If there was a question about whether the community supports the Fall Line, with its “Green Line” serving the most people of all ages and abilities along the main corridor through the park, it has been answered.

On Wednesday, April 9, Richmond Department of Public Works, along with their consultants, in coordination with third district City Councilor Kenya Gibson, presented a brief overview of their new analysis of different route options through Bryan Park ahead of a 90-minute listening session of residents from the third district, across the City, and from adjoining Lakeside in Henrico County.

Supporters of the trail overflowed the community room at the Richmond Police Training Academy, spilling out into the corridor and outside the building. Community leaders from around Richmond led group rides from different areas to converge on the meeting where half a dozen volunteers with Bike Walk RVA set up bike valet. We hit bike parking capacity at 127 bikes, and another 25 bikes were parked to nearby signs, poles, and trees.

Check out some great pictures here!

We printed 250 yellow “I support the Fall Line in Bryan Park” buttons and gave out all but a few in just the 30 minutes before the meeting, and they are plainly visible on the majority of people in the room. Quick side note – making buttons is fun! Highly recommend.

The headcount was approximately 300 people, with approximately 250 there to support the Green Line. People wore Fall Line shirts, Bike Walk RVA shirts, or even their riding club’s uniforms.

The updated analysis of alternatives follows the previous route analysis from June 2024, with those plans being the updated version of a draft that was prepared in April of 2024 that were significantly altered based on input from a dedicated meeting with the Friends of Bryan Park. What was previously called the “preferred alignment”, because it scored the best in the initial update, is now called the “Green Line” and remains largely the same. Alternatives to the green alignment were shown to drastically impact the RVA Big Market, the 51-year tradition of bike races, and have a greater environmental impact in the more natural remote back half of the park.

Note: This analysis did not satisfy everyone, as some still think the Fall Line should not be a trail at all in Bryan Park and instead use roads that are regularly closed for events and have cars driving on them multiple times a week. In their latest analysis, Richmond administration did not consider any routing options that would not be a dedicated trail for biking and walking that shares space with cars. You’ve got to give them props for that!

The conversation brought by the community overwhelmingly supported the Green Line. People representing organizations like Sportable that serve and empower people with disabilities spoke about how this alignment will help them use the park, and several participants wore Black Girls Do Bike riding wear. Bike commuters talked about how the alignment is best for their families. One supporter spoke at length of the longstanding, special culture of the bike racing community of Richmond who see Bryan Park as an epicenter of training and community, and the longstanding race series being a springboard for some of the best cyclists in the world to prepare for racing in the Tour de France (with Virginians Ben King and Joe Dombrowski being two favorites)! When he’s not racing, he looks forward to walking with his child on the Green Line because it connects to the places they would want to walk. A woman in a wheelchair talked about how she would use this park and how the alternatives to the Green Line do not benefit her.

Perhaps the most special thing about this meeting was the collective energy shared by supporters of the Fall Line. After people spoke about the thing that they liked the most about the Green Line, the room would erupt in snapping. What a treat, and much smiling and giggles were shared.

As the final speaker took the mic after a long series of supporters for the Fall Line’s Green Line, one member of the group that has been working to prevent the Green Line from being chosen all but conceded – “I guess everyone likes the Green Line”. We aren’t saying everyone does, but we’re very comfortable saying the majority do.

Support for the Green Line didn’t start that night. You probably know some of the many public-facing events there have been to get the word out about the trail, provide input, or even to walk it with a guide over the past couple of years. We also put out color-coded marking flags for a week leading up to the meeting to let folks explore on their own pros and cons of each route.

There have been at least four well-attended community walks, two large public meetings, a meeting with the Friends of Bryan Park (Apr 2024), a Northside community meeting (June 2024), official public hearings at Richmond City Council (March 2024), Urban Design Committee (June 2024), and Planning Commission (June 2024). The Friends of the Fall Line has given a community presentation every quarter for the past 4 years, including specific overviews of this segment (October 2024).

Our support letter garnered over 1,350 verified signatures, with more than 660 from City residents, and 172 from Richmond’s third district.

18 organizations have signed on in support, and others are working to add their names to the list.

One supporter was so excited he posted a note on social media after the meeting, saying “Richmond needs more low cost [to use]/high-quality-of-life impact projects like the Fall Line trail.”

At the end of the day, consider how rare it is to have 250 people in a room for a few hours on a weeknight to support something. People are passionate about ensuring a high quality for this trail and are satisfied with how we got here. We join them, and we can’t wait to see your smiling faces out on the Green Line.