Keeping the Bank Street corridor within public use during work hours is vital to keeping our city connected and thriving. Since I moved to Richmond, I have been a cyclist -- mainly for transportation. I was excited to move back into a city after years of living rurally, where my only option was using a personal vehicle to get around. I was thrilled at a denser community where I could walk and bike across town.  I would commute from my home in the Fan down to the Capital Trail, often cutting through the Bank Street corridor. I'm afraid that closing off Bank St will prevent that flow of movement, as the only other way to safely get across town is on Leigh St (which would bring you significant more north into Church Hill as opposed to connecting to a vital trail and artery.

This is not to say that Bank St does not need improvement. Weaving on and off the sidewalk poses a danger to pedestrians and cyclists. Ideally, the barricades should come down and the street itself open to non car traffic.

And finally I speak to you as a climate advocate by profession. In order to reduce our carbon emission and set the Commonwealth on the right track in mitigating climate change, we need to drastically reduce our emissions from the transportation sector (which accounts for almost half of our carbon emissions). The best way to do so, even if we electrified everything, is to reduce the overall miles travelled. That means we cannot be restricting and limiting bike paths and walking corridors -- we need to be building out the infrastructure to support changing lifestyles. It is important for the people of Richmond and the climate to keep Bank Street open.