Bike Walk RVA
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Sports Backers Celebrates Groundbreaking of Henrico, Hanover and Ashland Portions of the Fall Line
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Applications for Spring 2024 Bike Walk RVA Academy Now Open
Wednesday, February 14th
Bike Walk RVA launched its first Academy in 2014 when the region had just 37 miles of bikeways and no plans focusing on bicyclist and pedestrian movement. After graduating more than 200 "Champions" trained to stand up for connected biking and walking, the region has quadrupled its bikeway mileage, built key connectors like the T.…
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Where do Supervisor candidates stand on biking and walking?
Monday, November 6th
For the 2023 Supervisor elections in Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico Counties, Bike Walk RVA administered a candidate questionnaire to each person running to see where they stand on issues relating to biking and walking in the region. Candidate responses are recorded by county -- click on your district below to see where your candidates stand!…
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Support the Fall Line in the State Trails Plan!
Tuesday, October 10th
We are in an exciting time for trails in Virginia! The Fall Line recently celebrated an additional $32 million for segments in Richmond and Petersburg, bringing the total construction pot to $252 million. We are expecting ground to be broken in…
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BWRVA Summer 2023 Update
Monday, September 18th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Director of Bike Walk RVA It has been a hot and heavy summer for bike/ped advocacy, and as the cooler temperatures start to peek over the horizon, let's share a recap! Bentonville Trip Northwest Arkansas is an impressive model region for building multi-use trails, and you can feel…
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Third edition of Fall Line Trailblazer event set for June 10
Wednesday, June 7th
Trailblazer event will feature guided hikes along Fall Line trail led by Bike Walk RVA RICHMOND, VA – The third-annual ‘Fall Line Trailblazer’ event is set for this Saturday, June 10 to highlight the progress made on the Fall Line trail and raise awareness and funds for its eventual completion. Organized by Sports Backers…
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Pocahontas Bike Park and Adventure Center Masterplan: Request for Proposals
Thursday, May 25th
May 25, 2023 Request for Proposals Bike Park and Adventure Center Masterplan Background: Chesterfield County is working with Sports Backers for the development of a Bike Park and Adventure Center Masterplan used to guide the development of a center with public-private partners adjacent to Pocahontas State Park. Chesterfield County includes this new adventure and biking…
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BWRVA Spring 2023 Update: Bike Month, Academy, Fall Line Vision Plan, National Bike Summit
Friday, May 12th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Director of Bike Walk RVA It's that time of year again, spring, when the weather is perfect for riding as long as it's not thunderstorming! Bike Month is back! RVA Bike Month has returned for its tenth year. Amazing! There are over 60 events and over five weeks for you to bring…
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We Must Double our Prioritization of Pedestrian Safety
Tuesday, May 9th
Bike Walk RVA - May 9, 2023 We asked ChatGPT what Richmond should do to save pedestrians’ lives. Here’s what it said. It's time for Richmond to take action and save the lives of pedestrians on our streets. We can no longer stand by and watch as reckless drivers continue to put innocent lives in…
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Applications for Spring 2023 Bike Walk RVA Academy Now Open
Wednesday, February 15th
Bike Walk RVA launched its first Academy in 2014 when the region had just 37 miles of bikeways and no plans focusing on bicyclist and pedestrian movement. After graduating more than 180 "Champions" trained to stand up for connected biking and walking, the region has quadrupled its bikeway mileage, built key connectors like the T.…
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Fall Line Vision Plan: Request for Proposals
Friday, January 6th
January 5, 2023 Sports Backers Request for Proposals: Fall Line Vision Plan What is the Fall Line Vision Plan? Sports Backers is working to make the Fall Line, a 43-mile multi-use paved trail from Ashland to Petersburg, a world-class community transportation and recreational resource. The Fall Line Vision Plan will develop a detailed list of…
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Bike Walk RVA Hiring!
Monday, August 1st
Do you love connecting people to biking and walking? Does bringing neighbors and residents into the fold of active transportation and recreation advocacy excite you? Does the striping of a new bike lane or paving of a new trail make your heart swell for expanded opportunities for safe and healthy streets for more people throughout…
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BWRVA Summer '22 Update: Cool News and Cooler Opportunities
Thursday, July 28th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Director of Bike Walk RVA It's warm out there. Simmer down to some cool news and opportunities coming up. Bike Month and Bike Walk RVA Academy RVA Bike Month was back in its traditional May this year, and it was…
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Bike Walk RVA's Brantley Tyndall Named Advocate of the Year by League of American Bicyclists
Tuesday, April 5th
Award recognition took place at National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. RICHMOND, VA – Brantley Tyndall, Director of Outreach for Sports Backers’ Bike Walk RVA program, has been recognized as the League of American Bicyclists’ 2022 Advocate of the Year. The national award was announced as part of the League’s National Bike Summit which took…
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Bike Walk RVA 2022 Spring Update: Bike/Ped Funding in Bloom
Thursday, March 17th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach The sun is shining and warming the ground that will soon be new bikeways and trails! While we think about out next biking or walking adventure, let's share some recent updates from Bike Walk RVA! Local Bike/Ped Funding seeds are germinating Budget season is here, and…
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Applications for Spring 2022 Bike Walk RVA Academy Now Open
Tuesday, February 8th
Bike Walk RVA launched its first Academy in 2014 when the region had just 37 miles of bikeways and no plans focusing on bicyclist and pedestrian movement. After graduating more than 140 Academy Champions trained to stand up for connected biking and walking, the region has tripled its bikeway mileage, built key connectors like the…
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2021 RVA Bike Month and Awards, it's a wrap!
