City Seeks Public Input on Richmond’s First Pedestrian Safety Master Plan

Community feedback will help identify pedestrian needs and inform priorities for future safety investments throughout Richmond 

RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Department of Transportation (RDOT) is inviting Richmonders to help shape the City’s first Pedestrian Safety Master Plan, a citywide effort to make walking and rolling safer, more accessible and better connected throughout Richmond.

The Pedestrian Safety Master Plan will evaluate existing pedestrian conditions, identify gaps and barriers in the pedestrian network and establish priorities for future pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements for people of all ages and abilities. The completed plan will provide a citywide framework for identifying needs, prioritizing improvements and informing future project development. The plan supports Richmond’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

RDOT wants to understand where people experience challenges walking and rolling in Richmond, from missing or difficult-to-navigate sidewalks and crossings to accessibility barriers, lighting concerns , and gaps in connectivity.

“The Pedestrian Safety Master Plan is such an important step in getting us closer to our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries. We’d love to hear from as many Richmonders as possible so that we can make our streets safer for everyone,” said Mayor Danny Avula. 

“Walking is the foundation of our transportation system,” said Andy Boenau, Director of the Richmond Department of Transportation. “We want to hear directly from residents, businesses, and community stakeholders. That input will help us develop a thoughtful, data-informed approach to pedestrian safety.”

RDOT will consider community feedback alongside crash data, existing infrastructure conditions, accessibility needs and other technical analyses to identify pedestrian safety needs and establish priorities for future improvements.

Take the survey, here. Survey closes November 19, 2026 .

The public engagement process builds on RDOT’s ongoing pedestrian safety efforts. 

• On July 9, RDOT hosted a community conversation with University of Virginia historian and author Peter Norton exploring Richmond’s transportation history and how lessons from the past can help inform safer and more accessible streets. The discussion connected Richmond’s transportation history with development of the Pedestrian Safety Master Plan and the City’s broader Vision Zero commitment. 
• On August 13, RDOT hosted another community conversation with a workshop on the role of transit as a natural extension of walking with Scudder Wagg, president of Jarrett Walker and Associates. 
• On October 1, RDOT hosted a third conversation in the series with special guests Victor Dover and John Massengale on what good street design does for future city growth and sustainability. Their work shows how the design of everyday streets determines whether a city feels safe, inviting and livable. 

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For more information about the Department of Transportation, visit www.rva.gov/public-works or email [email protected].  

Follow RDOT on social media for updates on projects, events and initiatives: on Instagram and X at RVA_DOT.  

Richmond, Va. — The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is continuing efforts to improve billing and payment processes to enhance the customer experience. As part of these improvements, DPU is transitioning to a 25-day payment due date cycle.   

Under the new payment due date cycle, customer payments will be due 25 days after the bill date, rather than a 30-day timeframe. Customers will still be billed monthly, with the typical billing frequency (averaging 30 days) remaining unchanged. 

DPU benchmarked with electric, telecommunication and other utilities and the updated payment cycle aligns with industry practices. This change creates a more effective window for payments to be received and processed by financial institutions before the next bill is generated. It will also help reduce instances in which a new bill is issued while a payment on the previous bill is still being processed, providing customers with clearer and more current account information.

I’m thankful for the continued march along the path of improvement in utility service delivery,” said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II. “This change is a key step in making the customer experience reliable, responsive, and easy to navigate with the needs of Richmonders top of mind.”

“We have the opportunity to take a fresh look at how our billing and payment processes work from beginning to end as we focus on the needs of our customers,” said DPU  Director Scott Morris. “Moving to a 25-day payment cycle will provide a clearer window for payments to be processed and applied before the next bill is generated. It is one of the ways we are continuing to refine our processes and provide customers with more accurate, timely account information.”

Customers who use automatic payments or other scheduled payment methods are encouraged to review their payment settings and upcoming bill due dates to ensure funds are available. Customers who make payments through their financial institution should also allow sufficient time for their payment to be transmitted to and received by DPU.

Payment due dates will transition to a 25‑day cycle over multiple billing periods. In October the payment window will shift to 27 days for November due dates. The final transition to the 25‑day payment timeframe will occur in November for December due dates. This phased approach will allow customers time to gradually adjust. Customers will see their specific payment due date on their DPU bill.

