Posts about Richmond

In addition to Broad Street BRT, the plan calls for 4 other priority bus lines, including one on the important Main Street/Cary Street corridor.

Richmond transit plan. Image from City of Richmond.

The draft plan also identifies bike improvements. Richmond is a natural biking city. It's dense and walkable, and the urban areas are small enough that it's easy to get to them all with a bike. Among proposed improvements, the plan calls for a bike sharing network, and identifies locations for cycle tracks.

Richmond bike/ped plan. Image from City of Richmond.

Right now Richmond doesn't have enough non-car transportation options. Even though the land use is already there to support multimodalism, most people rely on cars for most trips. Hopefully these proposals become reality, and transportation choice becomes more practical.

Cross-posted at BeyondDC.

Some people bike for both the commute and exercise. Some just want to play polo. Others are competitive and want to race. All of these are great reasons to go out and ride. The fact is people bike for fun: whether for exercise, commuting, playing polo, or racing; people do it because it brings them pleasure and enjoyment. And people as a whole respond to incentives.

This is a two part issue that relies on both sides. I do believe cars and bikers can co-exist and have a symbiotic relationship (and I've never even been to Portland). Here's how we get there:

First we must figure out a way to communicate to others what exactly a biker is. How do we put the human factor back into the equation? Drivers often forget that the cyclist they just buzzed could be their husband, their neighbor, or their daughter's best friend. In a world of now, the mental link is lost.

SSBC members clean up Marshall Street. Image from Saddle Sores Bicycle Club.

Gene Stroman of the club says, "After four clean-ups we got a sign that says 'This artery adopted by Saddle Sores Bike Club.' We hope that drivers and other citizens will see us out there, or see our sign posted, and realize it's everyday people that are being active to benefit their community."

The Cutthroats Bike Club in Richmond stepped up and held a holiday bike drive, complete with a dance party and talent show. Teaming up with the Neighborhood Resource Center, they raised money to put disadvantaged youth (up to 18) on bikes for the holiday, those that rely on a bicycle for transportation the most.

Richmond is no goldmine for bikers compared to the DC area. Namely, there are a total of two bike lanes in the greater Richmond area, though the Mayor has made wonderful strides and commitments to change this.

Oddly enough, drivers in Richmond are much more accepting toward bikers riding on the street and sharing the road. That's a stark contrast to some of the experiences I've had in the Greater DC area, where it almost seems bikers are expected to ride on the trails (Vienna, I'm looking at you). Adding the human factor into the equation would help mend some of the animosity between drivers and bikers.

But the bikers aren't off the hook either. Wild maneuvers, blowing through lights without slowing down, antagonizing cars, and flipping the bird hardly help. Bikers can increase awareness through what I like to call 'Critical Manners.' Critical Mass, as I've found in DC and Richmond, is really nothing more than Critical Sass: bikers take over as much of the road as possible in a large group to show their unified strength. A Critical Manners ride would not try to dominate, but show that even in large groups, sharing the road is about just that: sharing the road with other modes of transportation.

Another way to get information out is to host free Bike Symposiums. RideRichmond hosted a free Biking Symposium at VCU designed to educate newcomers and old-timers in the city on all the activities available on bikes, and the safety and laws surrounding them. The incentive? Attendees received a free blinky light set.

And we could always easily have a 'bike week' in the area. Possible events to keep fun and education free? A Biking Symposium, Safety Dance Party, Bike Polo Tournament, Bike Swap (public park), Bike Round-Up (minor tune-up), Bike Registration with Police, Goldsprints, and maybe even a Pizza Ride and screening of Breaking Away.

Sometimes I wonder why Richmond, with two bike lanes and no Bike-Ped coordinator, can pull something like this off, yet DC with WABA, FABB, BikeArlington, and all the co-ops and shops can't.

Remember our social contract? I do believe that if everyone put on the veil, they would support what's come to be known as the Idaho stop. Cyclists are allowed to treat red lights as stop signs. This creates an incentive for bikers. Cars inherently travel faster than bikes, so why punish bikers for using an alternative mode of transportation?

Unfortunately, the cyclist will always get the short end of a stick vs. a car in a collision. And even if cars follow the two-feet passing law, any cyclist will tell you two-feet really isn't enough on most roads: cyclists ride to the right and drivers sit on the left. 2 feet perceived by the driver is often much less than actual 2 feet.

At the end of the day, you don't have to spend $3,500 on a bike and wear a spandex skin suit to go out and have fun. Biking is for everyone. If you're looking to expand your horizons, or even learn more, there are plenty of bicycle co-ops in the area that are looking for volunteers to help educate and 'share the love' of biking.

Michael Gilbert is a new resident of Alexandria after living in Richmond for many years, where he was involves with RideRichmond, the Velocity Bike Co-Op, and Saddle Sores Bicycle Club.