RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Come next week, all the cars parked down on Tobacco Row and other areas in the city, will have to find somewhere else to go as Richmond makes way for the UCI Bike tournament, leaving some residents feeling anxious.
“Its certainly going to be hard to find parking. Its already hard enough to find parking as it is.”, said one passerby.
As the River City gets ready to welcome thousands of spectators from around the world- preparations for the big race have led to some major inconveniences when it comes to getting around and parking- for the people already here.
According to the UCI transit guide, areas of the Fan, Downtown, Shockoe Bottom and Churchill will have either half day parking restrictions or prohibit parking overnight. For example, people living on parts of Monument Ave and those on E. Cary street at Tobacco Row will have to find somewhere else to park their cars for the entire length of the race.
Chris Contee just moved to Tobacco Row and says, “I’m generally fortunate enough to find a parking spot within a block or two from my building, but for some people, I know I have friends in this neighborhood who sometimes have to park 5 blocks away and that’s without a race.”
But Richmond Deputy Chief John Buturla says the city has a plan to accommodate some of the residential parking issues.
He says, “In restricting parking in some areas, we’ve lifted parking restrictions in other areas.. Like for example we’ve restricted parking on Monument Avenue but we’ve opened up parking on Broad Street.”
Others will have to look for parking on side streets.
Though some neighbors may be slightly annoyed, they say, having the UCI race here in Richmond is worth the hassle.
Deputy Chief Buturla is asking people to check out the transit and parking guides on the navigate.richmond2015 website. That is set up to answer any questions about parking. It’s even got an interactive map so you can see just how you may be affected.