Wednesday, December 22nd
The Richmond region is a great place for riding bikes, and it has been for a long time. It's shown in the steeped culture and deep-rooted organizations that either focus on bike riding or otherwise seamlessly incorporate bikes into their work and programming. As the eighth year of RVA Bike Month has come and gone,…
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Bike Walk RVA 2021 Fall Update: Bike Month, Trailblazers, and Counts
Thursday, November 11th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Layering weather is here, so grab a cardigan and a coffee for our Fall 2021 update! Changing Lanes - Bike Month Wrap RVA Bike Month returned to in-person in 2021! It was rescheduled to October to allow folks ample time to get vaccinated, and the great…
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Fall Line Trailblazer Event Set for October 23-24
Wednesday, October 20th
Trailblazer event will feature guided hikes along Fall Line trail led by Bike Walk RVA RICHMOND, VA – The second-annual ‘Fall Line Trailblazer’ event is set for this weekend, October 23-24, to highlight the progress made on the Fall Line trail and raise awareness and funds for its eventual completion. Organized by Sports Backers and…
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Annual ‘Richmond Bike to Work Day’ group ride set for Oct. 15, as part of October’s RVA Bike Month celebrations
Thursday, October 14th
Rescheduled from May, program is supported by Dominion Energy, Gather, and The James Center RICHMOND - With a theme of ‘Changing Lanes,’ RVA Bike Month 2021 features a full calendar of bike-related events. 2021 marks the eighth year that Bike Walk RVA, a program of Sports Backers, is coordinating RVA Bike Month, with the help…
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Bike Walk RVA Update, Summer 2021: New Murals, New Laws, New Ways to Get Involved
Thursday, August 19th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach As we make it through the dog days of summer, let’s catch up on biking and walking updates from over the summer and look ahead to an exciting fall in our August quarterly newsletter. Fall Line In July, Bike Walk RVA helped organize and lead an…
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Street Art for Slow Streets in Bellemeade
Tuesday, June 29th
By: ShaCoria Shelton, Bike Walk RVA Lead Organizer We've all probably said or heard someone else share a common observation in city neighborhood: "People drive too fast through here." And unfortunately, we know that fast vehicle speeds mixed with students and families walking to neighborhood assets is a recipe for disaster. But what to do…
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Spring Update from Bike Walk RVA
Wednesday, March 31st
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Here are some of the latest updates and projects we've been working on as 2021 becomes the year of Changing Lanes*. Fall Line Website Up / T shirts Check out the newly launched website for the Fall Line! The new one stop online shop…
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The Pandemic for Pedestrians
Thursday, March 18th
Pedestrian safety statistics continue to worsen, following years-long trends and then accelerating during the pandemic. By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Driving is down but at its deadliest in decades. - Drivers killed 39% more people walking in Richmond region in 2020. - Black and Brown pedestrians are being killed at a…
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Big results at the 2021 General Assembly
Thursday, February 25th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Since forming in 2012, we at Bike Walk RVA have invested our effort primarily in work to support biking and walking infrastructure. There is no substitute for dedicating space for active transportation and healthy recreation, and since built environment projects take years of effort to design,…
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Bike Walk Hanover Successfully Develops a Bike and Walk to School Program
Tuesday, January 12th
By: ShaCoria Shelton, Bike Walk RVA Lead Organizer 2020 brought many historic challenges, especially for local schools and K-12 education. One area greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic was students' ability to attend school in person, and the opportunity to actively commute to and from school. To address this challenge, Bike Walk Hanover stepped up…
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Look ma! No (phone in my) hands!
Friday, January 1st
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach It is exciting to be writing to you from the brand new year of 2021. Happy New Year, and I am happy to be bringing you some good news for our safety while out walking, biking, and, frankly, also driving. If you've been a regular reader,…
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Fall Update from Bike Walk RVA: The Fall Line / Academy / Pedestrian Lives
Wednesday, November 18th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Welcome to the autumn update at Bike Walk RVA, and can I just say, isn’t it refreshing with the Fall Line in the air? Wait, did I say that right? Fall Line! That’s right, the Ashland to Petersburg Trail…
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'Fall Line trail' Officially Revealed as Name for New 43-Mile Trail from Ashland to Petersburg
Wednesday, October 21st
Governor Northam shares name as part of groundbreaking in Ashland RICHMOND, VA – Governor Ralph S. Northam today officially broke ground on the new Fall Line trail in a ceremony featuring elected officials and trail advocates that took place in Carter Park in Ashland, the northern terminus of the trail. Once completed, the paved, multi-use…
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Applications for Fall 2020 Bike Walk RVA Academy: Sidewalks Now Open
Tuesday, September 1st
The greater Richmond region has been making some big strides over the last few years to become more walking and bicycling friendly. By focusing attention on plans, policies, and funding for active living projects, bikeways in the Richmond region have grown from 37 miles in 2013 to over 90 miles in 2020 - a 53…
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Summer Update from Bike Walk RVA: New Bike Lanes, New Sidewalks, New State Laws, and All Streets RVA!