For additional information about DPU billing and payment options, visit www.rva.gov/public-utilities/billing

A Thriving Richmond 

Mayor Avula applauded the jointly-sponsored RES. 2026-R038, endorsing the City of Richmond’s legislative agenda for the 2027 Virginia General Assembly session. The resolution sets forth legislative proposals and requests the Richmond delegation to the General Assembly “to take legislative action consistent with and in vigorous support of such recommendations; to support other legislative action recommendations; and to encourage other organizations and individuals to support such recommendations.”  

 "My administration and City Council are committed to advocating for our residents' together and maximizing what we can accomplish in partnership with the Commonwealth,” said Mayor Danny Avula . “In the past, Richmond often had a divided agenda. Today, we’re moving forward with a clear set of priorities that reflect what our residents need and deserve.” The resolution identifies budget and legislative priorities and the City’s policies positions for the coming 2027 General Assembly session.  

Thriving City Hall 

Council also voted 7-2 to support Mayor Avula’s ORD. 2026-081to establish an updated approach for publishing the City’s payment register to promote transparency and accountability of public funds. Earlier this year, Mayor Avula proposed the ordinance to establish an updated approach to publishing the City’s payment register, with the goal of increasing public access to payment data while ensuring the system is practical, accurate, and compliant with privacy laws. The Avula administration is committed to maximum transparency, especially when it comes to City expenditures, while honoring individuals’ legitimate privacy concerns and data security protocols. 

“I’m extremely proud of our team for working through a long-standing, inherited, and very complicated pain point and finding a path forward that provides proactive public access to the City’s spending data,” said Mayor Avula. 

Publication had been suspended prior to Mayor Avula’s administration. In June, the City published the FY25 payment register. The FY26 Payment Register will be available on the City’s Open Data Portal by December 27, 2026 in accordance with the 90-day implementation period established in the ordinance. Additionally, the monthly publication of the register, starting with July, August, and September 2026, will be available on the Open Data Portal by the end of calendar year 2026.  

Thriving Families 

 A series of ordinances introduced by Mayor Avula were adopted to support Richmond families experiencing financial hardship and housing instability.  

ORD. 2026-282 provides $700,000 to Area Congregations Together in Services (ACTS) to administer the City’s Family Crisis Fund, an initiative which provides emergency financial assistance to families in need. The ordinances also extend an agreement with HomeAgain to continue operating a 50-bed, year-round emergency shelter for families through November 30, 2027.    

Thanks, Chief. Good morning, everybody. 

Thanks for being here for RPD's third-quarter crime briefing. 

Today, Chief Edwards is going to walk through the crime statistics year-to-date through the third quarter. After that, I'll talk about my recent decision not to renew the Flock LPR contract, and then the Chief and I will take questions. 

While every life lost to violence is a tragedy, and there's no “good” number that's not zero, the City is making remarkable progress in reducing homicides. 

Chief Edwards is going to share some very encouraging news about what's happening in Richmond. We're seeing all the right trends in our homicide rates, nonfatal shootings, and robberies. 

But we have more work to do. 

And while the Richmond Police Department continues to be successful in adding new recruits to every academy, the fact of the matter is that we're still operating with just over 600 officers, though we have an authorized police force of 755 to serve the city. 

You'll get a much more detailed analysis from Chief Edwards, but what he will share with you today is that the City of Richmond is seeing very, very good progress. 

I want to thank Chief Edwards, Deputy Chiefs Collier and El-Amin, and every single member of the Richmond Police Department for their incredible efforts, along with our Richmond residents who regularly work with law enforcement to help keep our community safe. 

Following Chief Edwards' Presentation  

Thank you, Chief. 

These numbers are remarkable. We are seeing historic lows in violent crime that we haven't seen in well over a decade. And we're doing it with a police force that, as I mentioned, is running above 600 officers, with an authorized force of 755. 

How are we doing it? 

We’re doing it because of good police work — good, creative, data-driven police work. 

We're doing it through growing our relationships with communities. The community policing approach is yielding wonderful results. 

And we're doing it through (the use of) technology. 

And that's why we have to be really thoughtful along the way about the way technology is integrated into the work. 

Obviously, the news of this past week has been around our use of Flock, so I want to touch on that announcement I made over the weekend. 

As I shared on Saturday, I made the decision not to renew the City's automatic license plate reader contract with Flock when it expires on June 30. 

I know that some people have asked why we're not ending the contract immediately, just like Henrico has decided to do. 

I can't speak to Henrico and the processes that went into its decision, but what I do know is that their contract was up in the next couple of weeks, and so they had to come to a decision point much sooner than we have to. 

