Richmond Can Again Lead On Transit Innovation

Recently, a study by Quote Wizard ranked the “Best and Worst Drivers By City.” Richmond’s drivers ranked 10th. Buried within the study was a little heralded fact. Per TRIP — a nonprofit transportation think tank founded in 1971 — 65% of Richmond’s major roads are in poor condition. In other words, Richmond is in dire
need of transportation infrastructure investment.

Rather than thinking of this as a burden, let’s think of this as an opportunity. Let’s become leaders in urban transportation. We’ve done it before. More than 130 years ago, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway (RUPR) opened. This system, honored in 1992 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers as a IEEE Milestone, operated for 71 years. Richmond’s system heralded a new era. By 1895, 900 electric street railways and 11,000 miles of track had been built in the United States.

Mass transit, here in Richmond? It can work. The 71-year success of the RUPR proves that mass transit can work in our city. Today, the Pulse is proving that it can work again. Let’s build on this. Imagine a multimodal system built for people instead of cars. Such a system might incorporate light rail, bus rapid transit, good old-fashioned buses, bike lanes, bike paths so extensive they form a bicycle superhighway and, as its hallmark, an emphasis on pedestrian safety. There might even be entire streets closed to cars. We already have a few at Virginia Commonwealth University.

A logical place to begin? The proposed Ashland-to-Petersburg bicycle trail. If connected to the Capital Trail — with extensions to Short Pump, Midlothian and Mechanicsville — then Richmond has its own bicycle superhighway. Other trails might even be built to connect these places directly. As people realize there are better options than driving, our city will be transformed.

Originally printed on as a letter to the editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Click here to view.