Good Walking & Biking Infrastructure Matters

Several years ago in Crozet, before the Old Trail neighborhood was as populated as it is (and is yet to be), before Haden Place neighborhood had broken ground … before the new Crozet Library was finished, Jarmans Gap was a challenging road on which to walk or ride a bicycle – so very few people did.

After about a year of construction, the road was finished, complete with bicycle lanes and sidewalks – connecting not just Old Trail, but Homes for sale in Grayrock neighborhood in Crozet, Homes for sale in Waylands Grant neighborhood in Crozet, Bargamin Park, and a lot of homes not in subdivisions.

It’s taken some time for the people to warm up to the idea of not using a car to get everywhere, but this photo from Saturday morning (I rode my bicycle to show a house) shows that, in this case, if you build it, they will come.

As I noted on RealCrozetVA:

It is truly awesome to see Jarmans Gap being used by so many-

– kids on bicycles.

Besides, walking is healthy.

The average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs 6 to 10 pounds less than someone who lives in a car-dependent neighborhood .

Related reading:
– Paying more for walkable homes in Charlottesville? (2013)
– Where Are the Walkable Neighborhoods in Charlottesville/Albemarle? (2008)
– Charlottesville is the 3rd Most Walkable City in Virginia (2010)
– Choosing Where you Want to Live in Charlottesville – Walkability and Safety Top the List(2013)
– Walkability=Affordability= Profitability=Livability (2009)