Transportation & Mobilty
Public Transit
Buses and shuttles are a cheap and environmentally friendly to get around Charlottesville. Low-income residents and people with disabilities are especially likely to rely on transit. Charlottesville should encourage residents to take advantage of our public transit system by increasing bus frequency and adding shelters to bus stops. We should also pursue state funding to make public transportation permanently free. Free buses would pay for themselves with money saved on road maintenance and parking garages.
Walking and Cycling
Almost half of Virginia’s carbon emissions come from transportation, so supporting walking and biking over driving should be part of Charlottesville’s climate strategy. But our government spends much more on car infrastructure than it does on pedestrians and bikers, as demonstrated in its recent Capital Improvement Plan budgets. And because the city prioritizes drivers over pedestrians and bikers, walking and biking can be dangerous. Charlottesville should treat walking and biking as a first-class concern and not an afterthought.
initiatives
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
“Sanders provides updates on school walk zones” by Sean Tubbs, Information Charlottesville, July 20, 2022
“Parents, advocacy group calling on the city to improve school walk zone safety” by Madison McNamee, WVIR/NBC 29, July 11, 2022
“With more students off the bus, parents call for safety improvements to city streets” by Katherine Knott, The Daily Progress, July 10, 2022
CYCLING ADVOCACY
“E-Bikes becoming more popular in Charlottesville” by Gretchen Stenger, CBS 19 News, October 17, 2022
“Outrage mounts in Charlottesville over East High bike collision” by Hawes Spencer, The Daily Progress, October 20, 2022
“Citizens use security video and social media to search for hit-and-run driver” by Sandy Hausman, Virginia Public Radio, October 26, 2022
STREET SAFETY
Letter to City Council in support of speed cameras, February 3, 2023
“Livable Cville speaks out on recent fatal crashes”, by Gretchen Stenger, CBS 19 News, January 14, 2023
“Cyclist killed in late-night Ivy Road crash”, The Daily Progress, January 14, 2023
“Making 5th Street safer” (Video), CBS 19 News, January 4, 2022
“Livable Cville asking Charlottesville City Council to make 5th Street safer” by Dominga Murray, WVIR/NBC 29, January 2, 2022
“Livable Cville want solutions for Fifth Street Extended“ hosted by Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Community Engagement, January 3, 2021
Downtown Parking Data
When was the last time the Water Street Garage was full? The City of Charlottesville monitors parking availability at the garages downtown but doesn’t store the data, so we’re storing it for them. Check out the parking utilization dashboard to see current and historical data for the Market St. and Water St. garages.