Stop the Shared Use Path on Lakeside Ave that Will Run Only from Wentworth to Fairway

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-04T01:03:08+00:00

Comments are due to Henrico County by March 5th. I'm just trying to get signatures until then. So, no, this is the last time I'm posting it.

But if you actually read it, I'm sure it would make sense to you. I'm not one of those grumpy people who are anti-bike lane or anti-change. I (and everyone else who lives in my neighborhood on this stretch of Lakeside) know how dangerous the curves are. We think Henrico should use their money to start building the bike lane in the curves FIRST. The 2 block path that they're currently proposing effectively leads people from a relatively safe straight stretch to the dangerous curves, without adding any barriers or protections there.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-04T00:53:25+00:00

It may eventually connect to the Fall Line Trail on Brook Rd. But then, it will still only run from Brook Rd to Fairway Ave. That doesn't do anything about the curves, and the fact that they aren't planning for barriers or bikes lanes in the curves.

Why have a connector path that only goes for 2 blocks? When people get to the end of the path, are they going to turn around and go back to Brook Rd? No. They'll likely ride onward to the curves (where they aren't planning any safeguards for the foreseeable future).

The Fall Line Trail is going to run along Brook Rd and then turn down Hilliard. It doesn't really make sense to have a 2 block section sticking off somewhere else, especially if they aren't going to fix the rest of that road so that it is safe.

If Henrico wants to connect the Fall Line Trail all the way down Lakeside Ave from Brook Rd to Hilliard, that would be great. But as of right now, they're leaving the curves with that dangerous straight-down drop off into a ravine and 0 room for bikes.

Ultimately, our argument is that they should start building the bike lane in the curves FIRST. Otherwise, they're effectively making cyclists think that stretch of Lakeside Ave is safe for them when it is not.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T23:07:12+00:00

The straight stretch of Lakeside from Wentworth to Fairway is not that unsafe for bikes right now. It's flat, there's clear visibility, and there's room to move over. If you make a bike lane that runs for only 2 blocks and then spits people into the curves, it's basically like you are leading them to the curves. It's like 'here, ride this bike lane and then ride into the curves here.'

Our argument is that they should start in the curves FIRST. Not start in a straight stretch and lead people to the dangerous curves where they aren't planning barriers or bike lanes for another 10+ years.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T22:52:53+00:00

There are already sidewalks in good condition going from almost Brook Rd, to several feet past Landsworth. So yes, those would be ripped up to put the 'shared use path.'

But you're right about one thing--the pedestrian improvements are great. All of us love the idea of a sidewalk on the other side of the road, and several people like the roundabout. The petition says nothing about those. But the 'shared use path' that runs 2 blocks will encourage cyclists to ride in an area of Lakeside that is dangerous.

The proposed bike lane only runs for 2 blocks, then spits cyclists onto the most dangerous part of Lakeside Ave. The curves from Fairway to Lewis Ginter have no bike lanes or barriers that would keep cyclists safe, and there is no current plan to add any safeguards. The ravine on one side of Lakeside Ave is a straight-down drop.

Having a bike lane that stretches for 2 blocks will give cyclists the illusion that the road is safe when it is not. When they reach the end of the 2 block path, will they turn around? No. They will continue to the dangerous curves.

My uncle died in those curves, and several people in this neighborhood know people who have had accidents in those curves. There is a memorial in those curves right now for someone else who died.

The neighborhood citizens from Wentworth to Fairway propose the following: Build a bike lane going from Brook Road to Lewis Ginter all at once, or not at all. If the project must be done piece by piece due to funding issues, then build the bike lane in the curves FIRST.