Monday, August 10th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Hey walkers, rollers, riders, and striders. We’re back with our summer update, and during one of the most unsettling times in generations, this one is jam-packed with good stuff. Get yourself a nice iced tea to sip while catching up with biking and walking developments around…
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'All Streets RVA' Aims to Collectively Map Out Conditions of All 1,900 Miles of City Streets in Richmond
Monday, June 8th
Richmond, VA – The new ‘All Streets RVA’ event from Sports Backers aims to inspire a collective mission to accomplish the biggest biking, walking, and running effort the city of Richmond has ever seen while collecting feedback on the conditions of all 1,900 miles of city streets. The feedback and data collected will help inform…
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Spring Update from Bike Walk RVA: State Legislation, New Projects, and RVA Bike Month!
Wednesday, April 8th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach How are you doing? Are you hanging in there? It goes without saying that a lot of things have changed since our last quarterly update, and the first thing I wanted to do as I type this at my makeshift stand-up desk - my kitchen counter…
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What Coronavirus reveals about biking and walking in the region
Tuesday, April 7th
By: Louise Lockett Gordon, Bike Walk RVA Director During this public health crisis when practicing social distancing is critical to flattening the spread of Coronavirus/COVID-19, many parts of our everyday lives have been impacted – including transportation. Organizations have closed doors and many continue to operate virtually. Those of us who are non-essential workers are staying home, reducing transit ridership and personal vehicle travel. As…
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Bike Walk RVA: What we got at the General Assembly in 2020
Thursday, March 19th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Hey everyone. It’s March 19, and we’ve now had a full week of COVID-19 shakeups to our daily lives, work routines, and activity and social schedules. Many of us are holed up at home, working remotely and trying to keep our social distance up. I’m sure…
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Winter Update from Bike Walk RVA
Thursday, February 13th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach 2020 is mostly off to a pretty great start around here at Bike Walk RVA, once you get past all the rain. As you can see below, we're continuing to get some forward motion on major projects for biking and walking around the region. But…
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January Update from the 2020 General Assembly
Tuesday, February 4th
This year’s General Assembly is entering its fourth week, and there is much to report and support. This will be the first of a few posts to break down a few bills we are following with biking and walking implications. It is not an exhaustive list because it’s difficult to share all the details in…
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Newly-formed Richmond Families for Safe Streets to host World Remembrance Day ceremony Nov. 18
Wednesday, November 13th
RICHMOND, VA – Victims of life-altering traffic crashes and those who have lost someone in a traffic crash have come together to form a new group called Richmond Families for Safe Streets to support others who find themselves in this situation and to advocate for change to make our streets safer. The group’s first effort…
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Fall Update from Bike Walk RVA
Wednesday, October 30th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach As I am wont to exclaim, "It's fall, y'all!" - it is time for our next quarterly update on Bike Walk RVA. The air has cooled, the leaves are changing and dropping, and evening light leaves earlier and earlier. It can be a time of wonder…
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Envisioning regional trails for world-class active living
Tuesday, October 29th
RICHMOND - October 29, 2019 Sports Backers' Bike Walk RVA program, in partnership with Plan RVA, hosted a Regional Trail Workshop with over 50 elected officials, city and county staff members, Virginia Department of Transportation and US Department of Transportation staff, and peer advocates from seven localities across the Richmond and Crater districts to learn…
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2019 RVA Bike Month Awards
Tuesday, August 13th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach Another spring has come and gone, and for the 6th year, RVA Bike Month has grown the opportunities to ride in all corners of the Richmond Region for just about anyone. RVA Bike Month keeps growing, in part because of our support from Bon Secours,…
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Applications for Fall 2019 Regional Bike Walk RVA Academy Now Open
Tuesday, July 30th
The greater Richmond region has been making some big strides over the last few years to become more walking and bicycling friendly. By focusing attention on plans, policies, and funding for active living projects, bikeways in the Richmond region have grown from 37 miles in 2013 to 89 miles in 2019 - a 52 mile…
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Summer Update from Bike Walk RVA's Director of Outreach
Wednesday, July 17th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Director of Outreach 2019 has been a wild ride so far. We, as in hundreds of community advocates, started the year winning the fight against two city councilors’ ordinance to ban the City of Richmond’s biggest protected bike…
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Fairfield District candidates weigh in on safer streets and regional connectivity
Friday, May 31st
On June 11, residents in Henrico County's Fairfield District will vote for a member of the Board of Supervisors in the primary election. Often the primary election can be more important than the general election for determining who will represent residents locally in Henrico. Candidates Joseph Brown, Frank Thornton, and Maurice…
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Chickahominy District candidates weigh in on safer streets and regional connectivity
Friday, May 31st
On June 11, residents in Hanover County's Chickahominy District will vote for a member of the Board of Supervisors in the primary election. Locally, the primary election is often more important than the general election for determining who will represent residents in Hanover. Hanover County boasts…
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Three Chopt District candidates weigh in on safer streets and regional connectivity
Friday, May 31st
On June 11, residents in Henrico County's Three Chopt District will vote for a member of the Board of Supervisors in the primary election. Often the primary election can be more important than the general election for determining who will represent residents…
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6th Annual RVA Bike Month launches April 27th!
