RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond will host its fourth speed management symposium in two years this Thursday as part of National Bike Month.
The event, scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Main Street Station on East Main Street, is an educational opportunity to engage with the city’s Department of Public Works about street safety and roadway design.
Bike Walk RVA, Richmond Police, and VDOT will have information booths to further discuss road safety concerns.
"We need everyone to work together to slow down and create a culture of safety in our city and reverse the deadly trend of speeding," the city wrote in a press release.
Natalie Rainer, engagement manager with Bike Walk RVA, emphasized the importance of community involvement in road safety initiatives.
"People are asking for more improvements to their roadways. They want to be safe walking and biking. They want to be able to walk across the street and get dinner with their family, rather than having to get in the car and drive over a quarter mile," Rainer said.
While overall traffic incidents have decreased, Rainer noted that serious dangers remain for cyclists and pedestrians.
"The crashes that are happening are still fatal or people are getting terribly injured, and a lot of this has to do with speeding and distracted driving," she said.
The city's Safety Camera Program, installed in 13 school zones on high-injury streets, has notified 63,000 speeders of reckless behavior during school arrival and dismissal times since last year.
Making roads safer requires multiple approaches, according to Rainer, including roadway diets, protected bike lanes, more visible crosswalks, and better street lighting.
"We want our decision makers to consider roadway design as a way to keep people safe. If we design streets that encourage slower speed, then that kind of solves multiple problems at the same time," Rainer, who was severely injured in 2022 when an impaired driver hit her and killed her riding partner as they cycled in eastern Henrico on a Saturday morning, said.
Despite efforts to reduce preventable injuries, speed remains the common factor in these tragic incidents, according to city officials.
"The city is working to manage speeding with tactical measures, such as, increasing traffic calming measures and improving safety for people who walk and roll, using low-cost, systemic, quick build improvements that provide immediate safety benefits through changing the built environment, reducing speed limits, and applying enforcement; the city needs community involvement," the city said in a statement.
The symposium will feature presentations on Vision Zero, Richmond Connects, roadway safety projects, insights from Richmond Police, and a Q&A session.
Those interested in attending can RSVP here.
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