Visit www.blueridgefriends.org for details

Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway is an epic ride every cyclist should do.

The Parkway is 469 miles of hills, vistas and adventure and is arguably one of the finest rides in  the US.

Starting in Afton, Virginia and ending in Cherokee, North Carolina, the road winds through some of the most scenic mountain settings in the Eastern US.   Some of the climbs seem never ending and the downhills are always  far too short.  With spectacular views of the Blue Ridge and surround valley,  this unique ride  along the ridge tops through the historic Valley of Virginia is like no other.

2010 marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Parkway and the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway are hoping to commemorate this special occasion with a Blue Ridge Parkway license plate.  FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a non-profit, volunteer organization that is dedicated to preserving and protecting the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The license plates costs $25 (in addition to normal Virginia licensing fees).  FRIENDS will receive a portion of the plate fee and then donate 100% of these proceeds to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The VBF is proud to be a friend of the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge and support their efforts.

For more information, visit the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway website.

The Roanoke Times recently featured an editorial   supporting Radford, Virginia’s efforts to step up maintenance efforts to  keep their trails clean, painted and  in good working order.

It seems that far too many localities make at least token gestures to paint stripes and build bike paths and trails only to see them quickly covered with glass, debris and trash,  making them dangerous and unusable.

Good job Radford.  Perhaps other localities in Virginia might follow your example.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) is proposing major policy changes to the Transportation Enhancement (TE) fund that could severely cut funding for bike and pedestrian projects in Virginia. I need you and your members to take a few minutes and send an email or note to the CTB and stop this before it’s too late.

We need you to send a note to the CTB opposing this by October 19.

Please ask the Chairman of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton (SEAN.CONNAUGHTON@GOVERNOR.VIRGINIA.GOV) and the entire Board to oppose these changes. Let them know that you want these funds to be used for core bike and pedestrian projects, not to develop scenic highway programs or to pay for tourist brochures.

Background

Each year, a portion of the federal Surface Transportation Program funds are set -aside for transportation enhancement projects. TE funds are one of the primary sources of funding for bikepaths, sidewalks and trail in Virginia. Normally, this amounts to $15 – $20 million per year

The CTB annually receives 150 – 200 requests for proejects each year but can only fund around 100 of these requests.

In July, the Governor asked that $4M – nearly a quarter of the available funds – be spent on, “high priority statewide initiatives (tourism based initiatives, etc.” to build tourist centers, and funding programs such as promoting scenic roads and cultural attractions. [continue reading…]

Join VBF for a weekend of training, strategizing, riding, and fellowship Nov. 12-14 at Sophia House, near Louisa, VA.

Stay the whole weekend, Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, or just for the main program on Saturday.

Details, speakers, etc., are still being finalized, but Saturday’s focus will be bike club development, including programs, participation, and membership. Club leaders from throughout Virginia are encouraged to attend. We’ll also discuss our legislative strategy for the upcoming Virginia General Assembly session. We’ll do some riding too, on the quiet backroads of beautiful Louisa County. [continue reading…]