Thursday, April 25th
RVA Bike Month presented by Bon Secours is back for the sixth year with a theme of ‘Bikes Mean Business'! We've got over 50 events coming up over the next five weeks, and all the event info is over on www.rvabikemonth.com! Highlights of the calendar include the always-popular Pizza Crawl, Black Girls Do Bike’s kickoff…
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Ashland to Petersburg Trail: A Spine for Regional Transportation
Wednesday, April 24th
By: Louise Lockett Gordon, Director of Bike Walk RVA Central Virginia is no stranger to the concept of a multi-use trail. Construction of the 51.7 mile Virginia Capital Trail, which courses through Richmond, Henrico County, Charles City County, and Williamsburg, was completed in 2015 and experiences about 1,000…
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Ashland to Petersburg Trail: a spine for regional active transportation
Thursday, April 18th
Central Virginia is no stranger to the concept of a multi-use trail. Construction of the 51.7 mile Virginia Capital Trail, which courses through Richmond, Henrico County, Charles City County, and Williamsburg, was completed in 2015 and experiences about 1,000 daily trail users. Every day people are out on the trail biking to and from work;…
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Richmond Mayor's Budget Supports Street Safety
Tuesday, April 9th
When Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney signed a commitment to Vision Zero, the international movement to reduce traffic fatalities to the only acceptable number of zero, he knew it would involve infrastructure improvements. Following Vision Zero best practices, his Department of Public Works transportation team has been busy installing crosswalks, bike lanes, and reducing speed…
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We Do Exist: Biking on Brook Road
Wednesday, January 2nd
Brook Road can be challenging and problematic for Northside residents, with its wide lanes, excessive speeding, and faint crosswalks. Traffic data shows that 65 percent of drivers go over 40 miles per hour on the 35 mph street. This makes it extremely dangerous for anyone who isn't in a car and able to move at…
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Brookland District candidates sound off on safer streets and regional connectivity
Wednesday, October 3rd
On November 6, voters in Henrico County's Brookland District will elect a new member of the Board of Supervisors. Henrico County boasts welcoming neighborhoods and great schools and parks, but residents know the County also has some very unsafe streets - there have already been over 4,300 crashes on Henrico roads this year resulting in over 1,900…
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Looking back on 5 years of RVA Bike Month
Tuesday, June 19th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Some people like to say "Every day is Bike to Work Day," and for an ever-growing number of people, that is true. For some, Bike Month is becoming increasingly, well, more months than just May. In the Richmond region, RVA Bike Month now includes March, April, and June. It's…
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RVA Bike Month: Alex is here to help!
Monday, April 16th
New for 2018, Bike Walk RVA will have another set of hands to help your RVA Bike Months succeed. Meet Alex Cortes, our Bike Month intern for April and May as we Bike to the Future! My name’s Alex Cortes, and I’m very excited to be working with Bike Walk RVA to help make this…
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New Bike Lane Day is Around the Corner
Tuesday, April 3rd
May is less than a month away, which means RVA Bike Month is approaching quickly. We are working hard on our grassroots calendar of more than a month's worth of community-grown bike events - so stay tuned! In the meantime, construction of the Franklin Street two-way protected bike lanes is underway, adding to our growing…
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Bike Walk Hanover Gains Traction Going into The New Year
Thursday, January 11th
In 2017, Bike Walk RVA really turned its attention to Hanover County for the first time in the five years we have been active. We did this in order to help County government and residents take some important steps to becoming a safer and more healthy and active community. Progress continues into the New Year,…
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Henrico County Elects Safe Streets Advocate to Board of Supervisors
Wednesday, November 8th
Last night, voters in Henrico’s Brookland District picked Courtney Lynch to be their newest representative to the County’s Board of Supervisors. Lynch ran a campaign that emphasized transparency, education, inclusivity and… wait for it… safe streets! That’s right, the newest leader at the helm in one of our region’s fastest-growing jurisdictions wants to make that…
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Brookland District Candidates Detail Commitments to Safer Streets
Monday, October 23rd
On November 7th, voters in Henrico County's Brookland District will elect a new member of the Board of Supervisors. Henrico County boasts welcoming neighborhoods and great schools and parks, but residents know the County also has some very unsafe streets - Henrico leads the region in pedestrian deaths and there have already been nearly 4,000 crashes on…
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Savoring Bike Restaurant Week
Monday, October 2nd
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA (feature photo by Staci Griffith Rogge) Ask your favorite search engine if Richmond is a city with a thriving restaurant scene. The answer is emphatically yes. Ask it again if Richmond is a great place to ride bikes. You’ll find tons of options for rides of many varieties, a…
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Bike Walk RVA Announces First-Ever Bike Restaurant Week for Sept. 17-21
Tuesday, September 12th
RICHMOND, VA – Bike Walk RVA, a program of Sports Backers, is announcing the launch of its first-ever Bike Restaurant Week, a five-day promotional period from September 17-21 for participating restaurants in Richmond to celebrate riding to dine out. Over the course of the week, restaurants in neighborhoods throughout Richmond will offer discounts, deals, or…
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Closing the Streets to the People
Thursday, July 27th
By: Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA UPDATE (8/1/2017): Since this blog was originally posted, a couple of things have changed and we've received some new information. The people have spoken (or Tweeted, as it were) and it has already made a difference. Over the weekend, at least a couple of places identified as…
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Let’s talk about sharing the road.
