# commuting in Richmond Va



## luvmybike

who out there lives in or knows Richmond? We are relocating there in late June. I have only been there once for the job interview. I am going to be working downtown at both Capitol Square (I think that it what it is called) and VCU. It looks like to me if you live west of the James river that getting across the river is a reall pain. We are looking to find someplace north of town, I think... Any thoughts on the commutability of the city and safe routes around town... And I guess riding in general... Bike paths, good road rides,mountain bike rides... and any good bluegrass jams I can hook up with!!!


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## KillerQuads

*Bike Commuter In Richmond*

I've been commuting to work in Richmond for 4 years. When you said "West of the James River" I laughed, because that is not how we divide the city. People here are either North or South of the River. The Fan is the part of the City just west of downtown, named for the streets that fan out from the center of town. The West End is further west and is where I live. The Far West End is Suburbia and is a high growth area with lots of car traffic. The North Side has some flooding and crime problems, but some beautiful old houses. The East End is the most rural, but is also growing rapidly. The Southside is everything South of the River, which is a huge sprawling Suburban mess. You would have to cross a bridge to get from the South Side to downtown.

Richmond is a good size town for bike commuting as most of the areas are within 10 miles of downtown, except the Far West end and some of the Southside. I would recommend the Fan or Near West End. The roads in Richomd are narrow, often with zero paved shoulder, distracted and aggressive drivers, and very few bike commuters. There are a few wide avenues and boulevards that are my mainstay of commuting. Monument Avenue and Shokoe Slip have cobblestoned streets if you are into that.

My commute goes from the Near West End to the SouthSide and is 12 miles oneway. I cut across the campus of the University of Richmond (well before classes start), ride towards downtown on Grove Ave, turn South on "the Boulevard", cross the James River on the Boulevard Bridge (nicknamed the nickle bridge, althought the car toll is now 25c, not a nickle, bikes are free), climb a steep hill on the side walk out of the James River Valley, and ride on Belt Blvd to get to my Hospital office.

The Nickle Bridge is an example of the problems commuting in Richmond. There is a separate walkway parallel to the roadway. If you ride on the roadway, the toll booth operators yell at you. You are supposed to walk (not ride!) your bike on the walkway. Everyone rides on the walkway of course (slowing for pedestrians), but you could get a warning or ticket for riding your bike. A crazy jogger lady confronted me with the blunt end of a sawed off pool cue one morning (nice!). The walkway is littered with glass and the narrow sidewalk climb is lined with poison ivy. The view of the James River is nice though. I think we are the only US major City with class 2 rapids, or something to that effect. Belt Blvd has major pavement ripples along the curb and I had to report an aggressive school bus driver. Most car drivers are used to me by now and give me room. Out of the 2,000 plus hospital employees, just me and one other doctor commute by bicycle. Sad! It is definately a car culture here in Richmond, not a bike culture.

On weekends I ride west on Patterson Ave to the West Creek Parkway which is a scenic business park with a lake, hills, trees, and other bikers. We have lots of good bike shops including Performance, Rowlett's, Conte's, 3 Sports, Agee's, and Goodly's.


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## luvmybike

Ok... Now that I looked at the map I can see why you divide things north and south of the river. My wife is going to be working at or near the Innsbrook Corporate Center near Broad St. (labeled as 250 on the map) and 295. We are looking to settle anywhere along a swath that starts what must be near where you are (Parham and Patterson avenue) then going NE towards Broad and 295 and then on around to maybe as far east as 301 or cumberlayne rd. This is all based on School district and scores which is all we really have to go on. So I am assuming the area of parham and patterson is considered near west end? I think this would keep me somewhere close to with in 10 miles of right downtown. There is a running/bike path along the river on the north side how far north does that go? We have been told to stay away from Richmond city schools. No offense to Richmond City schools but when you are coming in with little knowledge of the town, you gotta go with what you got. 

Thanks I really appreciate it and this helps solidify which direction to head. I did drive out Patterson past the West Creek road and though that area look good for riding. I am used to small roads in Ohio and can handle that but I don't think I want to cross one of those bridges for commuting...


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## KillerQuads

Innsbrook is in the congested Far West End, VCU is in the fan, and VCU Hospitals is downtown. If you both want to bike commute and have kids, you would probably want to live in the near West End in Henrico county. I forgot to mention that Richmond's mountain bike trails are highly rated by the Xterra Games riders. Riverside drive is good for running/biking and runs along the Southside of the James River. Crossing the Nickle Bridge can be a challenge sometimes, but it's not difficult and I do it twice a day. The view is great!


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## Hunter-Va

I lived in Richmond for 3 years ending last year.

I went from the Boulevard to VCU a couple of times a day. There is not pre-built infastructure for bicyle commuting, you ride with traffic.