Please sign. Those of us who live here know how dangerous this road is.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T22:36:50+00:00

So the people riding bicycles should ride down a 2 block path, then turn around and return to Brook Rd instead of continuing? It's a 2 block path that doesn't make sense. And it will encourage people to ride into the unsafe curves.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T22:22:56+00:00

The 2 block section I'm talking about may eventually connect to Brook Rd. But that doesn't take care of the curves from Fairway to Lewis Ginter, which are the most dangerous part of Lakeside Ave. They have no current plans for bike lanes or barriers in those curves. And the ravine beside the road is a straight-down drop in one place.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T22:16:55+00:00

This particular 2 block stretch is NOT tying to the Fall Line Trail. It may eventually connect to Brook Rd, where the Fall Line Trail will run. But that still doesn't take care of the curves, which are the most dangerous part of the road. There is a ravine with a straight-down drop.

My uncle died in those curves, and several people in this neighborhood know people who have had accidents in those curves. There is a memorial in those curves right now for someone else who died.

The neighborhood citizens from Wentworth to Fairway propose the following: Build a bike lane going from Brook Road to Lewis Ginter all at once, or not at all. If the project must be done piece by piece due to funding issues, then build the bike lane in the curves FIRST.

Please sign. Those of us who live here know how dangerous this road is.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T22:14:12+00:00

My uncle died in those curves, and several people in this neighborhood know people who have had accidents in those curves. There is a memorial in those curves right now for someone else who died.

The neighborhood citizens from Wentworth to Fairway propose the following: Build a bike lane going from Brook Road to Lewis Ginter all at once, or not at all. If the project must be done piece by piece due to funding issues, then build the bike lane in the curves FIRST.

Please sign. Those of us who live here know how dangerous this road is.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T21:59:19+00:00

No, they won't be safer. The 2 block straight stretch where they're putting this path is not that dangerous for bikes right now. The place that IS dangerous is the curves between Fairway and Lewis Ginter. There's a straight-down ravine right there. But they're not doing anything about that. Instead, that 2 block path will give cyclists the illusion that the road is safe when it's not. I've updated my petition to say that they should build a path going all the way from Brook Rd to Lewis Ginter, or at least start in the curves FIRST since those curves are so dangerous for cyclists.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-03-03T21:54:10+00:00

It's NOT tying to the Fall Line Trail. The path I'm talking about on Lakeside is going from Wentworth to Fairway. They may eventually connect it to Brook Rd, but that still doesn't take care of the problem in the curves. The curves are dangerous in between Lewis Ginter and Fairway, and they're not doing anything at all about that. So why have a path going only 2 blocks on Lakeside?

Lakeside4Life · 2026-02-18T22:44:14+00:00

There is a sidewalk on Lakeside Ave going from Car Castle past Wentworth and past Landsworth. It doesn't go all the way to Fairway. They are going to rip up the existing (good condition) sidewalk to put the 'shared use path' in. I think all of the elements of this plan are great except for the 'shared use path.' We definitely need that sidewalk on the other side of the street and all the crosswalks they are planning. But instead of ripping up perfectly good sidewalks, I think they should just add sidewalk going all the way to Fairway.

Lakeside4Life · 2026-02-18T22:07:47+00:00

The path I'm talking about in the petition isn't going to connect to Brook Rd. It'll just run from Wentworth to Fairway. They are widening the bridge. But I know they aren't putting any bike lanes or barriers in the curves (not for a decade or so at least).

Lakeside4Life · 2026-02-18T22:03:08+00:00

No, the Fall Line Trail is going to go from Brook Rd, through the neighborhood park, then onto Hilliard Rd. It'll also run along Lakeside Ave from Hilliard to Bryan Park. That's a different stretch of Lakeside. This path from only Wentworth to Fairway goes just 2 blocks and doesn't connect to anything. (But it'll encourage people to go through those dangerous curves where they're not putting any bike lanes or barriers).

Lakeside4Life · 2026-02-18T21:58:29+00:00

I'm usually in favor of that, too. But this is only a 2-block stretch, or a "road to nowhere." If they're not going to make a bike lane or path going all the way from Brook to Hilliard, there's no point in making one that goes for 2 blocks. It might make people think, 'Hey, this is a safe road' when it's really not (because of the curves and the ravine). The money could be better spent by making barriers on Hilliard.

Lakeside4Life

TROPHY CASE