Southside has a fairly decent bike lane network

A fairly useful network of bike lanes has taken shape in South Richmond, to the point where we can now talk about the quality of the lanes and identify the gaps in the system.

HERE IS A MAP of the current bike lanes and planned projects that will bring either new bike lanes or multi-use paths.

The safety of many of the lanes could be much improved. While some are seperated from vehicular traffic with painted space and plastic dividers, the gutter-style unseparated lanes along Forest Hill Avenue, southern Broad Rock Boulevard, and Jahnke Road beside traffic going 45mph or faster traffic is not conducive for many riders. None of the intersections with larger roads are handled well – with Carnation+Midlothian and German School+Midlothian being prime examples of the infrastructure just disappearing at a most dangerous spot.

There are still a number of gaps in the network.

Belt Boulevard from Midlothian to Hull Street is terrible for pedestrians and cyclists alike, with neighborhoods and apartment complexes to the south cut off from the commercial services along the corridor and at Southside Plaza. The area needs bike lanes and sidewalks or a good parallel multi-use path. Walmsley Boulevard, Midlothian Turnpike, and Hull Street are crying out for pedestrian and cycling improvements.

A full set of bike lanes or a multi-use path out Forest Hill Avenue to Bon Air connecting neighborhoods along the corridor to commercial services by the Chippenham crossing (Walmart, Target, Publix, Lowe’s, Truist) and at Hathaway (Food Lion, local restaurants) would be incredibly useful.

Projects planned for the semi-near future that will make a difference:

• The long-delayed Jahnke Road Improvement Project will remake that corridor from Blakemore Road to Forest Hill with an 8-foot shared use path, a 5-foot sidewalk, and a 16-foot median. This will connect the existing lane collection at Forest Hill/Westover Hills and the lanes at the other end of Jahnke, Hioakes, Carnation, and German School – and through there to the Warwick lanes that run across to Richmond Highway.
• Two projects will bring sidewalks and a shared use path to Hull Street from Warwick to Hey and Hey to Chippenham.
• The Forest Hill Phase II will fill the gap in the existing bike lanes on Forest Hill where the vehicular traffic is particularly fast moving. A few years ago this was set for 2031.
• The Hopkins Road bike lanes will fill a huge void for a north/south route.
• The future Fall Line Trail from the 9th Street Bridge to Commerce Road to Richmond Highway into Chesterfield is doing a lot of heavy lifting for that area. The projected date for the completed trail is 2031.
• The smaller James River Branch Trail and Crooked Branch Trail will add connectivity from Forest Hill Ave to Midlothian, Hull, and Hopkins. These are both scheduled to be completed in 2026.