Bike parade honors Mary Munford principal, calls for better pedestrian protection

Wendy Rake moved into a home on Patterson Avenue because she wanted her two twin boys to be able to walk and bike safely to and from school at Mary Munford Elementary.

But since then, she said “there's just been a lot of accidents here that make me, as a parent, nervous,” including the accident that was just down the street from her home involving the beloved principal of her sons’ school, Greg Muzik.

“Out of all of the people to have to be injured in a situation like this, Mr. Muzik is just the heart and soul of Mary Munford and we're just really heartbroken,” she said.

Rake is one of hundreds of people who attended a bike parade sending well wishes to Muzik on Friday afternoon. He was hit by a car while riding his bike on the 4400 block of Patterson Avenue Tuesday afternoon, and has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police say. No updates have been given since.

The event began at 4:30 pm in front of Albert Hill Middle School and students, staff, parents and community members rode their bikes, walked and jogged to the elementary school as Richmond Police cleared the road of traffic. 

Rupa Murthy helped organize the event with other parents. She said when she found out what happened, she worried that it was her daughter. 

“I am telling you today, it has to end,” she said. 

Councilmember Andrew “Gumby” Breton (1st District) rode his bike with attendees and said that incidents like Muzik’s are dangerous and “could possibly end a life.”

“We all pray every time there's an accident, every time there's a traffic injury, fatality, we all pray that it's not somebody that we love,” he said. “And this time it was somebody that we all love. And that really drives home the fact that these incidents are absolutely devastating.”

Breton, who told The Richmonder he’s also had cars crash and land in his yard, said he is speaking with Mayor Danny Avula to make the necessary changes to keep pedestrians safe.

“We're going to have to make design decisions to have a city to make more room for people, more room for bikes, less room for cars. And the number of people here is actually clear that this is what the people want.”

‘It’s not the first time’

The event aimed to “demand safer, slower, pedestrian-friendly roads,” and participants were required to wear helmets.

Attendees were reminded that this hasn’t been the first time that a pedestrian accident occurred in the area. 

Robyn Timmons recalled when, at the time, 11-year-old Drew Noggle’s bike was hit by a car that failed to yield at a crosswalk. It happened at the intersection at Westmoreland Street and Grove Avenue, just steps away from the school. 

“It’s only three years ago that Drew was hit,” she said. “It was a walk signal. And he still was hit.”

Rake said that she’s disappointed that these conversations are still happening, as “it’s not the first time."

“The school has been here since 1951," she said. "This is not a new school. This is not a new neighborhood,” she said. “So I do find it saddening that people are still speeding through these areas.”

Breton said that Richmond used to be a city that was very sparse, allowing “a culture of speed and convenience where people believe that they ought to be able to get anywhere they want really fast.” But now that the city has grown in population, the reality has changed, but not the culture. 

“So in order to combat that discrepancy, we need to change the physical environment.”

Breton said that the changes the city will have to make might be concerning to planners who may think that it’ll “inconvenience too many people,” but the number of people who attended the event “shows that people are ready for a healthy outdoor living environment.”

“The trade-offs you have to make are going to be supported by the people,” he said. 

Over the past few days, Richmond Public Schools and members of the community have poured out support and thoughts for Muzik, a 76-year old man who has been in his position for 32 years and in RPS for five decades.

“Greg Muzik is a tremendous school leader and a wonderful member of the RPS community who exemplifies what it means to Lead with Love,” wrote RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras on Wednesday. 

“We're wishing Mr. Muzik a total recovery, and keeping his family close in our thoughts."

The driver remained on the scene when police arrived. Police said that speeding and driver impairment were not factors in the crash. The investigation is still ongoing.

Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that the parade was organized by a group of Munford parents, and to reflect the correct number of attendees.