A small RABA contingent took advantage of the invitation of the Park Superintendent to have a sneak preview of the trail on Saturday, prior to its dedication which is scheduled for Saturday morning, June 6th at 9:00 a.m., with Governor Kaine cutting the ribbon and leading the first ride on the trail.
We were all pleasantly surprised at how nice the trail is, and how nice the finely crushed stone surface is to ride on. A hybrid bike probably the ideal equipment for this surface, although I rode a road bike with 1 1/4″ tires and it handled the trail very well, so a mountain bike is not absolutely necessary.
The 10 mile segment of converted Norfolk Southern rail line that we rode on, west of Farmville, was very flat, through wooded terrain. [continue reading…]
The Alliance for Biking and Walking is asking everyone to contact their US congressman or congresswoman now, to ensure that bike-ped funding is included in the next federal transportation funding bill.
From the Alliance’s Jeremy Grandstaff:
Prioritize bicycling and walking in the Next Federal Transportation Funding Bill
Congress is writing a bill that will define our national transportation system for the next 6 years and we need your help to make sure that your Member of Congress weighs in on the transportation bill to support bicycling and walking.
Representative Daniel Lipinski (D, IL) is circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter proposing that the upcoming Transportation Bill, which is currently being drafted by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I), promotes and funds alternate transportation options. Representative Lipinski is asking his colleagues in the House of Representatives to join him in a call for increased federal funding for bicycling and pedestrian programs.
We are thankful for Congressman Lipinski’s efforts on behalf of cyclists nationwide and urge you to contact your Representative to ask them to join Mr. Lipinski and lend their voice to this important debate.
Please click here to contact your Representatives office today and urge them to sign onto Congressman Lipinski’s policy letter today.
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Cyclists may want to get involved in the planning process, but don’t know where to start. Who’s in charge of what? How do things actually get done?
The Virginia Dept. of Tranpsortation (VDOT) and the Dept. of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) have published a nice PDF document to explain all this:
http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/resources/Final_PI_Guide.pdf
It explains the planning process, who the various agencies are, and how they interact with each other, and with the public.
Help educate people in your own community by printing a stack of these to hand out at your next meeting, or event. If you ask nicely, your local government staff may even do it for you!
To find out why no charges were filed against the driver who killed Daniel Wayne Hersh, a group of Virginia Beach cyclists met with Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey Bryant. Apparently, “I didn’t see him” is still an acceptable excuse for killing a cyclist in Virginia. Wes Cheney’s blog has the story.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones joined hundreds of riders this morning for a Bike to Work Day ride in Richmond.
See the official press release, Governor Kaine Celebrates National Bike to Work Day.
From Champe Burnley: “It was a great ride. Despite questionable weather forecasts, hundreds of riders from across Richmond converged on Monroe Park. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Ralph Davis commented on the benefits of bike commuting.”
Bud Vye brought us some pictures: [continue reading…]
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