Last week, we welcomed a long-awaited pedestrian bridge over U.S. Route 29! On the other side of town, however, VDOT unveiled a new proposal for the planned Fifth Street bridge over Interstate 64 that would not include bike infrastructure. Take action today!

This text was taken from an email alert sent out on October 28, 2025. Sign up for email alerts →

Dear Mobility Advocates and Allies:

I can’t believe the Loop de Ville was a month ago!

It was very fun and I’ll always remember it. What’s even more exciting is that people keep telling me that it introduced them to new trails and to the community. I wrote a blog post about how the annual trailfest encourages more people to explore area trails by emphasizing – and learning from — the social aspects of outdoor exploration.

Now as October transitions to November I’d like to invite you to explore town on one of my favorite group bike rides, to check out two e-bike opportunities and to celebrate a new pedestrian bridge that will cross one of the area’s worst barriers and save lives.

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Halloween Bike Ride
Sunday, Nov. 2, 3:30 – 6 p.m.
Charlottesville Community Bikes (917 #D Preston Avenue)

Costumes are encouraged for this late-afternoon, family-friendly ride. We’ll mainly use quiet neighborhood streets to visit a few spooky locations in town, finding fellowship and safety in numbers. The pace will be slow, suitable for anyone who is capable of staying on their bike for about an hour (with plenty of breaks).

As always we need volunteers to help with the ride and hanging flyers
(English | Spanish) around town.

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Two E-Bike Opportunities
By helping you conquer hills, making it easier to maintain a steady pace and eliminating the need for a wardrobe change after your ride, e-bikes can change your bicycling equation in our hilly region. That’s why Charlottesville is offering $1,000 vouchers for e-bike purchases to city residents.

The deadline for the next drawing is this Friday, Oct. 31.

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E-Bike Demo
Wednesday, Oct. 29, noon – 2 p.m.
Ting Pavilion on the Downtown Mall

If you’d like to try an e-bike, stop by the Ting Pavilion on Wednesday. The
Cville E-bike Lending Library will be on hand with several different models with various configurations and price points.

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Pedestrian Bridge Ribbon Cutting
Thurs., Nov. 13, 10 – 11 a.m.
U.S. Route 29 at Zan Road; park at Burton’s Grill (2010 Bond St.)

VDOT has announced that the long-awaited pedestrian bridge over U.S. Route 29 at Zan Road will finally be completed October 31. This new bridge is technically located in both Charlottesville and Albemarle County, at the core of the combined urban area. It will link major existing commercial areas, where many people live today and many more are expected in the future.

In the meantime, it will make it safer to cross one of the area’s most intractable barriers. Join us as we celebrate this critical link in the wider regional network that will make daily life easier and safer.

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This email combines both advocacy opportunities and social events because I see the two as deeply connected. I make that point in the blog post I referenced at the top of this email. By working together we inspire and learn from one another. That moves projects forward and makes them better, improving physical connectivity and social cohesion in a positive cycle.

I hope to experience that wheel turning together with you at either the E-bike Demo, the Halloween Ride or the long-awaited Ribbon Cutting!

Peter Krebs
Albemarle & Charlottesville Community Advocacy Manager
[email protected]
(434) 465-9869

p.s. Here’s an additional way to get more involved with local issues in Albemarle County this week. There are Community Advisory Committees for each of the seven urban areas in the county and are an important avenue to learn about and discuss upcoming issues, projects and developments. They are all meeting at once this Thursday.

All-Community Advisory Committee Meeting
Thurs. Oct. 30, 6 – 8 p.m.
Albemarle County Office Building (401 McIntire Rd.)