If you live in Henrico County, please read!

I got this today from RABA:

To all bicyclists and/or racers who live in Henrico County, VA:

The Richmond Area Bicycling Association (RABA) has been working with local government and the Virginia General Assembly for the past severalyears to promote bicycling in urban transportation plans. Now one of the state's most anti-bicycling counties, Henrico County, (anti-bicycling in that it has completely left out bicycling in any of its county planning and is ambivalent or at times hostile at attempts to include bicycling in its plans) is about to adopt its comprehensive plan for 2026. Henrico County has NOT heard from ANY bicyclist on theproposed plan! Therefore, the county has not accorded any planning for alternative modes of travel on the roads!

If you are a Henrico County resident and a bicyclist, RABA is strongly urging you to voice your support to include bicycling (e.g., making roads wider or include a bike lane, put up "share the road" signs) in the proposed 2026 Comprehensive Plan.

You can practice civic engagement with Henrico County in one of three ways:
1. Attend the LAST public meeting on the 2026 plan, Thursday, May 29, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Western Government Center, 4301 East Parham Rd, Richmond, VA 23228;

2. Complete an online survey, developed by the county, click on:http://www.co.henrico.va.us/planning/2026plan.htm Then click the blue hyperlink "Citizen Survey" in the top box area titled "Citizen Survey". There is a comments box at the end of the survey in which you can state that bicycling be included in any transportation plan or roadway enhancement.Also, this site has the draft documents for the 2026 plan, divided into chapters and also available for public comment.

3. Or, send an email to the Henrico County manager, Virgil Hazelett and/or all of the board of supervisors. Again, as an example for your email, you may address the lack of bike lanes in the countycomprehensive plan -or- now with high gas prices, citizens should be afforded a safe alternative to driving a car on the roads and that means providing safe access for bicycles. All comments are beingcompiled into a database that will be presented to the planners and board of supervisors.

Here are the email addresses for the Henrico County manager and each member of the board of supervisors:
manager@co.henrico.va.us, brookland@co.henrico.va.us, fairfield@co.henrico.va.us, threechopt@co.henrico.va.us, tuckahoe@co.henrico.va.us and varina@co.henrico.va.us

Bicyclists can make a difference if they get involved and make their concerns known. As racers and athletes, you depend on safe access to the road to train and the right to ride on the road. I urge you to domore than take for granted your right to ride; fight to preserve your right and create a better environment for future cyclists.