Public forum on Richmond Region’s Bike Future

A public forum on the Richmond Region’s Bike Future hosted by Bike Walk RVA and Partnership for Smarter Growth will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at the Science Museum of Virginia: At this educational, interactive forum, attendees will learn from keynote speaker Jim Sebastian, Manager of the Active Transportation Branch of the Washington, […]

September 17, 2013; 4:57 PM • by Fan of the Fan

A public forum on the Richmond Region’s Bike Future hosted by Bike Walk RVA and Partnership for Smarter Growth will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at the Science Museum of Virginia:

At this educational, interactive forum, attendees will learn from keynote speaker Jim Sebastian, Manager of the Active Transportation Branch of the Washington, D.C., Department of Transportation, about how our region can encourage bicycling as a daily transportation practice through infrastructure improvements. The forum will also feature a panel of guest speakers representing local public works and planning departments who will provide updates on bicycle and pedestrian planning in the Richmond region.

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This examination of the Richmond region’s bike and pedestrian infrastructure comes at a significant time. Biking is booming in the Richmond region – more people are biking for recreation and transportation each day, infrastructure improvements have been made to better facilitate biking as a viable means of transportation, and nearly half a million people from around the world will visit the Richmond region in 2015 to watch the UCI World Road Cycling Championships. However, despite the a burgeoning bike culture and planning efforts in the right direction, the region has only 18.25 miles of bike lanes and a bike commute share of 1.6 percent.

“The Richmond region has a lot of progress to make before the 2015 world cycling championships,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA for the Sports Backers. “In two short years, all eyes will be on Richmond and we don’t want to disappoint. We need to show the world that Richmond is a premier biking destination, not solely in how we host events or provide recreational opportunities, but in how we accommodate people who just want to get around by bike.”

Though the event is free, registration is preferred. The registration page for this event can be found here: http://rvabikeforum.eventbrite.com