Hanover County Candidate Responses to Biking and Walking Questions – 2023
(See also: Chesterfield and Henrico responses)
For the 2023 Hanover County elections, Bike Walk RVA administered a candidate questionnaire to each person running for the board of Supervisors to see where they stand on issues relating to biking and walking. We asked each candidate the same four questions and have published the responses verbatim, up to the 200 word limit.
Note: Sports Backers is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and does not support nor oppose candidates nor political parties. Bike Walk RVA’s candidate questionnaire is strictly educational in nature.
1. If elected, how do you pledge to improve biking and walking in Henrico County and in your district?
Ashland District:
Beaverdam District:
Chickahominy District:
Hope Prince: • The walk/ bike ability of Hanover county has improved in the last few years but there is so much more work to do. I will actively advocate for increased funding for these projects and look to our industry partners for help with grants to offset the cost of connecting our neighborhood.
• Continue support of the Fall Line trail project.
Cold Harbor District:
Henry District:
Mechanicsville District:
Joshua Parramore: Foot and bike trails are vital in any modern community. Hanover County has a great setup for bike trails and walking paths and I intend to help establish more of these for our community to enjoy as well as fostering longer connected trails to attract more bike tourism to Hanover County to help grow our tax base and not have it rely so much on single family homes and locally owned small businesses.
South Anna District:
2. Pedestrian fatalities have seen 30+% increases in RVA and Virginia in the past year, the worst they have been in almost two decades and standing out nationally. What measures would you take to improve safe access to biking and walking for health and connection to opportunity in your district?
Ashland District:
Beaverdam District:
Chickahominy District:
Hope Prince: • Daylighting intersections would remove the parking spot closest to an intersection to increase visibility.
• Steel Ballerds at corners to prevent cars from encroaching on sidewalks
• Work with VDOT to widen narrow areas of the road to provide a bike lane.
Cold Harbor District:
Henry District:
Mechanicsville District:
Joshua Parramore: A huge issue in the Mechanicsville District is the speeding through neighborhoods. People need to be able to feel safe when walking or riding a bike and care doing nearly double the speed limit in a 25 mph zone is simply unacceptable.
I intend to address this issue as a primary goal of my time in office. I want our streets to be safe to walk and ride on.
Additionally, I would like to add walking and biking trails off the roads to make sure people have safe and beautiful foot/bike paths.
South Anna District:
3. In the last three years, the Fall Line has raised $252 million for planning and construction from local, regional, state, and federal sources. This signature 43-mile paved multi-use trail will route through seven localities in Central Virginia, connecting existing communities to places of commerce, recreation, education, employment, and opportunity as a backbone of active transportation in our region and a destination unto itself.
How will the Fall Line benefit your community, and how can spur connections be built to create more community connections to it?
Ashland District:
Beaverdam District:
Chickahominy District:
Hope Prince: • In a 2017 Study done by VCU on the Capital Trail, local businesses would lose 37% of their business and some would be forced to close if the Capital Trail was lost. The Fall Line would not only benefit those who use the trail but the surrounding business and communities.
• I plan to meet with those along the proposed trail and share the benefits of the trail. Listen to the concerts and help address the concerns in a way that moves the trail forward.
Cold Harbor District:
Henry District:
Mechanicsville District:
Joshua Parramore: I would like to build more branches off of the fall line trail within Hanover County. We have opportunities to combine our aggro/historical tourism with bike tourism to create a desirable destination for anyone seeking a taste of slower country life while riding their bicycle through Hanover County.
I support the Fall Line Trail and the millions of dollars it will bring in to the county annually. I will seek ways to grow and expand those revenue opportunities to areas within Hanover that have no my traditionally had access to the type of customer base that high quality, long range bike trails attract.
South Anna District:
4. Establishing safe and accessible places for people to bike and walk for transportation and recreation will require additional funding for capital projects, either in the form of Federal grants, State revenue-sharing, or local capital improvement dollars.
Do you support pursuing additional funding for biking and walking infrastructure? If yes, how?
Ashland District:
Beaverdam District:
Chickahominy District:
Hope Prince: • YES! In Hanover we are fortunate to have several large industries. I plan to work with these large business owners to provide grants to help offset the cost. This will also help provide safe ways to work for those who can’t drive or prefer to walk/bike.
Cold Harbor District:
Henry District:
Mechanicsville District:
Joshua Parramore: I see high quality, long range bike trails as an investment in our community. With the right plan and implementation for these future trails they will be able to pay for themselves in rather short order.
Bike tourism is growing at around a 9% rate annually in the US and it seems that it is going to continue to go up over the next 10 years or so based on different projections.
As for the initial investment, we have many options, from potential sponsors to federal and state money. There is always a trade-off, but I think that this investment is worth it and could possibly bring in more retail locations and higher value commercial entities to help pay for the construction along the way.
South Anna District: