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Residents urge more sidewalks and announce ‘Mittens on Millstone’ collection at Richmond meeting
Summary
At the Richmond City Board meeting, a downtown-neighborhood representative announced a Nov. 13 clothing drive for people experiencing homelessness and a resident urged the commission to prioritize sidewalks and pedestrian safety, citing cracked sidewalks and hazardous under-railroad crossings.
During the public-comments portion of the meeting, Ed Brown, representing the Richmond Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Richmond Human Rights Commission, announced "Mittens on Millstone" on Nov. 13 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., requested donations of new gloves, hats, socks and outerwear for people experiencing homelessness, and listed several collection locations around the city.
Later, David Franklin spoke about pedestrian and bicycle safety in Richmond, saying that busy roads such as Big Hill Avenue and the Eastern Bypass lack adequate sidewalks and that some crossings and crosswalk signals do not function. Franklin described a hazardous underpass near the CSX subdivision where pedestrians must balance on a narrow ledge next to traffic, and said the city's current sidewalk network is "pretty hostile towards pedestrians" and urged the city to construct more sidewalks and repairs to keep residents safe.
Mayor Blythe and the city manager responded on the record: the mayor acknowledged the city’s ongoing sidewalk efforts and said crews are assigned to address walkability issues while noting that some corridors are maintained by county, state or federal agencies and require intergovernmental coordination. The city manager also reminded the board that a draft of the five-year comprehensive plan will be circulated in early November and invited public feedback; planners expect approval by year-end and submission to the Department for Local Government in the spring.
