Good morning, RVA! It's 51 °F, and today is our last stunning day for awhile. You should do whatever you can to take advantage of the sunshine and the highs in the mid 70s, because clouds, cooler temperatures, and rain move in tomorrow. Looking ahead, and it might be a minute before we have an entirely bright and cheery day again.
Water cooler
Lots of GRTC announcements this week! First, free Transit Royale membership on the excellent Transit app, and now the news that the GRTC Board has approved a north-south Bus Rapid Transit route. The gist is, from north to south: Down Chamberlayne, over to the Downtown Transfer Station, across the Manchester Bridge, out Hull Street for a bit, and then up to Midlothian for the rest of its run. I couldn’t find a more detailed route map, but maybe that’s the point, as approval of the route “sends GRTC on to more detailed traffic planning, route design, and environmental impact study.” It’s an interesting route, for sure, handling the question of which major corridor to use for the southern end by splitting time on both Hull Street and Midlothian. I look forward to more details, PDFs, studies, and chances to get involved!
Wyatt Gordon reports on a recent “walking audit” of Chamberlayne Avenue—a sort of first-hand tour of bad and unsafe infrastructure. Unmentioned: These incredibly intense bollards that protect some sort of green electrical box in the middle of a street crossing. I think these bollards are most effective infrastructure on the entire corridor, and it’s not lost on me the lengths we’ll go to protect a green metal box but not actual human people. Anyway, I hope that by prioritizing the bus for an eventual Bus Rapid Transit route, we’ll see slower vehicle speeds along with investments in infrastructure for people (not boxes), and, as a result, we’ll end up with a much safer Chamberlayne.
Eileen Mellon at Richmond Magazine has a full bucket of Rapphannock Oyster news, but what excites me the most is the return of Rapp Sessions. The tiny bar that sat next to the full Rappahannock restaurant had just the most perfect, cozy vibes. Mellon reports that the (also exceedingly cozy) holiday-themed takeover will return as well. Great news for people whose offices may or may not be near Grace Street!
This Saturday at 2:00 PM, STAY RVA will host their first STAY Chat of the school year. To quote from their mission, “STAY RVA is a movement comprised of parents and neighbors who want to help Richmond’s local public schools thrive. We are a positive-minded, solution-oriented, action-based organization. We want you to be a part of STAY… STAY in the city, STAY committed, STAY open-minded.” Basically, if you and yours have endless, fretful conversations about schools, what to do about schools, school zones, public schools, private schools—or even anticipate having those sorts of conversations in the coming years—I recommend stopping by this Saturday and meeting some like-minded folks.
Reminder: The Richmond Folk Festival kicks off tonight at 6:30 PM down by the river! Before barreling straight into this weekend’s festivities, make sure you check out the intense schedule and the map of road closures. Remember that Brown’s Island and the surrounding areas are pretty easy to get to by both bus and bike. OK! Now get out there and enjoy three straight days of music surrounded by thousands of your favorite Richmonders!
This morning's longread
In Shipping, a Push to Slash Emissions by Harnessing the Wind
I link to this piece in the New York Times about wind-powered and wind-assisted cargo ships because this very thing is mentioned in Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future—a book I’m never not thinking about. If you’re going to read just a single climate book, this one, which is both horrifying and hopeful, is the one I recommend!
Research has found that shipping emissions could be cut by up to 47 percent by 2030 through a combination of wind propulsion, new fuels and reduced speeds. Slowing down could also cut underwater noise and risks to whales. An estimated 20,000 whales are killed each year by ships, according to Friend of the Sea, which certifies fisheries and aquaculture for sustainability. Dozens of other wind-ships are in development, many in European countries like Britain, France, Norway and the Netherlands. Almost all are highly automated and equipped with sensors, with designs that include sails, rotors and parts that resemble vertical airplane wings.
If you’d like to suggest a longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.
Picture of the Day
Winter interest, baby!