Thursday, July 6th
By: Brantley Tyndall, Bike Walk RVA Bike Walk RVA (a program of Sports Backers) was recently awarded a grant from DMV's Virginia Highway Safety Office to help educate people on how to behave around the new bike lanes in Richmond. Bike Walk RVA produced three different billboards (below), which were posted in seven different locations…
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In Pursuit of Vision Zero
Thursday, July 6th
By: Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA On the crisp evening of January 12, 2017, Sharon Parker was waiting for a bus on West Broad Street at the corner of Chantilly Street, across the street from Cook Out. The particular GRTC bus stop where she was waiting is in front of a Shell gas…
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Four years of bike count data: If you build it, they will come (most of the time)
Wednesday, June 28th
By: Max Hepp-Buchanan, Bike Walk RVA Director Twice a year, for the past four years, Bike Walk RVA deploys dozens of volunteers onto the streets of Richmond over a three-day period to manually tally the number of people biking and walking at specific locations throughout the city. The purpose of this project is to collect…
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4th Annual RVA Bike Month ends on high note!
Wednesday, June 7th
May is our favorite time of year around Bike Walk RVA. It's the time of year when grassroots leaders volunteer to lead community events for the whole region in celebration of riding bikes during warming spring weather. This year has been exceptionally good with record participation, and here's why. Click to see video! Over 50…
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Bike Safety Trainings for RVA Bike Month
Monday, May 8th
For RVA Bike Month, Bike Walk RVA is pleased to host three one-hour conversations on safe and enjoyable biking, including practical advice on riding comfortably, safely, and legally. Additional tips about how to commute to work effectively, how to drive safely around people biking and walking, basics on gear choices, and other information about the benefits…
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RVA Bike Month 2017 presented by Bon Secours will feature over 40 bike-related events
Wednesday, April 26th
RICHMOND, VA – Proclamations of recognition and support from local government leaders helped kick off RVA Bike Month 2017 presented by Bon Secours, and this year’s month features a full calendar of events to go along with a theme of ‘Fall in Love with Bike Lanes.’ 2017 also marks the fourth year that Bike Walk…
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RVA Bike Month 2017: Fall in Love with Bike Lanes
Tuesday, April 18th
RVA Bike Month, presented by Bon Secours, is BACK for its fourth year in the Richmond region! Here are the ways you can make the most of it! 1) Come out to every event you can! There's something for everyone in Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover/Ashland! 2) Invite your friends! 3) Participate in the National…
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Applications due February 24 for the Bike Walk RVA Academy: Hanover
Thursday, January 26th
We are now accepting applications for the Bike Walk RVA Academy: Hanover! The Bike Walk RVA Academy is our program designed to develop Richmond region residents into grassroots leaders in their communities for better biking and walking infrastructure such as paved trails, sidewalks, crosswalks, and safe neighborhood streets. If you live in Hanover County or the…
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Hanover County: Bike Walk RVA wants to hear from you!
Friday, January 20th
Do you want to see more comfortable, connected places to bike and walk in Hanover County and the Town of Ashland? We do too. Here at Bike Walk RVA, we believe that people of all ages and abilities should be able to get around safely on foot or by bike. Whether it’s to get to work,…
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Henrico's First Bike Lane!
Wednesday, November 30th
Last week, Henrico County striped its first official bike/walk lane! The 1.5-mile beauty (pictured above) is located on Park Terrace Drive, in the Wellesley neighborhood of western Henrico. This is big news, and in addition to new sidewalk construction, the County administration's pledge to allocate $12.5 million to biking and walking projects over the next five…
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The Big Bike Lanes Blog Post
Wednesday, November 23rd
"It's overwhelming, right?" asked Mike Sawyer, Richmond's Transportation Engineer. I have to admit my head was spinning a bit from the dozen or so boards illustrating about 25 miles of new bike lane design. I smiled and nodded. "That's what happens when we go big." The City of Richmond went big last night.In one meeting,…
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The future of bicycling in RVA looks bright with Levar and #morebikelanes
Tuesday, November 15th
Today marks one week since Election Day. In case you were too distracted by what's going on nationally to catch up on local politics, a 35-year-old go-getter named Levar Stoney was just elected Mayor of Richmond. Levar won the popular vote and five of nine council districts, so this is not a contested result. I'm not…
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Varina High School's Bike Walk RVA Academy
Thursday, November 3rd
After six after-school sessions and a big field trip ride on the Virginia Capital Trail, we are ready to share about the progress we've been making with Bike Walk RVA's fifth Academy, a youth academy at Varina High School. A Maggie Walker High School Fellow who has been working with us since the summer, Max…
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Where do Richmond's City Council candidates stand on biking and walking?
Friday, September 16th
For the 2016 City of Richmond elections, Bike Walk RVA administered a candidate questionnaire to each person running for City Council to see where they stand on issues relating to biking and walking in Richmond. Candidate responses are recorded by district -- click on your district below to see where your candidates stand! West End -…
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Where do Richmond’s Mayoral candidates stand on biking and walking?
Monday, August 22nd
For the 2016 City of Richmond Elections, Bike Walk RVA administered a candidate questionnaire to each person running for the office of Mayor to see where they stand on issues relating to biking and walking in Richmond. We asked questions on the following five topics, and each candidate’s responses are recorded below: Transportation Equity Complete Streets…
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A look back on our third RVA Bike Month.
Monday, July 11th
RVA Bike Month 2016 was a lot of things. It was wet. Like, the wettest on record. It was huge, with over 60 events (though a few got rained out). It was vivacious, with lots of new faces and organizations joining in the work and the fun. It had more ice cream, photography, art, pizza,…
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An update on the Bike Walk RVA Academy!
