~ Find out why prioritizing safety matters and what actions the city is taking to manage speed and prevent deaths ~

RICHMOND, Va. – The Department of Public Works (DPW) is hosting a Speed Management Symposium Wednesday, November 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Main Street Station, 1500 East Main Street. The Fall series is the second of its type to be held by the City of Richmond.  The symposium is meant to educate the community and provide information and resources on new and future projects addressing safety and speed management. Despite a reduction in the overall number of crashes in the City of Richmond, severe-injury and fatal crashes are increasing.  Even in the face of concerted efforts to curtail preventable injuries, speed is the common vector in these tragic incidents. The city is working to manage speeding with tactical measures, such as, increasing traffic calming measures and improving safety for people who walk and roll, using low-cost, systemic, quick build improvements that provide immediate safety benefits through changing the built environment, reducing speed limits, and applying enforcement; the city needs community involvement. We need everyone to work together to slow down and create a culture of safety in our city and reverse the deadly trend of speeding.

The Speed Management Symposium will provide:

• Presentations
  
  • Speed Management and Vision Zero Program
  • Richmond Connects and Safety
  • Roadway Safety Projects and the Budget Process
  • Richmond Police Department
  • VCU Police Department
• ​​​​​​​Safer Streets Information/Exhibit Booths:​​​​​​​
  
  • Representatives from various divisions throughout DPW, Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility, Richmond Police, VCU Police, VCU Enforcement and Education, Fall Line Trail, Richmond Fire Department, VDOT, Plan RVA and Bike Walk RVA | Sports Backers 
• Question and Answer Session
• Heavy refreshments will be served, RSVP recommended

RSVP https://www.rva.gov/public-works/symposium

For more information on the Department, go to www.rva.gov/public-works or email AskPublicWorks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter (X) @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 195 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s 22right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1

The City of Richmond, Virginia, in 1966, codified one of the oldest continuously operating transportation safety commissions in North America - The Safe and Healthy Streets Commission (SHSC). Since its inception, the SHSC has advised the Richmond City Council on all transportation safety matters. The SHSC has a diverse membership and includes citizens, transportation safety professionals, a city council member, the Chief of Police, the Director of Public Works, the Superintendent of Schools, and the City Transportation Engineer.

The SHSC sets annual priorities focused on executive, legislative, budgetary, and cultural changes. These priorities work towards the Richmond City Council’s 2016 goal, backed by Mayor Stoney, to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries to ZERO by 2030. The SHSC’s annual priorities reflect the City’s commitment to Vision Zero, the Safe System approach (SSA), and Complete Streets policies. The SHSC adopted the twelve strategies and five supplemental planning needs, based on their set annual priorities, to improve Richmond’s built environment and strengthen the culture of safety. With its high-functioning Vision Zero organizational structure, Richmond is well positioned to implement these projects and supplemental planning activities that showcase the impact of the SSA using proven safety countermeasures and low-cost, high-impact strategies.

The Safe and Healthy Streets Commission (SHSC) adopted Richmond’s Vision Zero Action Plan in 2018 and is charged with monitoring and reporting progress on the Action Plan. The Mayor and the SHSC established a Vision Zero Task Force, made up of City department leaders, charged with implementing the strategies, projects, and policies set out in the Action Plan.

October 23, 2023

Mayor Stoney and Councilmember Newbille Visit Child Care Center, Highlight Need for Richmond Child Care and Education Trust Fund

Richmond, VA – Today Mayor Levar Stoney and 7^th District Councilmember Cynthia Newbille toured the FRIENDS Robert L. Taylor Child Care Center, a child care facility located in Church Hill. During their visit, Mayor Stoney and Councilmember Newbille spoke with faculty and students about the pressing issues of providing child care in Richmond and highlighted how the Richmond Child Care and Education Trust Fund would address those problems. 

“Today, after touring the FRIENDS Association for Children, Councilmember Newbille and I got to see first-hand the value of early childhood education and child care,” Mayor Levar Stoney. “We must prioritize our children first and foremost, and that requires systemic change – and that is why we are such big supporters of the Richmond Child Care and Education Trust Fund, which will do just that.” 

“The challenges this child care center and others across Richmond are facing is that our facilities cannot meet the demand,” said 7^th District Councilmember Cynthia Newbille. “We need to provide the resources for our child care centers to expand and address the capacity issue. And the Child Care and Education Trust Fund would give us the resources to hire more staff, expand centers, and open more slots for Richmond children to receive quality, affordable child care.” 

