When I hear people voice frustration at the slow pace of our developing bike infrastructure, my impulse is to share their discontent. After all, the Virginia Capital Trail project is going on its tenth year. But even though construction has had its delays, this project has been generating a different kind of progress; progress that will sustain a faster pace of change in the future.
In 2006, we cut the ribbon on the Greensprings phase in James City County. Soon afterward, neighborhoods across whose entrance the trail traverses morphed from a source of vocal opposition to places where residents formed walking and biking groups, where houses went on the market listing "walking distance to the Virginia Capital Trail" as an amenity, and where sponsors donated generously for a trailhead structure. We confirmed through our 2010 trailside survey that access to the Virginia Capital Trail influenced people's home-buying decisions, and 69% of respondents said the Trail "definitely" influenced their decision to visit the area.
We've also seen the construction of the 2-mile Powhatan Creek trail connect more neighborhoods to the Virginia Capital Trail. We know trails encourage more trails, and to see it happening in James City County makes a lot of people very happy.
In Charles City County, we've heard from Cul's Courthouse Grille that trail users are their core business. We've heard from residents, once fearful that the trail would bring crime and litter, that they're proud to show off their beautiful and historic county to trail users who take the time to read historical markers and meander down to the James River.
We've heard an elected official in eastern Henrico say, "I had no idea this is what the trail is about. This is a lifestyle issue, not a political one." Henrico County is already planning a spur from Dorey Park to the Virginia Capital Trail.
Even though we're still changing minds and we have more work to do, we've come a very long way. Once the Virginia Capital Trail is complete, change will be quick. We'll see new trails develop and new attitudes toward this one take over. The whole 55 miles will be a model for more, and hopefully a tipping point for the region as it becomes more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly.
So we're excited to be in the home stretch. Just over one year from now, we'll be looking at downtown Richmond, eastern Henrico, and Charles City County from a fresh new angle. And we'll be sharing space with all the others who now love our Trail.