Friday, July 8th
The Bike Walk RVA Academy is a program of Sports Backers designed to develop biking and walking advocates into grassroots leaders of the biking and walking movement in their communities. Over the course of eight weeks, we teach the basics of local government, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, campaign planning, and more. We’ve had a blast running…
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So you ride. And what else?
Wednesday, March 16th
Why I rode my bike 161 miles to the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. from my home (actually, my office) in Richmond, VA. I noticed something the other day that’s been in front of my face for some time: the national bike advocacy organization People for Bikes sponsors the pro tour bike racing team…
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Applications due March 21 for the Bike Walk RVA Academy: Henrico
Friday, March 11th
We’ve spent the last month hosting Bike Walk Talk happy hours all over Henrico County and one thing is clear: Henrico residents are chomping at the bit to get rolling. At our Bike Walk Talks, we talked to hundreds of people who want to see more comfortable, connected places to bike and walk in Henrico…
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Henrico County - Bike Walk RVA wants to hear from you!
Wednesday, January 27th
HENRICO COUNTY - do you want to see more comfortable, connected places to bike and walk in your neighborhood? Let’s talk about it over a beer. We've been working hard here at Bike Walk RVA to advocate for more bike lanes, sidewalks, safe neighborhood streets, and multi-use trails throughout greater Richmond. We've seen the City of…
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What's next in Chesterfield?
Wednesday, December 9th
As you’ve probably heard (here, here, here, here, or here), Chesterfield County took some major steps forward for biking and walking last month. Your efforts signing our petition, contacting your local officials, and attending public hearings paid off - the Bikeways and Trails Plan and Bon Air Special Area Plan were adopted by the Board…
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How do candidates in your district stand on walking and biking?
Monday, October 26th
The Board of Supervisor elections for Chesterfield and Henrico Counties are TOMORROW (Tuesday, Nov. 3). Do you know how the candidates in your district stand on walking and biking issues? In an effort to educate Chesterfield and Henrico County residents on where Board of Supervisor candidates stand on walking and biking issues, Bike Walk RVA distributed…
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In their own words: Chesterfield County residents want bikeways and trails
Monday, October 12th
Over the last few months, we've been engaging with residents from all over Chesterfield County, hearing their stories and why they want to see Chesterfield County become a more walkable, bikeable place to live. The stories we've heard reflect the diversity of the county - we've spoken with recreational cyclists in Brandermill, bike commuters on…
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You can COUNT on bike infrastructure getting more to ride!
Tuesday, October 6th
If you're reading this, you might have been one of the crucial volunteers who have made our efforts to count people walking and biking at various places in the City of Richmond as part of the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project. If you are, thanks so much! We started coordinating this effort to document…
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Act now to support bikeways and trails in Chesterfield County
Tuesday, October 6th
This is not a drill: it's time to take action. The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors is hearing the Bikeways and Trails Plan on Nov. 18. While the future of the plan is uncertain, we know one thing for sure: your elected official wants to hear from you when deciding whether or not to adopt the plan. Please…
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Bike Valet for the World Championships!
Wednesday, September 16th
The best way to get to the races during next week's UCI Road Cycling World Championships is by BIKE. But you'll need a place to put it. That's where we come in! We'll be providing free bike valet services, as capacity allows, during the major days of the World Championships at the Branch Museum of…
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Floyd Ave. will be Richmond's first 20mph zone!
Tuesday, September 15th
Last night Richmond City Council passed Ordinance 2015-138, which will lower the maximum speed limit on Floyd Ave from 25mph to 20mph, Richmond's first such street optimized for lower speed vehicles in order to make riding and walking safer and more comfortable for everyone. The change will take effect at the end of March, 2016…
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Walk to School Day expands to Oak Grove-Bellemeade
Monday, September 14th
In 2012, ten Richmond Public Schools celebrated National Walk to School Day. The number dropped to 6 in 2013. It was five in 2014. Well, with 2012 being its most recent year with a Walk to School Day event, Oak-Grove Bellemeade Elementary School is back on the list for 2015! And they'll have these great…
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PHOTO POPPIN' Infrastructure Update - September 2015
Friday, September 4th
It's been a while since we've done a bike and pedestrian infrastructure update. Take a look at projects popping up left and right around the city! Oregon Hill / Belvidere Bridge / Riverside Dr. / 2nd St. Bike Lanes This is the city's first contraflow bike lane (only bicycles can go the opposite direction of…
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Applications due August 21 for the Bike Walk RVA Academy: Chesterfield
Monday, August 17th
Chesterfield County is a great place--a great place to live, a great place to work, and a great place to play. In a county that has so much to offer, Chesterfield is severely lacking in one category - comfortable, connected places to bike and walk. We want to change that, and we need your help. We…
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BRT improvements we can get on board with (pun intended!)
