USBR 76 Realignment Proposal

Thanks to everyone who sent in comments over the past week and came to the meeting on Tuesday afternoon (with snow coming down!) to look at shoring up USBR 76 in Charlottesville.

At the meeting we looked at the route turn-by-turn and tried to decide on a proposal for the best single route. Major considerations included 1) avoiding high speed/volume auto traffic, 2) maximizing exposure to local points of interest, 3) keeping a generally direct course, and 4) minimizing left turns on major roads. Below is the route we came up with.

Please take a look and let us know what you think over the next week by posting to this blog or emailing vince@transportationchoice.org.

We spent alot of time discussing the section between Avon/Garret and W. Main/Ridge, and also the proposed alternate route through UVa. Stephen Bach has written up a wonderful background to justify the alternate route through UVa. Your feedback on these sections would be very helpful.

Our goal is to get signs up on the improved route in time for the VBF's Cross-State Ride in May!

What's the best cross-town cycling route in Charlottesville?

The current US Bicycle Route 76 and TransAmerica routes as they pass through Charlottesville are shown in the map below. Everyone would love to see "Bike 76" signs (right) put up along US Bicycle Route 76, just as they mark the route in Albemarle and the rest of VA, but having the two different routes here is confusing. The two routes are identical through most of the rest of Virginia. The ideal outcome for Charlottesville is for the two routes to merge into the single best (and possibly different) route, and to get that signed.

As local cyclists who know these roads best, ACCT and Charlottesville Parks and Rec would like to compile your route suggestions into a recommendation to VDOT and the national agencies who oversee these routes. They too are interested in seeing the two routes reconciled into one. There are several layers of process to go through, but we may be able to get changes approved and the signs up in time for summer cycling season. What do you think is the best bicycle route to cross Charlottesville east-west (it can be one of the existing routes or an entirely new one)?

Post your comments here or send them to me at vince@transportationchoice.org. We'll have a public meeting to discuss them next Tuesday, February 10th at 430PM at the City Hall Annex, Parks & Rec Conference Room.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions (295-6554).

Let's make Charlottesville a great place for cross-country cycling tourists!

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For more information on the history and future of US Bicycle Route 76, the TransAmerica, and US Bicycle Routes in general, visit the Adventure Cycling Association. A whole system of US Bicycle Routes is emerging! A recent post by the US Bicycle Routes Coordinator is especially helpful. Also, the Virginia Bicycling Federation is a great resource and steward of Virginia's bicycling routes. Check out the Cross-State Ride coming up in May!

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Do you love bicycles?

"Kickstand is a zine written about bicycles by the people who love them. It's not a repair zine, or a how-to, but one-page stories of adoration for bikes." - Microcosm Publishing, Bloomington, IN

The Kickstand crew of Community Bikes, ACCT and friends is kickin' together some fabulous plans for their new bike zine, Kickstand No. 2. Would you like to be a part of it?

we need:
bike stories
commuter thoughts
poems
pictures
sketches
inspirational bike projects, etc

Please send all submissions to Patrick C:
ptack.costello (@) gmail (dot) com
By Feb. 15th

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