Guest Post by Charlie Weingartner

In a city that claims to be working toward safer, more multimodal streets, the rapid disappearance of a two-way cycle track on Ninth Avenue North is a deeply frustrating example of how easily that promise can be broken, especially when powerful voices push back.

The protected two-way cycle track, a tangible gain for safer mobility achieved through years of community engagement, planning, and approvals, was abruptly removed within weeks following complaints from a few residents and influential local political figures. This decision to dismantle the infrastructure was made without any public engagement and bypassed crucial advisory bodies — the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) and the Vision Zero Advisory Committee (VZAC). It was also done without consulting with key advocacy organizations like Walk Bike Nashville and the Civic Design Center.

Here, I’ll break down the timeline of events, explain why infrastructure decisions should not be made by a committee of unaccountable lobbyists, and chart a path forward.

Timeline

Residents, workers, and visitors in downtown Nashville have eagerly awaited the completion of Nashville Yards, a thoughtfully designed 19-acre mixed-use development. This project, which has been years in the making, combines “pedestrian pathways, open green spaces, and plazas” to create a layered urban environment. But it was a neighboring development by Tony Giarratana, 801 Church Street, that requested a modification to planned bike lanes on Ninth Avenue, converting them into a privately funded two-way cycle track.

Subsequent Nashville Yards planning documents depict the new cycle track concept. After years of waiting, both locals and guests witnessed the realization of this long-anticipated vision. As these projects neared completion, the cycle track was installed in mid-February 2025.

But almost as soon as the paint dried, the complaints started, according to public records. Two residents from the nearby Westview Condos raised concerns with Council Member Jacob Kupin. Then lobbyists Ben Eagles and Rob Mortensen from the Thirtyfive Group and Tom Turner, head of the Nashville Downtown Partnership, escalated things further, meeting with NDOT leadership in early March. At the meeting, they discussed removing the cycle track. Part of the meeting was spent discussing potential anti-bike lane legislation at the state level, meeting attendees told Walk Bike Nashville staff.

And just as quickly as the cycle track was installed, it was unceremoniously removed in the middle of March. Alarmed by its rapid disappearance, I submitted a public records request for: 

All emails, written correspondence, and other communications between District 19 Councilmember Jacob Kupin, constituents, and staff and leadership within the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) regarding the two-way cycle track on 9th Ave N in downtown Nashville, including discussions on its removal.  

The request is currently still open pending the documents from NDOT leadership, but Council Member Kupin provided his documents quickly. What we've learned so far has only amplified frustrations and concerns.

Two twenty-year residents of the Westview initially emailed Council Member Kupin on Friday, February 28: 

“In the past two weeks there has been a change that the owners and occupants of the Westview do not love… All of a sudden, with no notification to anyone here, they stripped off the curbside parking and installed a two way bike lane.  

It's crucial to note that while these residents expressed concerns about the change, their private parking at The Westview was not removed as a result of the cycle track installation. The longtime Westview residents later clarified their complaint was about losing their loading without notice and that they “certainly don’t have anything against bike lanes.”

CM Kupin responded the following Monday, saying, “We should not be in the practice of installing bike lanes that are wide enough to drive cars down,” likely in response to the reports that people were parking in the new cycle track. 

But this statement reflects a limited understanding of the underlying issues affecting many of Nashville's bike lanes: They often fail to adequately separate users from vehicle traffic. By creating bike lanes that lack proper barriers or clear guidelines, we inadvertently invite drivers to park in them, undermining their intended purpose and compromising the safety of cyclists.

The email trail returned by the records request also affirmed NDOT’s meeting with lobbyists. On March 12th, NDOT’s Connect Downtown Coordinator, Brent Schultz, emailed Eagles, Mortensen, and Turner for their thoughts on restriping the road: “We would like to get your thoughts on the attached striping plan ASAP.”

The plans were also sent to the residents for their informal opinion and approval.

Adding insult to injury, NDOT subsequently brought their already-painted parking and loading plans for Ninth Avenue to the Traffic and Parking Commission for approval on April 14th. The message NDOT leadership wants to get across is clear: hide behind the Connect Downtown plans for why the cycle track was removed. Connect Downtown, they said, called for bike lanes on 10th Avenue, not Ninth Avenue. 

The loading zones on Ninth Avenue that they are seeking approval for are not reflected in Connect Downtown's "Maximize the Curb" plans, exposing the inconsistency of their rationale. Connect Downtown should represent the minimum ambition for our city's infrastructure, not a convenient excuse to backtrack on safety improvements under pressure. The Commission wisely deferred approval until the May 12 meeting, but their discussion in April did not yield a deeper investigation into why the cycle track was removed on public record.