Wednesday, July 22nd
Since we last wrote about the Pulse Bus Rapid Transit project (commonly referred to as BRT), a lot has changed. The community spoke out with concerns about crossing Broad Street on foot or by bike, and GRTC and the City of Richmond listened. They improved the plan. Thanks to your efforts, we’ve had the opportunity to work…
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Bike Friendly Business District in Lakeside
Wednesday, July 15th
The Lakeside Business Association has partnered with Bike Walk RVA to bring the region’s first permanent Bike Friendly Business District to the Lakeside neighborhood in Henrico, building upon a similar, temporary effort in the Bellevue neighborhood of the Northside to celebrate National Bike Month this past May. Twenty-one businesses along Lakeside Avenue are participating in “Bike…
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Church Hill North Better Block Project: One Year Later
Tuesday, June 23rd
For two days in June of last year, we built a better block in Church Hill North. We facilitated dozens of “pop-up” shops in taking up residency along North 25th Street, including inside several vacant storefronts. We added bike lanes and new crosswalks for the weekend using duct tape and other temporary materials, saw the…
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Reflections on #rvabikemonth 2.0
Thursday, June 4th
Bike Walk RVA coordinated Richmond's first National Bike Month calendar of events in 2014. It was the first time our region had ever participated for the full month, with previous efforts really only focusing on National Bike to Work Day, the third Friday in May. We hosted a few events, helped local grassroots leaders organize…
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Commuter Stations back for Bike to Work Day '15
Tuesday, May 12th
Bike Commuter Aid Stations are back! Stop by one of our five (5) pit stops on your way to work the morning of Bike to Work Day (Friday May 15) from between 7 and 9 AM to grab a coffee and snack, chat with our amazing volunteers, pick up some of the latest bike-related information,…
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The Three Bs - Bellevue Bike-Friendly Business District
Tuesday, May 5th
Bikes mean business. It's a message carried successfully in cities across the country. If your business is accessible by bike and accommodating to those who arrive by bike, people simply will ride there. And they'll buy your stuff, eat your food, and keep coming back. And building for and accommodating people on bikes is cheaper…
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Everything you need to know about Bike Month 2015
Tuesday, April 28th
Bike Month 2015 is just about underway! Click on the calendar below for a full list of events. VCU Alumni Ride Slave Trail Ride Bike Walk RVA Bike Month Kickoff Party Northside Family Fun Ride May the Force Bike With You Star Wars Ride Cinco De Mayo Taco Crawl Craft Brewery Cruise Bike Train Group…
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Are we building a wall on Broad Street?
Tuesday, March 31st
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is heading in our direction and if we don’t pay close attention, the forthcoming project could make Broad Street even more challenging for people walking and biking downtown and around VCU. Broad Street is experiencing a renaissance of good restaurants, art…
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Richmond Bike Startups worth checking out!
Friday, March 13th
Olivia here! What else to say about these two community opportunities? We are excited to see two Richmond organizations with incredible bike-focused ideas find support through the community! Secretly Y’all, the brainchild of Chris Milk and Kathleen Brady, a Richmond project that uses stories to build community, is planning “Bicycle Y’all”, a Bike Month-themed event…
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The big win on Floyd Avenue.
Tuesday, February 24th
Yesterday, the Floyd Ave Bike-Walk Street project was finally given the green light! In their third and final hearing of the project, the Planning Commission voted to approve a revised design and send the city’s first Bike-Walk Street forward into the implementation phase. But there’s more to the story that what was reported in the…
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What the sneck?
Thursday, February 19th
Taking advantage of the recent snow blanketing the region, Bike Walk RVA intern Olivia Mobayed set out to investigate travel patterns at intersections. See what she found out below! While a new batch of snow can make getting around a bit trickier in the short run, snow can be very helpful in long-term planning and…
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The Planning Commission did what?
Thursday, January 22nd
On Tuesday, the City Planning Commission chose to defer their final decision on the Floyd Ave Bike-Walk Street project for 30 days. While this may be frustrating to those who want to see the project move forward now, it will likely result in a better design for everybody. Among the topics the Planning Commission asked…
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The lonely sign that could.
Tuesday, December 16th
Continuing on Rachel's post from last week, let's talk a little bit more about the importance of signage. I'd like to start with what I call the lonely Share the Road sign. I've been riding in Richmond since 2007, and I cannot recall seeing a Share the Road sign other than this one. I'm not…
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Experiment to navigate from Northside to the Capital Trail.
Wednesday, December 10th
Richmond’s Strategic Multi-modal Transportation Plan, Richmond Connects, which was released in 2013 after two years of development, recommended extending connections from the Cannon Creek Greenway in Highland Park south to Shockoe Bottom and west to neighborhoods in Northside via Brookland Park Boulevard and Brookland Parkway. This would create a contiguous leg of a developing bikeway…
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Our first Bike Walk RVA Academy graduates!
Friday, December 5th
Three months ago, we and 20 eager City of Richmond residents dispersed among 7 council districts embarked on Richmond’s first Bike Walk RVA Academy, an 8-week course to train them to advocate for spaces dedicated to safety, comfort, and accessibility for bike riders and pedestrians. We are so proud to announce they graduated this week!…
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High-LIGHTS from Halloween!
Tuesday, November 4th
Halloween is a great time to ride a bike in Richmond. The weather is pleasant (if a touch CHILLING this year), the spirit is high, and there's lots of fun stuff to see and do! The festivities on Hanover Avenue in the Fan with its orange lights and pedestrian-friendly street closure and the Oregon Hill…
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Richmond women begin to organize around biking.
Wednesday, October 29th
The Bike Walk RVA team attended RideRichmond's Richmond Women's Cycling Summit last week, and here are Bike Walk RVA's intern Rachel Jordan's thoughts about the event! Why do we like to ride bikes? For fun, exercise, community, to be able to eat whatever we want—the reasons are endless. Last night [10/23] we talked about the…
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Richmond streets on the way to becoming more Complete!