We have more time because our Flock contract expires in June. I want to make sure we're using that time to listen well, to make thoughtful, community-informed decisions about the future of the technology in Richmond, and I also want to be clear with the public about what has changed for me. 

I have consistently approached this issue through a risk-benefit lens. 

I often talk about how, as a public health physician, every one of these decisions is looking at the risks versus the benefits and figuring out how we balance those well, and ultimately make sure that we're providing a net benefit to our community. 

What we have heard increasingly is both the public safety benefits as well as growing concerns about privacy and potential misuse. We’ve seen examples around the country. 

And I need to say that both of those points are valid. 

The surveillance concerns are valid. We take them seriously.  

But we also take seriously the responsibility that I have to listen to Richmonders and respond to their concerns. 

At the same time, I meet with the Chief every single week. We're diving into data together. We're hearing about the challenges the force is facing. 

And I absolutely trust his expertise and his judgment in using the technology responsibly, as well as his commitment to ensuring that the appropriate safeguards are in place and enforced. 

Now, what has changed? 

One, the significant expansion of community concern. 

And two, the decisions by our regional partners that affect how useful the technology can be to us. 

We've heard from many residents at City Council meetings, and those voices certainly matter. 

But we also need to hear from the people whose lives have been disproportionately impacted by crime and who may not be showing up at those meetings. 

RPD and our neighborhood engagement team will be co-leading and listening through engagement sessions across the city. 

And these will be conversations with residents, not media events. 

Our goal in those will be reaching voices that we haven't captured in a systematic way. 

And ultimately, these will be an opportunity to align our community vision with public safety expertise so that we can come together and actually achieve our collective goals for public safety across the city. 

I also want to clarify that Saturday's decision is specifically about license plate readers, not the gunshot detection technology. 

And we'll make sure that we're asking those questions and continuing to listen to residents about both during these next few weeks and months. 

We have not made a decision about whether another vendor will replace Flock. That is part of the work ahead, part of the listening work that we are embarking on. 

But my commitment is to make a thoughtful, well-informed decision that reflects the needs and the concerns of our community. 

And I'm always, always, always grateful to residents who speak up, who let me know what their concerns are. I expect them to continue doing so. 

That is the essence of our democracy. 

And my commitment, ultimately, in this role is to continuo to listen well and to seek out the voices of those who are marginalized and don't always get heard. 

And we're going to take our time to get this decision right.

Transcribed from Mayor Danny Avula's remarks at RPD’s 3rd Quarter Crime Briefing on October 13, 2026 by Copilot, reviewed and lightly edited for accuracy by a member of the Office of Strategic Communications  

Hey Richmond, It’s your mayor, Danny.  
  
I want to update you on something I know a lot of Richmonders care deeply about: the City’s use of automatic license plate reader technology, particularly our relationship with Flock.  
  
Last month, I promised that we would begin to reevaluate the City’s use of ALPR technology generally, and of Flock, the City’s vendor, specifically. I encourage you to go watch that video, and you can find the link in the description below.  
  
Today, I am announcing that the City will not move forward with the Flock ALPR contract when it’s up for renewal.  
  
This past Tuesday, Henrico County announced that they’ll also begin reevaluating their use of ALPR and have decided to move away from Flock. Now that Henrico has decided to end their contract with Flock, it clarifies the picture for me because Flock, specifically, is now less useful as a tool. Crime doesn’t stop and start at the City-County line, and part of what makes this technology a useful crime-solving tool, is our ability to work together with our regional partners. I’m encouraged to see that the region is joining us in grappling with this issue, an issue that is clearly so important to so many residents.  
  
However, the commitment I made to you all last month was to listen well and make a full, community-informed decision about the City’s use of ALPR technology.  
  
My team has started putting engagement sessions together so that we can hear from Richmonders whose lives have been impacted by violence and who want us to do everything we can to keep them safe, as well as Richmonders who are concerned about how the technology could be misused, particularly those who have experienced disproportionate policing, or have fears about that.  
  
Lastly, the General Assembly will be taking up issues related to license plate reader technology this session, and that work will be incredibly helpful in charting a path forward here in Richmond and across the Commonwealth.  
  
I’ll continue to pay attention to the deliberations and decisions that will come from our state-level leadership and ensure we’re responsive.  
  
So, while I've made a decision about the Flock contract, we have more work to do to ensure we’ve heard from residents who care deeply about this issue.  
  
As we move forward in this work, I promise to keep you updated on this topic. Thanks, Richmond.