The city's first protected bike line on Franklin Street (Photo by Ella Testin)
Plans to build dedicated bike lanes have sparked hot debate within City Hall in recent years. Of this, City Council member Kim Gray is well aware.
“Closing a school is a thousand times easier than having a conversation about bike lanes,” she says. “And I was on the School Board.”
Proponents point to a more equitable transportation scheme, and say that cycling-friendly streets are essential for attracting young professionals to the region. Others, such as Gray, say more information and public support are necessary before reworking the city’s asphalt. “I have been asking for more than a year for a traffic study,” says Gray, who represents Richmond’s 2nd District. She also favors revisiting the city’s Bicycle Master Plan to evaluate whether less affluent neighborhoods could be adversely affected by altered traffic patterns.
Released in 2015, the plan calls for the construction of 120 miles of dedicated bicycle lanes throughout the city, with the aim of making Richmond friendlier to cyclists and reducing pedestrian traffic fatalities. So far, 28 miles of bicycle infrastructure have been completed.
Max Hepp-Buchanan, director of Bike Walk RVA, which champions bike- and pedestrian-friendly streets, wants to continue the momentum around bike lanes. “There have been surveys done in RVA, and in cities across the country, that show that people would ride a bike if they felt safe on roads,” he says. On Franklin Street, the city’s first protected bike lane, completed in May, he says, “bike traffic doubled overnight in our preliminary count.” Despite foul weather and Virginia Commonwealth University being out of session, Bike Walk RVA tallied around 80 riders per two-hour window during a three-day count in May, compared with 40 during a previous count.
Recently, Gray and City Council President Chris Hilbert introduced an ordinance to prohibit the planned construction of a north-south protected bike lane on Brook Road between Azalea Avenue and West Charity Street, citing concerns that removing a lane designated for cars will cause traffic congestion.
“Lots of people need to get plugged in and have time to invest in the planning and implementation of these bike lanes,” Gray says.
City Council's Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee is scheduled to consider the ordinance on Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, on Sept. 11, Gray and Hilbert plan to hold a community meeting to solicit input about the proposed Brook Road bike lane. That meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Police Training Academy, 1202 W. Graham Road.
On one point, Gray and Hepp-Buchanan are in accord. “It’s hard to label who rides bikes ... It’s like saying, ‘Who are these people who drive?’ ” says Hepp-Buchanan.
“Bike lanes are for everyone,” says Gray.