What we know is this: NDOT hastily ripped up privately funded infrastructure after consulting a small group of lobbyists. If this is a microcosm for how infrastructure decisions are made, everyone should take note.

Why this matters

While it's wise that the NDOT would avoid entanglement with the state legislature, a commitment to public transparency is essential. Issuing a press release to inform Nashville residents about impending challenges to their local control over road configurations would not only have demonstrated accountability but also served to unite the community. Such proactive communication could have galvanized public support and fostered a collective response to safeguard our interests. Nashville needs and deserves leaders empowered to prioritize the safety of all constituents without hesitation. They must implement solutions guided by our Modal Hierarchy and stand firm on decisions that are backed by sound planning.

In fact, these sound planning principles are exactly what led NDOT to add a cycle track to Ninth Avenue in the first place. Not only is it rapidly growing into a highly pedestrianized street, but it can provide key connections to our current network of bike lane islands:

• It linked Commerce and Church Streets — both critical pieces of the city’s planned Complete Streets network.
• Church Street connects vertically to the Gulch Greenway and will continue into Midtown with the Athena Bike Project.
• Ninth Ave N also abuts Union Street, which is slated to be part of Connect Downtown’s future bike infrastructure.

But the reality is that before the community even knew what was happening behind closed doors, the cycle track was removed. Rather than supporting a project that went through the full planning process, including design review and public vetting (the opportunities residents of The Westview had to engage, learn, and voice concerns), leadership at Nashville’s Department of Transportation folded.

The message this sends is clear: if you want bike infrastructure in Nashville, you need to fill out surveys, attend community meetings, and wait years. But if you're wealthy, connected, and unhappy about a bike lane, you can have it ripped out immediately — no process, no public input.

But opposition to new infrastructure is not unique to Nashville.  The negative reactions to the Ninth Ave N cycle track echo a pattern observed in other cities, a phenomenon the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) aptly terms the "Political Valley." Their report, "Green Light For Great Streets," highlights that cities implementing significant street changes often experience a "sharp response of concern immediately preceding & following implementation." San José, used as a case study, serves as a cautionary tale of how initial negative reactions can be amplified if not met with clear communication and unwavering commitment to the long-term vision.

Instead of proactively communicating the rationale behind the cycle track and highlighting its contribution to a safer, more connected downtown, NDOT seemingly retreated at the first sign of headwind.

Moving forward

We know that shouldn’t be the way things work. So do members of NDOT’s staff.

At the Vision Zero Advisory Committee meeting in March, Courtnye Stone, NDOT's Director of Strategic Communications, told VZAC that NDOT wants to be “the most trusted department in Nashville.”

In April, the Vision Zero Advisory Committee met with Koby Langner from NDOT, their Community Engagement Specialist, who presented an engagement matrix outlining NDOT's approach to public outreach based on a project’s stakes and complexity. Notably, Koby, a former member of VZAC, has identified several key characteristics that define a high-stakes project or decision where robust community engagement is paramount. 

According to this internal tool, it is vital to seek robust public comment when a project is deeply impactful or potentially controversial; touches deeply on the needs, values, and concerns of the community; and may occur in a community experiencing underlying tension or previous negative experiences with government. All of these characteristics are clearly present within the Ninth Avenue cycle track debate.

But NDOT Leadership has not listened to the wisdom and efforts of their own communications team, and trust requires consistency. It requires transparency. It requires not handing draft redesigns to lobbyists and a few complaining residents, while advisory commissions and advocacy organizations, who have shown up constantly, for years, are kept in the dark. It requires NDOT to remember that public space is just that: public.

And so Nashville stands at a crossroads.  This isn't just about a bike lane; it's about the integrity of our city's planning processes and the very definition of who Nashville is becoming. Are we a city that genuinely values public input and data-driven decisions, or one where backroom deals and the influence of lobbyists can instantly erase years of planning and community engagement? 

The ghost of the Ninth Avenue cycle track serves as a potent indictment of a system that appears willing to bend to the whims of the powerful, leaving the safety and accessibility of everyday Nashvillians as collateral damage. The fight for safer, more equitable streets in Nashville cannot afford to let this act of blatant prioritization stand unchallenged. The time for accountability and a renewed commitment to a truly public process is now.

You can view the emails provided by Charlie's public records request here.

Charlie is the proprietor of middletncycling.com, a member of NDOT’s Vision Zero Advisory Committee, and Walk Bike Nashville’s 2024 Advocate of the Year.