Richmond: Cycling Capital?

Richmond is about to embark on a crash course to become a world-class city for bicyclists:

Last month, Richmond won its bid to host the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, bringing the nine-day event to the United States for the first time since 1986. The elite racing series is projected to have an economic impact of $86 million in town, and $130 million in the region. But more importantly, bike advocates in Richmond, including its recently converted mayor, Dwight Jones, are hoping the event will prompt new bike infrastructure, new bike commuters, new jobs in bike-related industries, and even new businesses interested in relocating to a “bike-friendly” city.

Currently, Richmond only has about three miles of bike lanes, and just 2.2 percent of people commute to work by bike according to the most recent census estimates (Helmboldt, though, adds that he’s cautious of census statistics on this question). The James River that cuts through Richmond also makes cross-town biking difficult. [...]

So the city has committed to building new infrastructure to accommodate the championships (which will run primarily through a 10-mile circuit within the city’s urban core), but it’s also planning to use the championships as an excuse to ramp up bike routes and programs not necessarily intended for the international cycling elite. By 2015, the region plans to have completed a 52-mile paved trail from the state capitol in Richmond to the old capitol of Williamsburg, so tourists will be able to take in the entire Virginia “Historic Triangle” without setting foot in a car.

Richmond also plans to expand the trails along its riverfront, knit together its existing greenways, and install more bike lanes and bike parking, all while rolling out outreach programs that will help translate cycling from an international spectator sport into a local commuting solution.

One-time events often don't have the impact their sponsors tout (see: the DC Le Mans fiasco in 2002). But if this race is an excuse to give Richmonders a cheap, easy, zero pollution way to get around, why not? Heck, I don't even own a bike, but a Richmond-to-Williamsburg ride sounds like a fun weekend. Will there be any brewpubs near the trail?

Flying Squirrels Finally Get Their Due

Arlington has a thriving population of flying squirrels, with an extremely popular meet the squirrels program at Long Branch Nature Center.

Now Richmond's new minor league baseball team is paying tribute to the local rodents, with the Flying Squirrels slated to begin play next season. Thanks to MinorLeagueBaseball.com, here's the AA team's new logo:

How Many Cops Does It Take To Monitor a Clean Energy Rally?

Here's a great video of a clean energy rally in Richmond that The Green Miles attended recently:



Digg users can vote this up here!

CCAN Delivers Mile-Long Petition for Clean Energy. Will Dominion Listen?

The Green Miles was in Richmond this afternoon for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network's rally at Kanawha Park! About 200 climate activists gathered in the shadow of Dominion Virginia Power's headquarters to deliver CCAN's Mile-Long Petition for Clean Energy.

It was a great mix of people, from college students to business people to community activists from Wise County, site of Dominion's proposed $1.8 billion coal-fired power plant. As Richmond City Councilman Marty Jewell told the crowd, we can't possibly hope to confront global warming if we're investing billions of our money in a power plant that would spew 5.4 million tons of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere every single year.

Strangely, there was a strong police presence, about a dozen officers including four mounted patrols. Were they worried we were going to go all Seattle WTO on them?

Not a strong presence - local media. One TV photojournalist came straggling in after the petitions had already been delivered and started videotaping the band. Better late than never, I guess?

Check out more photos from the event!

Cool Reusing Idea: Free Book Box

Recently I was in Richmond and noticed this:

It's a box filled with books, put there by an organization called Books on Wheels. It seems like a great way to promote reading among people who might not have disposable income to use on books.

There are plenty of environmental benefits in getting another use out of the paper in the books. Even the box itself looks like it may have been recycled from a previous life as a free magazine dispenser.