Richmond ranks low in walking, biking trips
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Richmond is not among the top 30 counties in the U.S. for the share of trips taken on foot or by bike instead of a car, according to a new report — and it's not even close.
Why it matters: Walking and biking can be healthier than driving, while places designed for people rather than cars can have less air pollution, better neighborhood connectivity and other benefits.
Driving the news: Transportation data firm StreetLight recently ranked all continental U.S. counties with at least 150 people per square mile by their share of trips taken via "active transportation" — walking and biking — compared to vehicles in 2023.
By the numbers: 12% of Richmond's trips come from biking or walking, per Streetlight's data.
- And just 1% of those trips were by bike.
Yes, but: The percentage of Richmond trips taken by walking or biking was higher than the average of all U.S. localities analyzed, which was 9.5%.
RVA's counties fared worse than the national average and, notably, none of their trips were by bike.
- In Hanover, 9% of trips were by foot.
- Chesterfield: 8%.
- Henrico: Just 7%.
Fun fact: Six Virginia localities ranked in the top 30 in the nation for trips taken not-by-car, including Williamsburg and Lexington, where 20% of trips in both places came from biking or walking.
- Arlington (19%), Harrisonburg (18%), Montgomery (18%) and Charlottesville (16%) rounded out places in the state that made it into the nation's top 30 for getting around by bike or foot.
Zoom out: The top five in the nation were all in the New York area, led by Manhattan at 59%.
Caveat: Transit trips aren't included in the report.