Richmond is for Bikers

RICHMOND, Va. – For Scott Williams, when it comes to making a decision on how he commutes to campus, the advantages of biking to Virginia Commonwealth University outweigh the disadvantages.

“I get to speed, get to break traffic rules, there are no parking tickets, and not having the hassle of finding a parking space,” said Williams, a cyclist and student at VCU.

Brandon Manley, another cyclist and VCU student agrees.


“It can be nice because you don’t have to worry about finding parking around campus.”


These are some motives people choose to bike in the city of Richmond and Kimberly Likens Perry, executive director of Bikewalkvirginia.org, presents other reasons.

“When fuel prices went up to close to $4 a gallon, I saw a drastic increase in the Richmond area specifically in the number of people who were choosing to bike instead of driving their cars,” said Perry. “Now we’re more and more aware of the issues of obesity and the health problems that are linked with inactivity and think that people are seeking more ways to be active.”

With advantages, there always are some sorts of disadvantages that are presented. For cyclists it’s pretty much the same for everyone and after talking to a few of them, they all agreed that weather can be a huge factor and traffic can be bothersome.


Since the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and the economy is still not back to where it used to be, money is being saved in more ways than one by biking around Richmond.


Williams and Manley have seen a decrease in parking tickets and they have saved money in other areas.


“I used to average two to three parking tickets a semester,” said Williams. “I'm definitely saving gas money and time. Time is money, so I am saving a lot of it by biking and not having to waste it, searching for a parking space.”


“I averaged about three to four parking tickets a year,” Manley adds. “I haven’t had a parking ticket this year and also haven’t had to pay any garage fees, parking lot fees, and not buying gas as well.”


With the economy in the state that it’s in and gas prices constantly on the rise, people are trying to do what they can to save money, like cutting back on eating out or by using alternate means of transportation.


So does that mean that there has been a spike in bike sales due to people trying to save money?

Braden Govani, owner of Carytown Bicycle Company, says that it’s tough to tell because while there was a minor increase in sales when gas prices went up, most cyclists either have had some type of interest in biking or have been cycling all along. It’s hard to convert the regular SUV driver because here in the U.S., we have a car culture rather than a bike culture and cities have been built and spaced out based on transportation through car, Govani adds.


One reoccurring theme that was brought to attention was the safety factor, especially how the city is designed to accommodate the cyclist.


While both cyclists, Williams and Manley, agreed that they generally feel safe while biking in Richmond, they both say that one needs to be aware for the cars around. Some motorists disregard cyclist when on the road and don’t seem to share the road all the time.


This leads Govani to believe that Richmond lacks a good biking infrastructure.


“With the recent boom in the last 10 years of growth in cyclist, in Richmond of all different types, definitely the infrastructure has not caught up with that,” said Govani. “Very few cities have a really ideal infrastructure for biking.”


Safety is always a big issue no matter the subject but especially when you have to share the road, it can get dangerous. Perry of Bikewalkvirginia.org, says their survey in 2008, had concluded that Virginia had 716 bicyclists injured and 14 were killed. She also made it a point that these statistics had been on the rise, since the 2008 study.


It isn’t as simple as putting up a couple of signs or creating a bike lane. Govani thinks it isn’t feasible just to put a bike lane on any road. For instance, he says Broad Street is not an ideal street to ride anyway, even if it has a designated bike lane. The city has been built to accompany cars and that it would be difficult uproot the current infrastructure.


Yet, that’s what Bikewalkvirginia.org is trying to do. They have been gathering data through survey and presenting it to Virginia Legislation in order to create awareness of bicyclists and to gain some funding to make Virginia streets more bike friendly and safe.


Though not everyone is optimistic.


“I don’t expect a broke city to completely repave the streets,” said Williams. “The streets aren’t ideal for anyone, you can’t even walk here without tripping.”


Safety is a huge factor when it comes to cycling around the city, one should remember to ride responsibly, don’t take any risk, and always be aware of you’re surroundings.


Once the safety part of cycling is taken care of, a person can really reap the benefits from it since the advantages out weigh the disadvantages.


If interested in more information about cycling or cycling in Virginia, please check out these web sites.

BikeWalk Virginia -- http://www.bikewalkvirginia.org/

Richmond Area Bicycling Association -- http://www.raba.org/
 
Bicycling and Walking Program -- http://www.vdot.virginia.gov/programs/bk-info.asp

If interested in purchasing a bike, This is where Carytown Bicycle Company is located.

3224 West Cary Street.

Richmond, VA 23220