Transportation & You – How to Not Repeat the Mistakes of the Past

Gustavo and I were lucky enough to have attended the Controversy/History event at the Valentine on February 6th.  It was a look at the history of transportation development in Richmond, its impact on the people, and how we can mitigate potential negative consequences of future development (like the PULSE project).

The event was packed with information.  A surprisingly engaging night with very important discussions as we all connected on our shared experience on Richmond’s history and its future.

Below are several images in which The Valentine showed us the impact on neighborhoods during the building of the I95 Highway in the 1950’s.

We were fortunate enough to have a couple of Richmond residents in attendance that lived in the affected areas shown in the photos below.  They shared their stories about how interstate construction had a profound impact on families and destroyed life-long connections with friends and between families inside the community.

These are the before/after:

Trolley on 7th Street, between Franklin and Grace. c. 1890 V.51.01.95a The Valentine
800 W. Moore Street, Carver, August, 1955, V.91.42.1740
Site of Interstates 64 and 95

Get involved in the process.  These issues have a profound impact on the daily lives of Richmonders and we need to make sure that future plans serve the needs of the entire community.

From The Valentine, here are some action steps:

Practice Driver/Biker/Pedestrian Safety

• BikeWalkRVA has a great user guide
• Big push around Vision Zero.

Support

• Fly in and out of Richmond whenever possible. This is how we get additional routes and lower prices.

Learn more and Advocate

• Stay up-to-date on legislation and connect with your representatives.
• Connect with organizations like BikeWalkRVA or RVA Rapid Transit around issues you’re passionate about.
• Lots of “town hall” opportunities like the Valentine meeting and your local district meetings.

Volunteer

• Community Partnership Driver with CARITAS
• Senior Food Program Delivery Help with Better Housing Coalition
• Drive to Work: info@drivetowork.org

For more great upcoming events at the Valentine visit them at https://thevalentine.org/