Last night someone tore down a lot of the temporary street cleaning signs that were put up by the City (as well knocking over a trash can or two and being an asshole in general).
Despite this, the City should be starting street cleaning with the west side of S. Laurel Street tomorrow. Beware, cars should be towed, as some blocks should really get cleaned of fallen leaves.
From City Council announcement:
First meeting of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force to be held
First meeting of this important Task Force
WHAT The first meeting of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force will be held. The purpose of the Task Force is to make recommendations to Richmond City Council with regard to enhancing mass transit in the Metro-Richmond area and the efficiency and effectiveness of the GRTC Transit System. This first meeting will serve as an organizational and planning session to develop a work plan for the Task Force. The meeting is free and open to the public and all citizens are invited and encouraged to attend.
WHEN Thursday, 12 January 2012
4:00-6:00 p.m.WHERE Richmond Police Academy
1202 W. Graham Road, Room 247
Richmond, Virginia 23220 (In Richmond’s Northside)
Free Parking is located in front of the building.WHO Members of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force
CONTACT For more information, please contact The Honorable Bruce W. Tyler, Councilman, Richmond City Council, West End 1st District,
at 804.357.6007; or bruce.tyler@richmondgov.com.Background ____________________________________________________________________________
Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force
Richmond City Council established the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force on September 27, 2010 by Richmond City Council Ordinance No. 2010-173-166.The objective of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force is to provide a report to Council within in a year of its first meeting which recommends the following:
1. Any legislation, plans, policies, and programs that promote efficient mass transit in the city;
2. Economic development, economic growth, employment and tourism strategies that include public transportation; and,
3. Public relations and education programs to increase public use of mass transit.
The Task Force shall also work with interested private organizations to improve the service and efficiency of the GRTC.
– E N D –
A few other points of information-
Oregon Hill’s bus route that came down to China Street was eliminated over a year ago, though you may still see bus stop signs in the neighborhood.
According to transportation application Abogo, the transportation cost for an average household in Oregon Hill is $629/month vs. a regional average of $844. While transportation CO2 impact for an average Oregon Hill household is 0.29 metric tons/month vs. a regional average of 0.78 metric tons.
The RVA Green roadmap for Sustainability, updated as of last month, has some recommendations for GRTC on its last few pages.
The Times Dispatch had a report on a recent Planning Commission meeting about the proposed 2nd Street Connector. It did not mention Oregon Hill citizens’ troubles with the project, but it did focus on concerns about what the road might mean for future use of the historic Kanawha Canal.
Excerpt:
The Richmond Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a final design for the estimated $1.3 million Second Street Connector despite concerns that the culvert may be too small to allow boats to pass if water flow could someday be restored to the canal.
“The purpose of the canal is to float boats. If we’re going to float boats on this canal, they’ve got to be able to pass this constriction,” said Jack Pearsall, who is trying to reignite interest in restoring a functional canal system stretching from Great Shiplock Park to Maymont.
Pearsall, who served on a Historic Richmond Foundation committee that studied the idea more than 20 years ago, estimated that the culvert would be about 12 feet high with only about 6 feet of clearance if water flow were restored. That means typical canal boats wouldn’t be able to pass, he said.
Meanwhile, C. Wayne Taylor has compiled some very interesting images of the canal area on his blog. They are well worth checking out. If nothing else, they give some perspective on how important this area has been to Richmond’s identity over the decades.
Which vision will City Council and City government ultimately align with, the citizens’ desire for a working, refurbished canal or another corporate driveway? Who does the City work for?
We have covered some trolley history here before, but this map may illuminate it further.
Planners at last Tuesday’s riverfront planning meeting were asked where the East Coast Greenway would be crossing the James River. According to their answer, the ECG’s route will come through downtown but then jog westward along the Canal Walk and come to the Lee Bridge.
Here’s an excerpt from a recent Treehugger.com post about this exciting bike trail development:
If you think highways and flight paths are the only ways to travel long distances in the United States, check out the East Coast Greenway. The network of bike trails and bikeable roads stretches nearly 3,000 miles down the eastern seaboard, from Maine’s border with Canada to Key West, Florida.
In the works since 1991, the route is officially complete, but still very much a work in progress. The goal of the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA) is to have it run entirely on dedicated traffic-free trails, but at this point, nearly three quarters is on regular, if calm, roads.
The ECGA does not create the trails itself, but rather works with local organizations and agencies in the fifteen states it traverses to bring route sections together and to ensure that they all meet the proper criteria. If you live on the East Coast or pass through for a visit, the ECGA provides maps and information for each state’s route.
