Can Richmond Transition to a Multi-Modal City?
There's a whole lot of potential in Richmond, Virginia. This smaller southern city has many of the right ingredients for a walkable, bike-friendly city, says Dan Malouff at Beyond DC:
It’s small, with only a million people in its whole metro area, but it has a relatively large downtown and some very high quality urban neighborhoods.
But up until now, its weak transit system has helped make Richmond the kind of city where everyone drives everywhere. Fortunately, the city has a new plan that could change all that. Richmond leaders have proposed a dramatic expansion of its lackluster transit system -- built around a network of high-frequency bus lines. The city's also planning to build a system of bikeways to match, Malouff says:
The City of Richmond is drafting a new multimodal transportation plan. It builds on existing plans for a BRT line on Broad Street to propose a whole network of priority transit corridors. These would essentially be high quality surface bus routes, like WMATA’s 16th Street line. Not rapid, but not bad.
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 bikesharing network, and identifies locations for cycle tracks.
Protected bike lanes in Richmond, Virginia -- wouldn't that be something?
Elsewhere on the Network today: Greater Greater Washington shares the story of a right-hook near-miss that shows how misinformed many drivers are about how to interact with cyclists on the streets. Better Institutions explores the costs of America's hyper-strict passenger rail regulations. And The City Fix outlines three ways Seoul, South Korea, uses transit, coupled with a commitment to equity, to support a healthy city.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
‘We Don’t Need These Highways’: Author Megan Kimble on Texas’ Ongoing Freeway Fights
...and what they have to teach other communities across America.
Should Wednesday’s Headlines 86 SUVs?
American tax law encourages people to buy the gas-guzzling and deadly vehicles, but some in Canada are pushing to ban them.
Brightline West Breaks Ground on Vegas to SoCal High-Speed Rail
Brightline West will be a 218-mile 186-mile-per-hour rail line from Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga — about 40 miles east of downtown L.A. — expected to open in 2028.
Tuesday’s Headlines Fix It First
How voters incentivize politicians to ignore infrastructure upkeep. Plus, are hydrogen trains the future of rail or a shiny distraction?
Why We Can’t End Violence on Transit With More Police
Are more cops the answer to violence against transit workers, or is it only driving societal tensions that make attacks more frequent?