“We are standing at the precipice of making a change that will be long-lasting and impactful for communities across Central Virginia,” said Child Care Provider for FRIENDS Association for Children, David Young. “If we can bring the resources together, we can make a tremendous impact on families and children in Richmond.” 

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE

Several weeks ago, Richmond City Council unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Mayor Stoney to establish the first ever Richmond Child Care and Education Trust Fund if Richmond voters approve the referendum in November. Using the annual gaming tax revenue from the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino, estimated at approximately $19 million, the Richmond Child Care and Education Trust Fund would address Richmond’s child care crisis by making early child care and education more affordable by reducing out-of-pocket child care and preschool costs for Richmond families, support community-based providers to increase their capacity, and increase compensation for the early childhood care and education workforce.

Moreover, with this resolution, City Council committed to further investing in Richmond families with the one-time, upfront payment of $26.5 million that becomes available in November upon voter approval of the referendum. Per the resolution, the City will:

• Build new child care and education centers at T.B. Smith and Southside Community Centers (currently estimated at $7 million each)
• Dedicate $8 million to Parks and Recreation projects across the city
• Allocate $4.5 million into the Child Care and Education Trust Fund to expand access to affordable child care and education programs.

You find more information about the Richmond Child Care and Education Trust Fund HERE.

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RICHMOND, Va. – The Department of Public Works will install new traffic signal equipment and make pedestrian upgrades at the intersection of North Huguenot Road and Cherokee Road. This installation will replace the current flashing beacon.

The project includes the following installations:

• Traffic signal mast arm poles with traffic signal heads and high visibility backplates
  
  • These backplates are retro-reflective and therefore more visible to drivers in both daytime and nighttime conditions, helping to reduce potential crashes.
• Countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons
• Accessible ramps with sidewalk
• High visibility crosswalk markings

Work is scheduled to begin next week and weather permitting, is slated for completion in Spring 2024.

During construction, there will be intermittent lane closures. Please give our construction workers extra space and slow down when you see orange cones in the work zones.

This $218,000 project is funded through the Capital Improvement Program.

For more information on the Department, please visit us online at www.rva.gov/public-works or email us at AskPublicWorks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter (X) @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 195 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1

RICHMOND, VA – On Saturday, October 28 the Hopkins Road Transfer Station, located at 3506 North Hopkins Road will close at 11 a.m. for repairs.

The transfer station will resume regular hours of operation at 6:30 a.m.  Monday, October 30.

For more information on the Department, please visit us online at www.rva.gov/public-works or email us at AskPublicWorks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter (X) @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 195 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1

RICHMOND, Va. –   As part of the ongoing Citywide Traffic Signal Retiming Project, the Department of Public Works (DPW) expanded the use of Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) from 28 to 107 intersections. The use of LPI’s increase the visibility of people walking or rolling to turning vehicles which improves safety and can reduce the number of conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians by up to sixty percent.

LPI signal phasing provides:

• People who walk or roll across the street an exclusive period to begin crossing the intersection before the concurrent vehicle phase begins
• A “head-start” of several seconds for people walking or rolling
  
  • This proven technique is primarily intended to increase the visibility of people walking or rolling in the crosswalk by positioning them ahead of right (or left) turning vehicles allowing pedestrians to establish their position ahead of the turning traffic before the turning traffic is released.

• A low-cost, simple solution that provides a benefit to people crossing at intersections by decreasing potential driver conflicts in some of the busiest city crosswalks.

The length of an LPI varies by intersection. The Department uses the Urban Street Design Guide, published by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) to guide its decisions using current national research and best practices. In general, LPIs of 3 to 7 seconds allow people who walk or roll enough time to cross approximately one-quarter of the intersection.

This improvement is part of the City’s comprehensive approach to achieve the Vision Zero goal of zero traffic-related deaths or serious injuries by 2030.

Example of a LPI at 9th and Marshall streets. It shows what people who are crossing see and also what the driver sees. The pedestrian signal head shows a “Walk” indication while the corresponding vehicle signal heads show a red indication.

For more information on the department please visit www.rva.gov/public-works or send an email to askpublicworks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on X (formerly Twitter) @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 195 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget