Sidewalks, Bikeways, and Buses
What's in the Choose How You Move program
By Wesley Smith & Meredith Montgomery October 8, 2024
At Walk Bike Nashville, we believe a vote for Choose How You Move is a vote for streets where people are prioritized, a vote that will accelerate our mission to make our city more walkable, bikeable, and livable.
Over 15 years, the program will incrementally transform our streets, doubling the pace we build sidewalks and bikeways, and doubling the amount of bus service. The alternative, to do nothing, will leave us with much of the same - too few improvements moving far too slow. We can change that. To build Streets for People, we must support Choose How You Move, and we're not taking your vote for granted.
We've had a front row seat to the development of the program over the last year and want to share insights into the process, program's pillars, payment plan, and how you can get involved. We’ll do so with a series of blogs leading up to election day. First up, let’s dive into what likely matters most to Walk Bike Nashville members–the sidewalks, bikeways, and bus service upgrades included in the program.
Pictures from Dickerson Pk. (left to right): a bus stop in the dirt with no sidewalk, a stroller on a dirt path where the speed limit is 45 mph, a newly installed sidewalk and improved bus stop
Sidewalks
Building sidewalks for a city sprawled over 500 square miles is a unique challenge, one that requires traditional and novel approaches. Securing dedicated funding is a critical step toward building out our sidewalk network and toward building a city where all people have the freedom to move safely.
Choose How You Move will deliver 86 miles of new sidewalks. Combined with annual capital spending, it will complete the priority sidewalk network twice as fast as we would without this new dedicated transportation funding. The program prioritizes connections to transit, largely along our busiest and most dangerous pikes, while improving more than a third of our high injury network. Choose How You Move will also free up existing capital spending for sidewalks on local roads and the interior of neighborhoods.
In other words, we will feel the benefits of this funding beyond the projects listed in the program's maps. With Choose How You Move largely focused on sidewalk connections to transit, capital funding can focus on building sidewalks that fill other needs, including more sidewalks in our neighborhoods.
Bikeways
Choose How You Move also includes at least 35 miles of new or upgraded protected bikeways. These segments largely overlap with the 39 miles of complete streets.
Notable protected bikeway projects from that list include:
- 8th Ave. S. from sticks roundabout to Bransford Ave.
- Rosa L Parks Blvd. from Clarksville Pk. to Garfield St.
- Hart Ln. from Gallatin Pk. to Dickerson Pk.
- Nolensville Pk. from Old Hickory Blvd. to Harding Pl.
- Jefferson St. from Ed Temple Blvd. to N. 1st St.
- Trinity Ln. at Dickerson Pk. to County Hospital Rd. at Briley Pkwy.
- Thompson Ln. from Bransford Ave. to Murfressboro Pk.
- Charlotte Pk. from White Bridge Rd. to River Rd.
- Wharf Ave. / Chestnut St. / Edgehill Ave. from Lafayette St. to 21st Ave. S.
- Church St. / Elliston Pl. from West End through downtown
- Woodland St. from S. 11th St. through downtown
To see for yourself, check out the program's interactive map.
The “all access corridors” in the plan include dedicated bus lanes. While these corridors prioritize transit, new bikeways will be included whenever the street is wide enough to do so.
To illustrate, consider the Main St./Gallatin Pk. project, which is currently in design. Bike lanes are included on segments of the corridor where the street is wide enough, but excluded in the narrower segments of Main Street. The designers are also cognizant of upgrades to neighboring bike lanes on Woodland St., S. 5th St., and S. 10 St. In the referendum, Main St./Gallatin Pk. is considered an "all-access corridor", and not counted on the list of new or upgraded bike lanes. We know, though, that the design includes new miles of protected bike lanes in certain segments. After the election, we will work to ensure this approach is replicated as projects are drafted for each corridor.
Again, the 35 miles of new and upgraded bikeways is a minimum, not a maximum. Similar to sidewalks, Choose How You Move unlocks significantly more funding for bikeways and will hasten the pace bike lanes are built across the city.
Buses
Improvements to WeGo are perhaps the most under-sold element of the plan. Nashville is a vibrant city, but WeGo's current operating hours make it difficult for many working people, especially service industry workers, to choose transit. With this funding, Nashville will be a 24/7/365 transit city. The amount of service hours will be doubled, increasing frequencies and adding cross-town routes. Neighborhood transit centers will be added across the city so you won't always have to come downtown to get where you need to go. Park-and-rides will be built on the perimeter of the county, making it easier for regional commuters to avoid downtown traffic. More bus stops will connect to sidewalks and bikeways, and 285 bus stops will be upgraded, meaning there’s no more bus stops in the ditch.
Nearly one-third of Nashvillians cannot drive. Many of these folks rely on public transit to get around. For those already riding the bus, Choose How You Move will make is faster and more reliable. The program is also introducing a free-fare program for Nashvillians receiving federal benefits like SNAP. For those not riding the bus today, frequency improvements, 24/7 service, and faster trips will make transit a competitive option to driving. With dedicated lanes and signal modernization, bus riders won't sit in car traffic on all-access routes.
Whether you walk, bike, bus, or all of the above, Choose How You Move will make getting around easier, safer, and more fun.
Getting involved
If you feel, like us, that Choose How You Move will improve our transportation system, you should get involved.
Nashville voters have rejected two transportation referendums. No vote can be taken for granted. If you're ready to knock doors, make calls, or speak to community groups, get involved with the Nashville Moves campaign. Let them know Walk Bike sent you. We're also excited to see the launch of Shift Nashville, a joint effort between the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), Equity Alliance, and Stand Up Nashville (SUN) to support the transit referendum and ensure equity throughout the implementation of the program. And last but not least, we're excited to launch the Streets for People Campaign, an effort to transform our streets to fit the needs and desires of people, not just cars, to and through the November election. You can share your interests with us to get involved in that effort.
Thanks for reading, and tell your friends!
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