Transportation engineering staff presented a Richmond Connects update and said the city expects to expand bike routes from roughly 12 miles in 2015 to more than 100 miles by 2028.

Andy Bueno, transportation engineering program manager, told the committee the city benefits from an existing street grid that makes many destinations short bike rides apart and that ebikes are increasing the feasible trip distance for many residents. Bueno said the city is using roadway conversions, maintenance and repaving cycles, and low-cost lane reconfigurations to accelerate network expansion. He described the approach as tied to the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating severe crashes and said early safety trends show a downward trajectory in severe bicycle crashes.

Bueno described funding as primarily federal, state and regional grants supplemented by local maintenance dollars used opportunistically during repaving. He said staff pursue a mix of grants (Transportation Alternatives, CMAQ, SMART SCALE, CVTA regional funds) and coordinate with development, nonprofit partners and advocates to expand access. He encouraged outcome-oriented metrics beyond mileage—such as numbers of children biking to school, mode share for commutes, and severe-crash reductions—to measure success.

Committee members praised the multimodal approach and asked about performance metrics and funding sources. Bueno said staff will continue safety monitoring, expand low-stress routes and pursue external grants while coordinating with maintenance and paving to integrate bike infrastructure into routine street work.