Thoughts on Draft Chesapeake Trails and Connectivity Plan

 The draft Chesapeake Trails and Connectivity Plan offers a great opportunity to layout a figurative and literal roadmap on improving walkability and connectivity in the City of Chesapeake, but it needs to go into more detail on how to realistically implement the proposed trail network and provide residents and visitors with tangible improvements in the near term, i.e. in the next 1 to 3 years, not just a vision for an undefined future date.  

The draft Plan finds that today in Chesapeake, “the active transportation network is disjointed and lacks accessibility. With public transit available exclusively in the north of the City, transportation options are often limited for residents and visitors traveling to different parts of the City. The many open spaces can be difficult to reach and in many cases are not easily accessible on foot or by bike.”  This also extends to being able to reach schools, libraries, community centers, places of worship, doctor’s offices, restaurants, shopping centers, etc.  People For Bikes currently ranks Chesapeake 1248th out of 2300 cities in the US and 42nd out of 44 cities in Virginia for bikeability and network connectivity (https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/cities/chesapeake-va).  This is also an equity issue: not everyone has access to an automobile to get around; some are too young, some too old, some cannot afford it, and some do not want to drive.  

Building out the Plan’s proposed network of nearly 400 miles of separated bike paths, multiuse trails, bike boulevards, and bike lanes is an important endeavor, but considering the slow pace and cost of building out this entire network, the City also needs to invest in near term tactical projects.  Such efforts include better maintaining and marking existing crosswalks and sidewalks, building more and better crosswalks across the City, mapping and providing better wayfinding signage for existing trails and key sidewalk connections, funding safety education and outreach for both drivers and bicyclists, generally promoting bicycling such as by providing route maps to and bicycle parking at City events and facilities.  The City also needs to prioritize completion of funded projects, such as the Western Branch Trail connected to Suffolk, the Indian River Road bike lanes, and extending paths along Gum Road and near TCC.   Completion of the multiuse path along Volvo Parkway and building lower cost bike boulevards, such as the one proposed for South Norfolk also need to be prioritized.

As the population of the City grows and the density of our communities increases, providing a robust and safe network of bikeways, sidewalks, trails, and crosswalks will be essential to reduce congestion on our roadways and providing residents with healthier options to get to nearby parks, libraries, shops, and other destinations.  The Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee submitted a detailed letter to the Planning Commission and Planning Department with strong recommendations for improvements to the draft Plan to meet the City’s goals to be environmentally responsible and create vibrant communities that provide a high quality of life in which to live, learn, work, farm, and play, hopefully they will be accepted.

The draft Plan is going to the Planning Commission on Wednesday, August 14 for consideration.  The revised (yet to be published) draft Plan is going to the Planning Commission Meeting on September 11th, 7 pm at Chesapeake's City Hall, 306 Cedar Rd.  Persons wishing to speak must sign in with the clerk BEFORE 7 pm.   Meeting Agendas & Videos | Chesapeake, VA (cityofchesapeake.net)

You can find the first draft of the plan at https://cityofchesapeake.net/3233/Chesapeake-Trails-and-Connectivity-Plan.