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In preparation for the 2015 Mayoral, Vice-Mayoral, and Metro Council elections, Walk Bike Nashville distributed a Walking and Biking Candidate Questionnaire to all declared candidates. This Questionnaire was to help educate the public as to the positions and ideas of each of the candidates. While the election is now over, the responses of those candidates who were elected to office are posted below.

Mayor

Click below to review responses

Megan Barry

Vice-Mayor 

Click below to review responses

David Briley 

Metro Council Candidates

Questionnaire

1.  If (re)elected what would you do to promote walking and biking in Nashville and ensure all Nashvillians, regardless of who they are and where they are trying to go, have access to real transportation options?

2. The Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways, which prioritizes where to build new sidewalks and bikeways, was last updated in 2008- before Nashville began experiencing explosive growth. The plan was slated to be updated every 5 years, and thus is due for an update. What should our priorities for walking and biking be in the next version? How would you go about updating the plan?

3. (Mayoral Candidates Only) Mayor Dean established the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) in 2008 to further Nashville's goal of becoming a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly city, and appointed a staff person to work directly with the committee. What do you see as the role of the BPAC? Would you renew the BPAC, and if so how would you support their work?

4. In 2014, 18 pedestrians were killed, and many more injured, on the roads of Davidson County. Nashville is currently ranked the 15th most dangerous city in America for pedestrians, according to Dangerous by Design (Smart Growth America).   Vision Zero is an international effort dedicated to the belief that even one preventable pedestrian injury or death is too many. Streets should be engineered to protect all road users – especially pedestrians, who are most exposed to dangerous conditions on the road. How can we apply Vision Zero policies in Nashville? What can we do as a city to increase safety for all road-users in Nashville?

5. Where do you think Metro should construct sidewalks first? How should Metro prioritize sidewalk projects?

6. (Mayoral Candidates Only) Many cities address all transportation issues—roadways, transit, sidewalks, and cycling infrastructure—in a single Department of Transportation. In Nashville, issues related to transportation are dispersed between several departments, including Planning, Public Works, the MTA and Parks. How would you improve coordination and communication between the disparate offices that all address mobility in Nashville?

7. As part of the Nashville Next process, the Planning Department has collected public input to create a long-term transportation plan called Access Nashville 2040. The plan recognizes that our citizens do not desire, nor can our city afford, expensive new roads. Rather than pursue costly widening projects that provide a temporary solution to congestion and a permanent maintenance burden, we must operate our existing street network more efficiently by expanding access to multimodal transportation. Do you support this conclusion? What would you do to ensure Nashvillians can use walking and biking as real transportation options, and not just forms of recreation?

8. Studies consistently show that the greater the population density in a given neighborhood, the more walkable that neighborhood will be (e.g. walking to grocery store, work, transit).  What are your thoughts about density in Nashville and how it relates to transportation challenges?

9. There is clear support in the Nashville community for spending more money on sidewalks, but the source of funding is always the major question. Do you think the city should spend more, less or the same amount on sidewalks and bikeways? If more, what policies or initiatives would you propose to increase funding for sidewalks and other pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects? If less, what would you opt to not fund and why?

10. While our sidewalk, greenway and bikeway networks are expanding, there are still many gaps in connectivity that rule out biking and walking as real transportation options for many Nashvillians who would otherwise be interested in biking or walking to work, school, the grocery store or to community events. What initiatives or policies would you propose to bridge the gaps that separate walkable and bikeable areas from adjacent communities?

11. Everyone wants to be able to get across the city quickly, yet roads designed to carry cars as quickly as possible are usually the most dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Do you support adding traffic calming approaches (example: bulb outs; road diets; slow zones) along Nashville’s major pikes and arteries? When are these projects appropriate?

12. Nashville is currently a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community, as determined by the League of American Bicyclists. What would you do to move us towards becoming a Silver Bicycle Friendly community?

13. Are there any specific bicycle or pedestrian infrastructure projects or initiatives that you would work to complete during your term?