Style Weekly
jake67
Member since Apr 14, 2011
Recent Comments
Re: “Is Boulevard the Next Short Pump?”
Please Richmond do not make this area a standard big box development with acres of surface parking! Mixed use and easy access by bicycle and foot as well as car is the way to go!
Re: “Richmond City Council Passes Bike Restrictions, Cyclists Protest”
In response to RIC dweller, I would add that riding on the sidewalk is a lot less safe for the cyclist than she or he thinks -- it's very easy to get hit by a car when you cross a street coming off of the sidewalk. That said, people ride on the sidewalk on Broad because the street itself is FAR from welcoming for bicyclists. If you want to ban riding on the sidewalk you need to provide a separated path along the road the give them an option that is (and feels) as safe as the sidewalk.
Re: “Richmond City Council Passes Bike Restrictions, Cyclists Protest”
I'm a bit stunned that no one commenting on this piece seems to have noticed the hundred or so bike racks that have been installed around the city. My bike is locked to one on Broad Street as I write this in a café, and a bunch have been installed in other parts of downtown. It's true that we need more (and more are on the way according to reports), but it's a bit much to claim that the city is providing no racks. What we also need, though, is a change in policy/law that will make it easier for businesses to install them on the sidewalk and give them an incentive to do so by mitigating the number of auto spots they're required to provide if they install bike racks.
Re: “Spaced Out”
It's crazy that the Fan should be a place dominated by cars. It's exactly the kind of neighborhood that should be (and probably is) appealing precisely because it's in the city -- a walkable and bikeable distance to all sorts of things, especially VCU and downtown. More frequent buses would help too, but just imagine what the parking situation would look like if most of the families realized they could get by with less than one car per adult in the household? It's not only doable, it also saves a lot of money and headaches.
Re: “Hit, Run and Learn”
I have to agree with Jake Helmboldt's point about how ridiculously easy it is to get the privilege to drive and keep it in this country. It should be much easier to lose that privilege if you violate the law, and it should be a serious offense if you drive without a license. I think Webb should have to take the bus, walk, or ride a bike to get around for the next 10 years after he gets out of prison. I don't think of these as punishment, but he should not be behind a wheel for a long time.
Re: “The New Majority”
If MJ12's view is representative, then maybe things haven't changed much after all. If it's the downtown expressway, for example, which was expressly built to get folks from the suburbs into the city at the cost of city residents (both monetarily and by devastating whole neighborhoods), then that's "our" road. But public transit is "yours"? If the counties fully participated in public transit, then it would be theirs too! MJ12's comments reflect the long-standing suburban view that their well-being is not connected with that of the city's poorest residents, and anything that serves city residents has nothing to do with them. It's a very short-sighted and provincial view.
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Re: “Bike Bliss”
Before everybody piles on with "waste of money" and "too complicated" arguments, please consider:
• Floyd will not have to be completely repaved to install diverters etc. Some work will occur at some intersections. Floyd west of Boulevard has yet to be repaved anyway. Also, the federal money will just go somewhere else if we don't use it; it won't be "saved" if this project doesn't happen.
• Floyd is "safe" for cycling only relative to really busy, dangerous streets. A bicycle boulevard on Floyd (in conjunction with the rest of the network of bikeways it will connect to in the future) is intended to make bicycling safe and appealing to people who are now hesitant. Studies show that a large number of people (as much as 60 percent of the population) would bike more for transportation if they felt safer. This project is a first step in that direction, and its success will mean less congestion for cars. It will also make for a very calm, neighborhood street for those who live on Floyd.
• Bicycle infrastructure is an absolute bargain, even when it involves some construction as in this case. If you are concerned about government waste, I suggest you look elsewhere, because bicycle infrastructure spending hardly registers in comparison to most everything else, especially other transportation spending. Check up on how much it will cost to add an HOV lane to I-95 north of Fredericksburg — and guess how long it will take before congestion is back to where it was before it was built.
• Cities in the U.S. are rapidly expanding cycling infrastructure that appeals to a wide range of riders, and they're doing it especially to attract creative, energetic people. It's not just Portland, Oregon and New York; it's Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Memphis and Madison. Richmond has a chance to be not entirely behind the times on this if we'll just be open-minded for once.