I use to take Cary St. all the way to school. Thats where my problems happen. Any other street parallel is a better commuter street (as I found out after year 1). All typical commuter hazards apply. I never got a door opened on me while riding by parallel parked cars, but it was my biggest fear and almost happend a number of times. California stops (aka not stopping) is the regular there in the fan for cars and bikes, as is blowing through train crossings when the gates are down but a train is not near enough. 

The snow is wicked, nobody can drive in it and it narrows the width of the road you can ride on. I am guilty of wiping out a Suburban owners passennger side mirror on the way to school one morning. My only other problem was with a DHL driver who tried to pull over to deliver a package, except I was inbetween the parked cars and his van. I physically slapped his van until he didn't grind me into parked cars. He was pissed, we almost got into a fist fight after trading words.

The other thing to watch out for is in your typical "hood" areas to get a yell from a porch and a chase, all started by a "hey thas my bike" comment by someone who obviously doesnt own the bike.

I love Freecycle on Cary between the boulevard and Robinsion. Free type shop, with good wrehnch turners and a nack for extra beers or food as payment (bike parts too)

Hunter


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## rad707

hey guys,

thinking about moving back to richmond (used to go to school there). may be working off patterson avenue in goochland and may consider moving the family to tuckahoe. that would mean i use patterson for a commute. 

does patterson have a bike lane from the Ukrops to 280? just curious. i don't remember being out there much when in school. 

if it doesn't have a lane, is it bike friendly?

thanks...


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## KillerQuads

*Patterson Ave*

I ride on Patterson Ave all the time, especially on weekends and days off on my circuit of the West Creek Parkway, which is a business park in Goochland county popular with runners and cyclists. Patterson has a rough bike lane from Parham to Lauderdale. It would be nice if it have a longer, smoother bike lane. It is a divided road with a grassy median and two lanes in each direction, so cars can get by me. Unfortunately Patterson now connects with highway 288. Drivers to and from 288 now drive on Patterson like its a super highway. I have noticed a step up in car speed and fewer bicyclists. More people are loading their bikes in cars to get to West Creek. I still ride there on Patterson and it is still safe enough for me.


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## gowencm

I've been in grad school at VCU since August, and I commute almost every day (that's no big task really, i live maybe 2.5 miles away in the fan). Anyway, IME the drivers here are really pretty receptive to bikes, especially in downtown and the fan. Like anywhere, the further you venture into suburbia, the more hostile the drivers. Like others have said, the fan or the near west end would be a nice area well within cycling reach of downtown. However, personally I wouldn't discount a good place south of the river. I sometimes take a long way to work by backtracking to U of Richmond, crossing the river on the Huguenot bridge (edit: I should point out that this bridge is pretty scary and I'd avoid it for daily commutes) and following Riverside Dr. east to Belvedere. The bridge where Belvedere crosses the river has a nice wide shoulder that I feel pretty comfortable on, and Riverside Dr. is a beautiful ride that I'd feel lucky to "have to" take to work every day. Good luck in your move, hope you love Richmond as much as we do.


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## NursMB

Question for other Richmond road bikers. Where are good places on Southside to ride a road bike. I am attempting to ride a 65 mile ride in April and having a hard time with finding routes and places to go.


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## KayTee

NursMB said:


> Question for other Richmond road bikers. Where are good places on Southside to ride a road bike. I am attempting to ride a 65 mile ride in April and having a hard time with finding routes and places to go.


Southside and Chesterfield suburbia are tough, traffic is heavy and not very bike-friendly. If you're looking for distance and can't cross the James, you might be better off riding in rural Powhatan Co., Amelia Co., or in the Waverly area. Check out www.raba.org, the Richmond Area Bicycling Assoc. web page, for their club routes. A few are on Southside, including a weekly ride from Powhatan Courthouse. Good luck.


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## rellimreeb

luvmybike said:


> who out there lives in or knows Richmond? We are relocating there in late June. I have only been there once for the job interview. I am going to be working downtown at both Capitol Square (I think that it what it is called) and VCU. It looks like to me if you live west of the James river that getting across the river is a reall pain. We are looking to find someplace north of town, I think... Any thoughts on the commutability of the city and safe routes around town... And I guess riding in general... Bike paths, good road rides,mountain bike rides... and any good bluegrass jams I can hook up with!!!


Welcome - I commute from south of the river, and the primary crossing point if the Hugenot bridge, and it's pretty hairy. two lanes, high curb on your right. I just knuckle down an scoot across as fast as I can. Lots of local rides, you'll be fine there. Good idea to move north of town. To be perfectly honest, the lack of bike routes, shoulders, etc kept me off the road here for many years. Not the most bike friendly city if you're used to the nice wide bike lanes you'll find out west.


