Plan on it

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: July 20, 2008

Just about every mile of pavement in Danville and Pittsylvania County — and throughout Virginia — is a bike lane. State law considers bicycles vehicles that are entitled to share the road with cars and trucks.

When gas was cheaper, most people scoffed at the notion of bicycles as a form of regular transportation. But bicycles are a viable transportation alternative in communities across the United States — and the world — that have fit them into their transportation planning.

The key word is planning, something the Dan River Region has done in the absence of a groundswell of community support for two-wheeled travel — or money to do many of the things that other communities have done to make their towns bike friendly.

The Riverwalk Trail is the impressive centerpiece of Danville’s efforts, and it can be used as a springboard for more bicycle use in the city.

But it has taken years to build the Riverwalk Trail, a reminder of the long-term effort and methodical planning required for these types of projects.

That kind of effort and planning is seen in the proposed Robertson Bridge, which will replace the old bridge’s two sidewalks with a single, multi-use lane for bikes and pedestrians that’s separated from traffic by a concrete barrier.

Eventually, the city hopes to extend the Riverwalk Trail west to the Robertson Bridge.

Danville has also continued to work toward being a more bike- friendly community by painting bike lanes and reminder icons with arrows on local streets, but nothing can match $4-per-gallon gasoline to get people interested in transportation alternatives.

“We’re hoping to give city residents another alternative to transportation instead of just the car because of gas prices … and for the health of the city,” said Karen Black, an engineer with the Public Works Department. “… We’ve been poring over the maps trying to determine the best (way) to get people to primary places.”

But it’s not easy, in part because our community — like so many others in this country — were built to accommodate automobiles, not bicycles.

Consider someone who lives just north of the city in the Blairmont community and works near downtown Danville.

How would that person get to work on a bike?

An experienced cyclist might fearlessly ride with Piney Forest Road traffic, but most people won’t try that.

Our ficticious Blairmont resident would probably have to follow Business 29 into the city and then ride through the neighborhoods of north Danville before reaching Riverside Drive and the Riverwalk Trail.

But at work, the bicycle commuter would still need a place to store the bike and a shower.

All that sounds complicated, but it’s really not. Bicycle commuting happens all over the country in cities where government and businesses have worked to reduce traffic congestion and improve worker health and productivity by supporting bicycle commuting.

But it takes a lot of effort and can’t be done a few months after gas prices hit $4 per gallon.

Danville’s marked bicycle lanes are a reminder that cyclists have a place on our streets but there’s a lot more to do to make this a bike-friendly city.