At Walk Bike Nashville, we work to make our city a place where everyone has the freedom, dignity, and choice to move around safely using whichever mode of transportation suits them best. To achieve this vision, we must transform our largest public asset: our streets. Our streets should bring us joy. When they are safe, vibrant, accessible, and inclusive, they can connect neighbors and communities, fuel a healthy economy, and foster independence for people of all ages and abilities.
That's why we're calling on city leaders to implement six short-term solutions that will lay a foundation for the city’s mobility future. On Tuesday, June 3, we submitted our first State of Our Streets report to Metro Council and incoming Chief Programs Officer for Choose How You Move Sabrina Sussman, along with other Nashville transportation leaders.
The context document and action plan — which you can view here — precedes the start of Sussman's tenure in mid June. It offers case studies on recent mobility projects and six recommendations Walk Bike believes Nashville can achieve by the midpoint of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s term this autumn. These actions won't just improve mobility, they’ll increase public trust and set a foundation for larger projects planned through Choose How You Move.
Now is the time to set a strong foundation for our transportation future. Read the report and join us in this movement. Together, we can build a better Nashville for all.
What are we asking for?
State of Our Streets is both a context document and an action plan. It offers case studies on recent mobility projects and six recommendations Walk Bike believes Nashville can achieve by the midpoint of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s term this autumn:
- Expand Nashville’s bikeway network by piloting Connect Downtown's mobility lanes.
- Accelerate the pace for building safe walking paths by developing sidewalk alternatives.
- Reduce fatalities and serious injuries on dangerous roads by creating a line item for quick-build construction projects in the Vision Zero budget.
- Enhance shared micro-mobility options by signing a contract with a bikeshare provider that significantly increases the number of stations and bikes.
- Execute a mobility vision across Metro departments by hiring a dedicated transportation policy lead in the mayor's office.
- Enforce the values and priorities already established by city leaders by endorsing a four-lane cross section for East Bank Boulevard, our city's next great street.
Why release this report now?
Nashville voters delivered an emphatic victory for our streets seven months ago by supporting Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s Choose How You Move referendum — which provides dedicated transit funding for the first time in our city’s history — by a nearly two-to-one margin. But that doesn't mean the fight for better, people-first streets is over. Throughout the spring, we've documented several challenges in our city's transportation landscape, from disappearing bike lanes to unsafe road designs at what should be our next great street.
We wanted to compile these in one concise place, not as complaints, but as growth opportunities. And it's no coincidence that this report also comes right after Mayor O'Connell's State of Metro address in May and at the start of Sabrina Sussman's tenure as Chief Programs Officer for Choose How You Move.
Each fall, we gather for our annual member party to celebrate the work being done in our community to make our streets safer, better, and more people-focused. It's our hope that this year's party can also be a celebration of the ways Metro immediately got to work and boldly led through practical solutions.
I want to help make this a reality. What can I do?
We delivered this report to Metro Council members, Mayor Freddie O'Connell, NDOT director Diana Alarcon, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, the Vision Zero Advisory Committee, and Sabrina Sussman, the incoming Chief Programs Officer for Choose How You Move. But that doesn't mean you can't be an advocate for better streets!
Tell your Metro Councilperson to support policies that help create people-first streets.
Attend Open Streets events in your community, like the Open Streets Summer Series on June 15, July 20, and August 17.
We humbly ask you to consider supporting our work with a Walk Bike Nashville membership. Paid memberships have perks like discounted WeGo transit passes, but a paid Community Membership helps you stay in the loop with transportation news through our newsletter.
Additional reading and supplementary materials
The report references several case studies and reports. Additional reading is available here:
Case Study: 12th Avenue South Bikeway
People for Bikes: The Best New U.S. Bike Lanes of 2023
Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure: 12th Avenue South Complete and Green Street Project
Case Study: East Bank Boulevard
Walk Bike Nashville: East Bank Boulevard: Let's Get It Right
Case Study: Ninth Avenue North Cycle Track
Case Study: Open Streets Nashville
Recommendation: Build more protected and connected bikeways
Recommendation: Build more walking paths
Portland Bureau of Transportation: Pedestrian Design Guide
Recommendation: Increase shared micro-mobility devices
Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure: WalknBike Nashville Final Plan
Recommendation: Enforce existing mobility policies
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