Metro Nashville Council is currently considering legislation to allow the use of license plate readers. Here is the letter we sent to Metro Council Members about our position on BL2021-961 on February 1, 2022.

Dear Council Members,

Walk Bike Nashville opposes BL2021-961. We have deep concerns about how a license plate reader program would be implemented based on BL2021-961 and there is no plan within MNPD or NDOT to use this technology to advance traffic safety.

In their Jan. 31st letter to Metro Council Members, MNPD Police Chief John Drake and Nashville Department of Transportation Director Diana Alarcon stated that “license plate reader technology will NOT be used to identify speeders or those who commit minor traffic offenses.”

2021 was the deadliest year for traffic deaths in Metro Nashville history with 132 people killed on our streets. 2021 broke the previous record set in 1966. Mayor Cooper and NDOT should focus on creating a traffic safety program that prioritizes engineering our streets for safety. We need to create self-enforcing streets, where our streets keep drivers and pedestrians safe 24/7 without a police presence. Our signals should be timed to keep drivers at safe speeds and allow enough time for people of all ages and abilities to safely cross the street. Our main pikes and boulevards need more crosswalks, especially in commercial areas and near transit stops.

We ask you to oppose BL2021-961.

Want to learn more?

View the Metro Council legislation BL2021-961 here.

Read more about all the tools cities can use to keep drivers traveling at safe speeds from the Vision Zero Network here and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) here.

Image: NACTO