Transportation in Richmond

Crafted and drafted for many centuries by countless inventors alike, the development of urban transportation has greatly influenced the lifestyle in Richmond, Virginia. Because of reliable transports such as the trains, planes, buses, and cars, modern-day Richmond has flourished into a large diverse city with an approximate population of 202,002 people (Google Public Data). In addition to these figures, the United States census on Richmond in 2010 suggests a 3.2% growth rate in population within the last decade (US Census Bureau). With such an increase, Richmond was able to maintain its wealth and prosperity without sacrificing anything. However, due to the introduction of urban transportations and the enormous population living in the city of Richmond, a certain problem has arisen over the past few decades –congestion. This issue is very troublesome, especially to those who live in urban areas, but to fully understand why congestion came about in Richmond; its historical background must be deduced first.

Looking back on the old days of Richmond, the streets used to be dirt paths and the sidewalks were cemented; the structures of buildings looked new and sturdy; “horsecars” and trolleys were used as local transportation; dozens of power lines running up and down the street; the railroads were less rusty; and the trains would constantly ran back-and-forth between Richmond and Washington D.C. (Cabell Library). These were the classic features of Richmond in the early 1920s. Compared to now, Richmond has clearly changed a lot. These changes could be seen reflected in present-day Monroe Park, the heart of Richmond. Over the past few decades the park has been torn apart and reconstructed; the dirt paths leading down the fountain are n...

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...e gone to the hospital that day. Anyways, back to the point; a crowded crosswalk, sidewalk, or hallway can lead to students being late for their class, which means they will miss part of their lesson that they paid for –waste of time, waste of productivity, and waste of money (upublish).

Works Cited

Congestion does not only apply to the cars on the streets, but to people on the crosswalk or sidewalk, too. The city of Richmond is a largely populated area. It has a population of at least 200,000 people and about 20,000 of those are students, centralized at VCU’s campus. VCU has been generous enough to offer students bike railings, but sadly there are no bike lanes. Students have no choice but to ride their bikes alongside other vehicles or through a busy sidewalk. These two scenarios are potentially dangerous, and could cause severe harm to inattentive bystanders.