Here's every parking ticket written in Church Hill last year

In June, The Richmonder published a big report on the city’s parking data. Here’s journalist Victoria A. Ifatusin:

The piece is pretty comprehensive; exactly the sort of local reporting I’m proud to pay The Richmonder to produce. (You should too!) But one thing it lacked was neighborhood-level data about Church Hill. So The Lookout asked Hinkle for it, and after some back-and-forth about the reporting area ought to be demarcated (here’s what we settled on), he delivered. I’ve uploaded the raw file to The Lookout’s share drive.

These data are sourced from SP Plus and the Richmond Police Department; as Ifatusin outlined, both parties issue tickets in the city. The reporting period is July 1st, 2024 to June 30th, 2025—one calendar year. In that period, drivers paid $18,905 in parking-ticket penalties. Here’s how it broke out on a monthly basis:

Some quick notes:

• The city issued an average of 62.5 tickets per month.

• 552 of the 750 tickets issued ultimately resulted in $0 collected (either due to warnings, or successful disputes)—nearly 75%.

• The most tickets by far (352) were issued for parking in a tow zone.

• Just one ticket was issued for parking in a handicap zone, and only 11 for blocking a handicap ramp.

• 11 drivers got their cars booted.

And so on. If you’re a competent spreadsheet jockey (your humble Lookout editor is not), please dig through the data and let me know what you find. And remember: it’s 15 feet from a fire hydrant, and 20 feet from the corner. Help the Richmond Fire Department, and help daylight Church Hill’s intersections while you’re at it.

📜 Possum Poetry

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected]. All submissions anonymous!

❓New dashboard shows where reckless drivers speed in the East End

There are a lot of wonderful people in the East End, and a lot of inconsiderate jagoffs behind the wheel. How close to a circle is that Venn diagram? Hard to say. But it’s now a bit easier to say on which of our streets said jagoffs are disregarding posted speed limits now that the city of Richmond has granted the public access to its citywide speed data dashboard. “As promised at the Speed Management Symposium in May, we’re making citywide speed data public for the first time,” Mayor Danny Avula (a longtime East End resident himself) in a statement last week. “It’s a critical step toward building trust and making our streets safer for everyone.” And, so long as the city uses the data to target dangerous roads with permanent redesigns, a much a bigger one than murals on the asphalt.

The Lookout took the dashboard for a cursory spin. The interactive map is very cool, but it segments the data (aggregated by a third-party vendor from cell phone and GPS signals over the past two months) on a block-by-block basis, which makes it kind of hard to identify specific thoroughfares where speeding is rampant. Or maybe it’s just me? In any case, a spot-check of routine problem streets like N. 25th St., Mosby St. and Nine Mile Rd. do indeed see higher-than-legal speeds the majority of the time. Go figure.

☎️ Rock(oe) the block(oe) in Shockoe Bottom this 804 Day

In addition to being a key component of America’s deteriorating telecommunications infrastructure, area codes are an important signifier of place and identity. Just ask Christopher Brian Bridges! Or don’t. Up to you. Anyway, this coming Monday is August 4th—or, numerically, 804—so naturally there are all sorts of celebrations planned in Richmond. Here in the East End, Shockoe Records is hosting its 804 Day Block Party this Saturday (so, 8/2, not 8/4; lotta folks got work on Monday) from 12:30-6:30pm at 17th Street Market.

The fest will have three stages showcasing ~10 acts throughout the afternoon, as well as food and drink for sale and booths from local vendors. Check out Shockoe Records’ website for more information.

And sometime between now and 804 Day (the real one; you don’t have to do this tonight), read R. Anthony Harris’ recent feature in RVA Magazine about the city’s struggles to create a safe environment for nightlife to thrive in Shockoe Bottom, and what it could be doing instead of having the Richmond Police Department just barricade the whole thing off every Saturday night. Or don’t. Up to you.

📢 Happenings on The Hill

• Pottery party: Clay Ground is doing its annual end-of-summer market to fundraise for BIPOC and LBGTQIA+ causes from 12-8pm on Saturday (8/2.) Clue in.

• Vegetably speaking: Blue Atlas is going fully vegan all weekend, so score a reservation if you’re feeling low on fiber or high on animal rights. The scoop is here.

• Tune in: The Church Hill Association’s Sunset Garden Concert Series is back, but this year it’ll be at Reed Square rather than Libby Hill Park. First show is Sunday (8/3) at 7:30pm. More details.

• Pastries, please: Cardamom Bakes is popping up with mini cakes and buns at Pizza Bones this Sunday from 5-8pm. Cakes and buns, right this way.

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

📸 A Very CHill Photo

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Email it to [email protected] with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.