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## rellimreeb

NursMB said:


> Question for other Richmond road bikers. Where are good places on Southside to ride a road bike. I am attempting to ride a 65 mile ride in April and having a hard time with finding routes and places to go.


the saturday spin mafia ride is a good one. be forewarned - they'll drop you like a bad habit - happens to me often. but it's a great bunch

http://www.teamnaturespath.com/rides.html - there's a link here


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## hfc

Hey Miller - a safer option you might try is to ride along Cherokee Rd, follow the river, where it ultimately turns into Riverside, I think (it's been 4 yrs since I lived there). You have t take about a 1 mile stretch along Forest Hill but then you duck off back to Riverside and pop out beside the Nickel Bridge. 

Huegenot Bridge always scared the bejeezus out of me.


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## rellimreeb

hfc said:


> Hey Miller - a safer option you might try is to ride along Cherokee Rd, follow the river, where it ultimately turns into Riverside, I think (it's been 4 yrs since I lived there). You have t take about a 1 mile stretch along Forest Hill but then you duck off back to Riverside and pop out beside the Nickel Bridge.
> 
> Huegenot Bridge always scared the bejeezus out of me.


That's a very good idea. I work on the west end, so that would add another 5-8 to the commute, but that's no biggie. I'm going to ride in tomorrow, so I may map that out today. 

Hugenout bridge is OK, in the AM. When I commute, I'm hitting it around 6:30AM, so the traffic's light, and since it's downhill in the AM, you can hit the bridge moving pretty much with traffic. The afternoon is definitely a test of nerves. Goofy thing is, when I finally went down hard commuting, it was on a straight/quiet stretch of road with no traffic.


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## cantdog

Why not just ride on the sidewalk on the Hugenout Bridge? I'll be the first to admit that I hate riding on sidewalks, but I've seen drivers be aggressive towards cyclists on that bridge, and personally, I'd just assume play it safe for the few hundred feet.


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## gowencm

I always do ride the sidewalk across that bridge, but at least southbound, the sidewalk doesn't feel much safer. At least going south, the "ramps" up to and down from each sidewalk are very steep and poorly paved, especially with steady 45mph traffic 2ft to your left. I often end up dismounting and walking the bike up onto the sidewalk. Everytime i've done that bridge traffic has been too heavy for me to feel comfortable holding up traffic. There'd be 50 cars behind me by the time i got across, and I don't like those odds. So i do agree the sidewalk in this case is the lesser of two evils, but i'd still count it as evil. 

While we're on the topic of bridges, does anyone actually dismount for the walk across the Nickel (Boulevard) Bridge? I did once, but after the 15min involuntary break in my ride, I've broken the law ever since.


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## rellimreeb

gowencm said:


> I always do ride the sidewalk across that bridge, but at least southbound, the sidewalk doesn't feel much safer. At least going south, the "ramps" up to and down from each sidewalk are very steep and poorly paved, especially with steady 45mph traffic 2ft to your left. I often end up dismounting and walking the bike up onto the sidewalk. Everytime i've done that bridge traffic has been too heavy for me to feel comfortable holding up traffic. There'd be 50 cars behind me by the time i got across, and I don't like those odds. So i do agree the sidewalk in this case is the lesser of two evils, but i'd still count it as evil.
> 
> While we're on the topic of bridges, does anyone actually dismount for the walk across the Nickel (Boulevard) Bridge? I did once, but after the 15min involuntary break in my ride, I've broken the law ever since.


stupid question, but how do you catch the sidewalk heading south? Ironically I've ridden over that bridge more than I've driven over it, and my focus tends to be straight ahead.


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## gowencm

*right of the siderail*

actually, it's not completely obvious. As you approach it, just before the siderail a narrow dirt path branches off to the right of it. Here are a couple of pics of it from a ride last summer.


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## rellimreeb

gowencm said:


> actually, it's not completely obvious. As you approach it, just before the siderail a narrow dirt path branches off to the right of it. Here are a couple of pics of it from a ride last summer.


Awesome - thanks


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## cantdog

Its surprisingly steep in that direction as you can see, but the fun part is at the other end, there isnt a little ramp, just a 6-8'' drop down onto sand. That was a bit of a surprise the first time.


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## rellimreeb

cantdog said:


> Its surprisingly steep in that direction as you can see, but the fun part is at the other end, there isnt a little ramp, just a 6-8'' drop down onto sand. That was a bit of a surprise the first time.


I rode the sidewalk home this evening. It was humiliating, but much less stressful. That drop would have been a nasty suprise, but I had to stop for a jogger who stopped just past the sidewalk - lucky for me. 


the sidewalk's certainly an acceptable compromise in the evening. In the AM, it's just as easy to ride w/ traffic.


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## hfc

Nickel Bridge - I would ride on the sidewalk usually when commuting (often rode out to the VA hospital) - had a cop honk at me once but never stopped otherwise; just had to make sure I was very considerate to the walkers.

When on my road bike I would usually stay on the road going northbound, you can pretty easily maintain 35+ going down the hill and it's a short hammer up the other side until it turns into 2 lanes.


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## hfc

Also just remembered you can cross the river at Belle Isle too but it involves some riding on the gravel trail along riverside.


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