Media Contacts:  

• Petula Burks
• 804-646-6311 or 804-389-7157

Or

• James Mercante
• 804-646-5024 or 804-363-9107        

RICHMOND, Va. –   The Richmond Police Department (RPD) in conjunction with the City’s Vision Zero Task Force, under the umbrella of the Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW), and with the support of the Safe and Healthy Streets Commission, the Richmond City Council, and Mayor Levar M. Stoney, will be deploying four safety cameras on a pilot basis within the following school zones:

• Site A: Linwood Holton Elementary School
  
  • Safety Camera A1: Northbound Hermitage Road
  • Safety Camera A2: Westbound Laburnum Avenue
• Site B: Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts
  
  • Safety Camera B1: Eastbound Semmes Avenue
  • Safety Camera B2: Westbound Semmes Avenue

The Vision Zero Task Force is continuing its work to improve the safety of people who walk, roll and bike across streets within school zones regardless of their age or ability.

The goal is to eliminate speeding on city streets, particularly within active school zones. 

Based upon the Code of Virginia  adopted by the General Assembly and the Ordinance (2021-371) adopted by Richmond City Council with the support of Mayor Stoney, the Safe and Healthy Streets Commission, and the Vision Zero Task Force, the following key points are highlighted for the public:

• Warning signs will be posted indicating that safety cameras to monitor vehicle speeds are in operation.
• A warning period of 30 days will be in effect once the cameras are in operation where warnings will be issued to the owner of vehicles.
• After the 30-day warning period, the registered owner of a vehicle shall be liable for a monetary civil penalty imposed if such vehicle is found to be traveling at speeds of at least 11 miles per hour above the posted school crossing zone or highway work zone speed limit within such school crossing zone or highway work zone, while such zone is active.
  
  • Within the first 30 days of the first violation, the civil penalty shall be $50;
  • For all subsequent violations after the first 30 days after the first violation, the civil penalty shall be $100.
• Safety cameras will be in operation for up to two hours during the morning arrival times and up to two hours during the afternoon dismissal times when school is in session.
• Additional information will be posted on www.rva.gov for detailed information about the Safety Camera Program.

The Safety Camera Program is one part of a comprehensive approach to better manage speeds within the City of Richmond. 

Incorporating recommendations from the Vision Zero Task Force, DPW uses the complete streets approach along with Vision Zero principles to change the build environment to make roadway and safety improvements, such as:

• The construction of 200 speed tables citywide in this current fiscal year, using a $1.1 million allocation of local resources supported by the Mayor and the Richmond City Council
• The implementation of traffic calming measures with additional crossing enhancements for people walk, roll, or ride transit
• The improvement of streets using roadway conversions to prioritize transit like the Broad Street Streetscape project
• The installation of pedestrian hybrid beacons for people crossing multi-lane streets
• The reallocation of street space using roadway conversions to provide quick build bike infrastructure using the City’s resurfacing program
• The construction of accessible sidewalks with pedestrian countdown signals and high visibility crosswalks to transit stops
• The conversion of intersections into modern roundabouts
• Securing over $650 million in discretionary funding for transportation projects to change the built environment
• Retiming traffic signals to encourage speeds to follow the speed limit, creating a wait at the next red light for people that elect to speed
• Engaging public on developing safety culture through its Speed Management Symposiums and to share the City’s comprehensive approach to speed management
  
  • Note: the next symposium will be held Wednesday, November 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Main Street Station, located at 1500 East Main Street.
• Participating in an ongoing National Speed Management Pilot Program
• Lowering all speed limits on city-maintained streets to a maximum of 35 mph, except for one regional freeway at 45 mph
• Launching public service announcements to encourage slowing down to a stop for people crossing the street

Two additional expansions are planned for the Safety Camera Program that will bring the total number at the pilot stage from 4 to 26 safety cameras, covering 13 school zones.  RPD will continually monitor the program’s effectiveness and have the ability to move these mobile safety cameras as needed when crash data indicates a higher-priority location has been identified. The data collected by these devices is not permitted to be used in other investigations.

For more information on Safety Camera Program, please visit us online at: https://rva.gov/police/safety-camera-program

For more information on Vision Zero, go to https://www.rva.gov/public-works/vision-zero

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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

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.

LISC commits to investing $50 million to match city’s investment for a total of $100 million in affordable housing over next five years

Richmond, VA – Today at a press conference, Mayor Levar Stoney, members of the Richmond City Council, and representatives from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) announced that LISC will be partnering with the City of Richmond and matching the city’s investment of $50 million, for a total of $100 million, to tackle the affordable housing crisis in Richmond over the next five years.

By working with interested lenders and philanthropic organizations to generate new funding, LISC committed up to $10M each year for the next five years. In addition to monetary resources, LISC and the City will support organizational capacity-building efforts by establishing a Housing Development Training Institute (HDTI) to build local affordable housing development capacity and offer a new Small Building Loan Program for developers and owners of rental properties with 5 to 49 units to rehabilitate or construct.

Today at City Hall, Mayor Levar Stoney spoke about the importance of addressing the affordable housing crisis, the city’s progress of adding more than 9,000 residential units since 2019, and his work with City Council to invest $50 million in affordable housing and declare a housing crisis earlier this year. LISC President Denise Scott, City Council President Michael Jones, and City Councilwoman Ellen Robertson also gave brief remarks.

“In order to truly address the housing crisis head on, we must work together and collaborate with community partners,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “We’re thrilled about our partnership with LISC and what it means for the City of Richmond. This is what it means to be innovative and solutions-oriented as an administration and community. Today marks a historic investment in affordable housing and I could not be more excited about what’s to come for our great city.”

"When we invest in affordable housing, we invest in the future of Richmond and its residents,” said Denise Scott, LISC president. “This fund will help accelerate the speed and scale of housing development, with a ripple effect that positively impacts jobs, health, safety and other key components of opportunity and growth. We are excited to partner with city leaders on an effort that supports a good quality of life for local families and a strong economic outlook for the whole of Richmond."

“The complex challenges presented by the affordable housing crisis require bold actions, innovative approaches, and strategic partnerships,” said Jane Ferrara Executive Director of LISC Virginia.” We thank the Mayor, and his team for choosing LISC as a trusted partner. We look forward to working with the city to implement a strategy driven by a vision for a more affordable and inclusive City where people not only want to live, but can afford to thrive.”

“The dollars that we are investing into affordable housing send a clear message to where the City of Richmond’s heart is,” said Council President Michael Jones. “All this begins with a roof. We understand that having a roof over your head points to having a stable living environment for families and children […] Too many Richmond families have fallen through the cracks, by committing 100 million dollars into affordable housing, we are seeking to seal up those cracks and address this problem head on.”

“This is a tremendous partnership between the City of Richmond and LISC,” said Councilwoman Ellen Robertson. “Not one year has gone by that the City of Richmond has not put forth an effort to move the agenda of tackling the affordable housing crisis forward. We will continue to move that agenda farther along than where we are today. Partnering with LISC, we will tackle this issue and help future generations to come.”

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~ 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