VBF president Champe Burnley and Richmond councilman Doug Connor appeared on PBS’s Virginia Currents to talk about rail-trails — especially the James River Branch Trail, a new rails-to-trails project in Richmond.

The new trail will run for 2.3 miles through the south side of the city on an abandoned CSX railway line, which, as the video shows, is currently suffering from illegal dumping. The new trail promises to clean up and revitalize the area, and tie into an interconnected network of local, regional, and even national trails. [continue reading…]

Riders on the VA Creeper Rail-to-Trail Near Damascus, VA

Virginia continues to add rails-to-trails projects to its already rich inventory of trails and greenways across the Commonwealth.  Rails-to-trails offer citizens of all ages and fitness levels trails for walking, cycling, exercise, outdoor pleasure and alternative transportation in localities across the Old Dominion.

As  recently featured on PBS’s Virginia Currents television magazine, the James River Branch Trail in South Richmond is just the latest example of another rail-to-trail to potentially be added to the hundreds of miles already in Virginia’s inventory.

According to the Rails to Trails Conservancy, Virginia has 32 rail-trails totaling 283 miles.  There are another 12 active projects which, when completed, will add 69 additional miles of trails in the Commonwealth.  Some of Virginia’s best examples of rails to trails include the Virginia Creeper Trail, the New River Trail, the W&OD Trail, the newly opened High Bridge Trail and the extensive Tobacco Heritage Trail project. 

Nationally, there are 1,631 open rail-trails totaling over 19,578 miles! Another 724 projects are in development which, when completed, will add about 8700 additional miles.

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The 8th annual International Ride of Silence will take place Wednesday, May 18, at 7pm. Cyclists around the world will convene at for local memorial rides, to honor those injured or killed while bicycling. Participants will wear black armbands and ride together, parade-style, in silence, for several miles.

This event is always the third Wednesday in May.

So far, these Rides of Silence are planned for Virginia:

• Broadway
• Fredericksburg
• Hampton
• Harrisonburg
• Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach
• Radford
• Virginia Beach

While the ride itself is solemn, it’s an inspirational event that’s often followed by a festive get-together, in the tradition of an Irish wake. We encourage all cyclists to participate in their local Ride of Silence, or to organize one if there isn’t one.

For more information about scheduled rides, click the links above, and check the Locations section of the Ride of Silence website. Check back for new listings, or submit your own event. List your event on this page too — drop us a note, or just put it in the comments section below. You can use basic HTML to add links.

Pedestrians and cyclists on the Huckleberry Trail near the New River Valley Mall

The Huckleberry Trail connects Blacksburg with Christiansburg, and is very popular for both recreation and commuting. Currently it runs for about 6 miles from downtown Blacksburg to the new River Valley Mall.

Extending the trail from the mall to the Christiansburg Recreation Center has been the region’s top bike-ped priority. The right-of-way is available, but crossing Hwy. 114 (Peppers Ferry Rd.) requires a bridge, for which there hasn’t been enough funding — until now.

Christiansburg resident Renva Weeks Knowles, who died in 2007 at the age of 95, has left a donation of about $1M to construct the Huckleberry Trail bridge.

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