on the road when you’re in a car!