It’s no secret that Richmond is a haven for mountain bikers, city speedsters, and casual bike riders alike. But for less experienced bicyclists, ditching your Subaru for a Schwinn can be intimidating.
While the city is making an effort to improve protected bike infrastructure around Richmond, experts agree that bike accessibility has a lot of room to improve. In fact, in last year’s breakdown of Virginia’s best communities for biking, the River City only ranked No. 31 in the state.
As infrastructure continues to catch up, we collected tips from our readers on the best way to get around the city safely.
Map a course beforehand
If you’re new to two-wheel commuting, the best thing you can do is plan ahead before hitting the road. Consult a map to learn more about your area’s bike infrastructure, and — if possible — walk or drive the route first to get a sense of the road.
Online map services can be helpful, but as one reader put it, “you can’t always trust Google Maps to give you the safest biking directions.”
Find your favorite lanes
To boost your biking confidence, consider starting off-road at places like Bryan Park or the isolated East End stretches of the Virginia Capital Trail.
City bike infrastructure varies from protected bike lanes like those along East Franklin Street to designated bike-and-walk streets like Floyd Avenue. Everyone has their own comfort level, and once you start riding regularly, you’ll find your favorite routes.
One of our readers gave this tip on navigating the Southside:
“To get downtown, Westover Hills is a pretty neighborhood to ride through. On the return trip, ride through Woodland Heights (another beautiful neighborhood). Makes for a nice ride.”
Join a group
One way to get more comfortable biking around the city is to start with a group — as a reader put it, there’s “safety in numbers.”
Our readers suggested organizations like the Richmond Area Bicycling Association, Final Gravity Bike Club, Yawn at Dawn, Breakaway RVA, and the Broad Street Bullies.
Got more tips for us? We want to hear them.