Tuesday, October 21st
Before talking about complete streets, let's talk a little about incomplete streets. Pick a street in your area that is prioritized for moving motor vehicles. Moving them in quickly, storing them for indeterminate lengths of time in on-street parking spaces, and getting them out again. Have you tried to walk across one of these streets,…
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Second batch of Richmond bike/ped counts wrap up!
Tuesday, October 14th
Many thanks to every one of our volunteers who helped make the Richmond Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project possible. The results of our second count are in! We appreciate your time and effort; the data you collected is invaluable to us. The high rate of volunteerism for a project like this just goes to show…
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Bike Walk RVA Academy off to a strong start.
Monday, October 13th
The Bike Walk RVA Academy has begun! This week we are preparing for the third workshop out of eight for our 20 participants learning to be top-notch bike and pedestrian infrastructure advocates. During our application period in August and September, over 65 high-quality and highly motivated folks from around the Richmond region applied, and it…
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Middle schoolers struggle with biking and walking on Forest Hill Ave
Tuesday, October 7th
Bike Route 1 is a great amenity for recreational road bicycling in the Richmond region. Its general concurrence with Riverside Drive on the south bank of the James River in Richmond is a popular route for bike enthusiasts. We even featured it in our Martin's Tour of Richmond with positive reception. But while it is…
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Bike lanes currently being installed on Forest Hill Ave!
Monday, September 29th
The construction of bike lanes on Forest Hill Avenue and Semmes Avenue, which will connect crossings of the James River at both Westover Hills Boulevard and Cowardin Avenue, has begun! Construction will continue for at least the next few weeks, as the Semmes Avenue portion is a separate construction project. Bike symbol stencils are also…
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Buffered bike lanes on MLK Viaduct completed!
Tuesday, September 23rd
Buffered bike lanes, or bike lanes separated from motor vehicle traffic by several feet of painted space, have been installed on the Martin Luther King Viaduct between Union Hill/Church Hill and the MCV area of downtown Richmond. Please take a moment and click here to thank Mayor Jones and the staff of the Department of…
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Max's Tales from the Trail - Volume 5
Thursday, September 18th
Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA, is currently riding his bike from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath trails, a 334.5 mile route free from traffic and motorized vehicles. He is chronicling his journey, and below you’ll find his thoughts, observations, musings, and menu selections. Day 5…
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Floyd Ave. Bike/Walk Street Update
Wednesday, September 17th
September has been a big month for Floyd Avenue's proposed Bike/Walk Street project. After the two big open houses at the Virginia Historical Society over the summer, September saw the conceptual plan (developed after May's open house, reviewed and revised in July) go before the City of Richmond's Urban Design Committee and the Planning Commission…
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Max's Tales from the Trail - Volume 4
Tuesday, September 16th
Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA, is currently riding his bike from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath trails, a 334.5 mile route free from traffic and motorized vehicles. He is chronicling his journey, and below you’ll find his thoughts, observations, musings, and menu selections. Day 4…
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Max's Tales from the Trail - Volume 3
Monday, September 15th
Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA, is currently riding his bike from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath trails, a 334.5 mile route free from traffic and motorized vehicles. He is chronicling his journey, and below you'll find his thoughts, observations, musings, and menu selections. Day 3…
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Max's Tales from the Trail - Volume 2
Monday, September 15th
Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA, is currently riding his bike from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath trails, a 334.5 mile route free from traffic and motorized vehicles. He is chronicling his journey, and below you’ll find his thoughts, observations, musings, and menu selections. Day 2…
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Max's Tales from the Trail - Volume 1
Friday, September 12th
Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA, is currently riding his bike from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath trails, a 334.5 mile route free from traffic and motorized vehicles. He is chronicling his journey, and below you'll find his thoughts, observations, musings, and menu selections (note: when…
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The Truth Behind the Anthem Moonlight Ride
Friday, August 22nd
By all accounts, the Anthem Moonlight Ride was a smashing success! See Richmond Outside's article and the latest Sports Backers' blog post on it. The largest bike ride in the Richmond region drew over 3,000 riders of all ages and abilities, including whole multi-generational families, to ride 8- or 17-mile courses, totally free of vehicles,…
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BWRVA at Richmond Public Library Summer reading and biking event!
Monday, August 18th
Bike Walk RVA would like to thank Richmond Public Libraries for having us at their finale event for the summer reading program, called Read, Rally, Ride! We set up a demonstration bike lane on Franklin St., conceptually similar to the actual bike lane planned for that street as part of the Franklin and Main St…
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Bike Walk RVA Academy will develop community of walking and biking supporters in Richmond
Monday, August 4th
New program will train community members to advocate for new bikeways and safer streets Bike Walk RVA (a branch of the Sports Backers) is launching the Bike Walk RVA Academy this fall, which is designed to recruit, train, and grow the number of people in Richmond who are effective spokespeople for safe and comfortable walking…
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Floyd Ave Bike/Walk Street moving into next phase
Thursday, July 17th
Tuesday night was the follow-up to the City’s first open house in May for what is now officially recognized as the Floyd Avenue Bike/Walk Street project (no longer “bicycle boulevard”). Over 300 residents and interested citizens attended the open house at which the consultant designing the project, Andy Boenau of Timmons Group, and City staff…
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Bike Month was a Great Success
Monday, June 9th
Bike month wrapped up to be the biggest it has ever been in Richmond, largely due to grassroots leaders like you who put on great events in their neighborhoods! Bike Walk RVA set National Bike Month, May, in motion with a Bike Month Volunteer social in April at which local residents could sign up to…