While circuitous routes off-road trails are preferred to direct on-road ones, the Greenway remains an urban trail system. It is more concerned with transportation than recreation, and connects 25 major cities, including New York, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Raleigh, Charleston and Miami.
With James River Park leader Ralph White retiring, citizen input for riverfront planning may become even more important.
CITY OF RICHMOND Riverfront Plan
The Department of Planning and Development Review invites members of the public to attend the third Public Forum on the Richmond Riverfront Plan:
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
6:00 pm
Virginia War Memorial
621 South BelvidereThe Consultant Team from Hargreaves Associates will present a draft plan that outlines the overall design concept for Richmond’s riverfront, followed by an opportunity for public comment. The draft plan will describe public realm improvements, emphasizing pedestrian and bike connections, transportation corridors, and identification of anticipated future private development, with a prioritized plan for implementation.
The presentations from the first and second forums are available on the Department of Planning and Development Review’s webpage on the City website at www.richmondgov.com
Parking is available at the Virginia War Memorial, the adjacent Virginia Housing Development Authority, and along Second Street.
For more information contact
James Hill, City of Richmond
Telephone: (804) 646-7552
E-mail: James.Hill@richmondgov.com
As we look forward to Holly Street playground improvements, hope for green alleys and Idlewood roundabout, and stubbornly await OUR canal bridge, we might consider this discussion on Church Hill People’s News about proposed modifications of the Martin Luther King Bridge. (Click here for link)
How about Oregon Hill’s 195 overpass/bridges? Would we want to similar improvements? Or should we hold out for a bigger project to cover the 195 expressway completely, making the “highway” a tunnel and reclaim the space above?
A resident reports back from a new VCU Master Plan meeting (reposted here with permission):
Hi all-
I attended a meeting for community members wednesday afternoon to give initial concerns toward the new VCU masterplan getting ready to be shaped. Other community members from the Fan, Monroe Ward and MCV community were there as well.
There was an OVERWHELMING consensus among all the neighborhoods represented that past VCU administration had not kept their word on previous masterplans nor on individual agreements they had made with them.
I said that Oregon Hill REQUIRES a legally binding agreement to establish a boundary of Cary Street which VCU cannot cross. The moderators told the group that the current enrollment had leveled off and that they were concentrating on improving what they have, maybe adding up to 500 faculty members in the next 6 to 9 years.
Other concerns I brought forth were the need for the roundabout and 2 way traffic on Idlewood between Cherry and Harrison so VCU cars getting off the Downtown Expressway can turn to go toward the Harrison street parking deck without going through Oregon Hill causing congestion. In addition I stressed accountability for all of their facilities including the parking problems which were exacerbated by the building of the new rec center.
We desperately need support from our Councilperson on meeting these goals for improving quality of life issues in Oregon Hill regarding VCU’s presence.
Your neighborhood association meets every 4th Tuesday of the month at William Byrd Community House at 7PM. Please come out and get involved to make Oregon Hill a better place to live!
Thanks.
Personally, I do not suggest driving anywhere Saturday morning.
From announcement:
The Richmond Police Department asks motorists to be mindful of runners, parking restrictions and street closings because of the SunTrust Richmond Marathon this Saturday, Nov, 12.
Drivers need to be patient and on the lookout for runners along the routes.
Please be aware of signs restricting parking and detours throughout the city starting at 4 p.m. Friday and continuing through 5 p.m. Saturday.
The following streets will be closed during the designated times:
Re-posted from James River Hub News Hub (click here for post with links):
You are Invited to Join Venture Richmond for a Downtown Forum on Biking in RVA, Thursday, November 3, 5:30 p.m. at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia 232200.
One Stop Shop for all Things Biking in RVA
Hear updates on a number of biking initiatives in RVA. Mayor Jones has been a champion for biking in RVA and the City has taken the lead on a number of initiatives underway, ranging from hiring the City’s first Pedestrian, Bicycle and Trails Coordinator to landing the 2015 UCI World Road Cycling Championships and so much more. The Virginia Capital Trail Foundation is working on a trail head project at Great Shiplock Park and on the ¾ mile section between the completed portion Downtown and Rocketts Landing. VCU is working on a bike share program. Richmond 2015 is planning for 2015. And on and on!
Our presenters include: Jakob Helmboldt, Pedestrian, Bicycle and Trails Coordinator for the City of Richmond; Champe Burnley, co-chair Mayor’s Pedestrian, Bicycling and Trails Planning Commission; Beth Weisbord, Executive Director, Virginia Capital Trail Foundation; Tim Miller, Executive Director, Richmond 2015 Inc.; and Jacek Ghosh, Director of Sustainability, VCU.
Space is limited, so please register early. Click Here to register