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Lakeside gears up to be Richmond’s ‘Bike Friendly Business District’

Posted at 12:09 PM, Jul 20, 2015
and last updated 2015-07-20 12:10:49-04

HENRICO, Va. – Richmond continues to shift gears away from cars and onto bicycles, as evidenced by the latest effort to establish a “Bike Friendly Business District” in Lakeside.

A partnership between the Lakeside Business Association and Bike Walk RVA, a program of Sports Backers, will foster the development of a bike-friendly district. The first coordinated effort produced “Bike Friendly Saturdays,” in which 21 businesses along Lakeside Avenue will participate.

The shops will offer discounts, free merchandise, and other promotions for anyone who arrives by bike on a Saturday. A full list of participating businesses and details about their offers can be found here and the interactive map below offers details as well.

The organizers cited studies that say the whole community benefits when people ride bikes because “people riding bikes are more likely to make unplanned stops at retail locations, and on average will spend more money while shopping.”

Lakeside, which is bordered by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden at one end and Bryan Park at the other, is growing as a popular neighborhood and shopping destination, with a village feel, the organizers said.

“More people are being drawn to Lakeside for its shopping, dining, and other attractions,” says Beth Monroe, Public Relations and Marketing Director for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “It makes sense for us to promote biking given our early history as the Lakeside Wheel Club in 1895.”

“Bike lanes, bicycle parking, sidewalk benches, and good pedestrian crossings all act as catalysts for local economies by increasing the safety and comfort of people who visit an area to shop or dine,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA. “If you want to get more people to a business district to spend money, plan improvements that make them feel welcome, whether they drive, walk, or bike there. Lakeside is taking big steps in that direction.”

Lakeside is less than three miles away from Scott’s Addition and Museum District locations.

The new effort to claim Lakeside as the first business district in the greater Richmond area to institute Bike Friendly Saturdays, combined with its designation as the starting location of the Team Time Trials at the UCI World Championships in September, provide incentive for improvements to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure along Lakeside Avenue, the organizers said.

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