Surveys and Portals
Sometimes the hardest part of believing that Norfolk, or for that matter any American city, could radically improve its cycling infrastructure for the better is understanding that even if it did, the process required would be long and involved. This was highlighted during my recent discussions with the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) in that their foremost recommendation for those aiming to effect transportation policy and resource allocation changes was to participate in their now-closed 2050 Long-Range Training Plan (LRTP) survey. To think that realizing basic infrastructure improvements could take planning out over 25 years into the future is somewhat disheartening. There is however a silver lining: attitudes on transportation as a whole are changing and with any social zeitgeist comes its eventual reflection in policy.
HRTPO’s new portal is fairly user friendly and could propel meaningful future projects in the region.
HRTPO has recently opened an online portal for members of the public to recommend specific transportation projects to be included in their 2050 LRPT. This provides Norfolk residents an opportunity to both highlight the need for bike / non-automobile-centric infrastructure projects and provide specificity to where they’re needed most (Hampton Blvd and Tidewater Dr come to mind…). The portal will be available for about a year and while true progress may be slow the opportunity is real (see the Take Action section below for more information).
While surveys and portals can be an effective, if tedious, tool for improving bike infrastructure, they can occasionally be used to provide cover for inadequate transportation policy. Case in point is the City of Norfolk’s recognition as a “bicycle friendly community” by the League of American Bicyclists. In 2015, this group recognized the City of Norfolk with a “Bronze Award”, which was renewed again in 2019. If the notion of Norfolk being an award-winning city for cycling sounds nonsensical, that’s because it is: a combination of low standards on the part of the League of American Bicyclists, low expectations from the city, and marginal public interest combine to allow Norfolk to proudly claim this superlative without actually having accomplished anything noteworthy.
No city should claim the title of “bicycle friendly” when residents often fear or outright avoid its streets and roads.
Norfolk has made some marginal improvements in executing its 2015 Bicycle and Pedestrian Strategic Plan, but these pale in comparison to what the city should be today, i.e. enabling and incentivizing safe bicycle transportation throughout the city, let alone what has been left on the table in the realm of feasibility. I would encourage every conscientious resident of Norfolk to participate in this year’s Bicycle Friendly Community survey and be honest about our city’s many shortcomings. Norfolk doesn’t deserve any sort of special recognition for its minimal and often counter-productive bike transportation policy. Perhaps losing this small status symbol could incentivize a more serious look into the positive change our city so desperately needs.
TAKE ACTION
Learn more about the HRTPO 2050 LRTP Candidate Project Portal here
Recommend specific bicycle infrastructure projects (especially those featured by NFKBC)
Participate in the Bicycle Friendly Community survey here
Emphasize Norfolk’s failures in bicycle/pedestrian safety
Emphasize Norfolk’s lack of adequate bicycle infrastructure
Share this article with friends, family and neighbors to raise awareness.
