Green Hills Residents Pushing For More Sidewalks

I was telling a friend today about my adventurous walk through Green Hills with my 20 mo son.  She said she had seen a group of people on Hillsboro in raising awareness and advocating for sidewalks…a quick search lead to The Green Hills Action Partners website (http://www.tghap.org/) and this news report below.




The Green Hills Action Partners
News Channel 5
October 2013

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It's one of the busiest stretches of road in Nashville, but the problems don't stop on the street and many people point out what maybe even worse, the sidewalk.

For the past 11 years, The Green Hills Action Partners organization has looked for ways to change the scenery along this stretch of roadway by showing the problem one step at a time.

"We just really would like to have a complete network of sidewalks that can get you into and around the Green Hills business district," said coordinator for Walk Green Hills, Angie Emery Henderson.

She said the problem isn't just a lack of sidewalks; it's that they don't all connect.

"Folks that are really barely a third of a mile from the business district cannot walk to the business district to have lunch or run errands," said Henderson.

Brandon and Bess Knox recently moved to Nashville from New York City; where walking was a part of their everyday life.

"So the sidewalk might go 100 yards and then it hits a large grass hill or something and you have to go into the street; with oncoming traffic to get around maybe 50 yards, to rejoin the sidewalk," said Brandon about the sidewalks near his Green Hills area home.

They say they only live a mile and a half from their office, but walking is out of the question, especially with their eight-month-old child.

"Unfortunately on one side of the road there is a sidewalk, but on the other side there is not, so I would have to cross a main street to get to a sidewalk with the baby, which I would feel uncomfortable about," said Bess.

"As you can see right here there is no sidewalk at all and often what grass is there has holes in it and is bumpy, so we had a few older folks who had some challenges," said Henderson.

Green Hills Residents Pushing For More Sidewalks - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports

Carless and Carefree in Nashville, TN: Just Walking...

Wanted to share some thoughts on the luxury of just walking by Kenya Stevens in Nashville…

Carless and Carefree in Nashville, TN: Just Walking...: I've come to realize more often than not that walking soothes me. Walking provides more than a means to get from one place to the next. …

My response and the most pressing question is how to make walking de rigueur in Nashville? ---
Agreed! I love the freedom of walking and the chance for serendipitous interactions. The flow of endorphins is pretty wonderful, too. I moved to Nashville from NYC where walking is required. Here in Nashville, I find that there are many barriers such as lack of sidewalks. Any advice in trying to promote walkability and in making it de rigueur in Nashville? 

Just recently, I have started a blog called Shade Parade (http://shadeparadenashville.blogspot.com) and would love any advice that you may have on promoting walkability. Thank you for writing on the very importance subject of walking!

Sidewalk Project #1 - Bowling Av, Nashville - Update

2nd Update (Dec 11, 2013):  Sean McGuire has agreed to amend the Capital Improvements Budget to include completion of Bowling Av sidewalk to its terminus at Woodmont!!!

Certainly, it CANNOT be this easy…have emailed to ask where stalls may occur and exactly what back up plan is required.  Will update as soon as I hear more…


Update (Dec 9, 2013):  After emailing the very helpful Jenna Smith at Nashville Public Works - this information was gathered.  

In regards to:

1) Bowling Avenue between Brighton Avenue and Woodmont Boulevard ~ total estimated cost to place sidewalk is 2M 

2) Woodmont Boulevard between Harding Pike and Bowling Avenue - total estimated cost to be 3M

- Projects of this magnitude (and these would include drainage and other structural related design and construction needs) usually are handled by Council Member request through the Capital Improvements Budget process

Challenges:

- Ball park figure of $100 per linear foot

- Easements and Right of Way are not all in place and would be required for the installation of sidewalks. These factors are included in the cost estimate above  

- Current location of power poles, utility boxes, etc. would need to be addressed  

- Cost depends heavily upon site needs such as drainage/storm water/curb and gutter/utilities/right-of-way, etc

Therefore, Nashvillians, your help is needed!  

Please email Council Members Jason Holleman at Jason.Holleman@nashville.gov and Sean McGuire at Sean.McGuire@nashville.gov and ask them to help green light Bowling Av sidewalk completion via the Capital Improvement Budget.

2 pedestrians struck on West End; 1 dead - WSMV Channel 4

2 pedestrians struck on West End; 1 in critical condition - WSMV Channel 4


NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
A construction worker has died after he and a co-worker were struck by a vehicle Friday morning on West End Avenue while trying to cross the street.

Lucas Primero, 25, and Giovanni Rosa, 23, were working on a new dormitory building at Vanderbilt University and were trying to cross over in a non-crosswalk area near 21st Avenue when police say they were struck in the center turn lane.

 

Primero died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Saturday.
Rosa was not seriously injured in the crash.

The driver said he did not see the men, and he was not charged.
"The first thing that crossed my mind is, it could have been me," said construction worker Rodrigo Camacho.

Camacho says it was embedded in the crew from day one that the safety of the workers on and off the job site come first, and they were told never to cross where the men were hit.

"Every day, we are risking our lives, obviously, but sometimes we are not thinking. It only takes a minute to be in an accident like that one," Camacho said.

Pedestrians say it's even dangerous crossing busy West End while in a marked crosswalk.
"Sometimes we are waiting on the light, and we have the right to cross, and people just don't respect," Camacho said.

Chasin Jaigirdar says he's almost gotten hit several times.
"Obviously, people are not paying attention," he said

Pedestrians struck…mid-block dart/dash

Pedestrians struck on West End
December 6, 2012
WSMV

Two pedestrians struck and injured at corner of West End and 21st Av. 


http://www.wsmv.com/story/24152771/pedestrians-hit-on-west-end-avenuehttp://www.wsmv.com/story/24152771/pedestrians-hit-on-west-end-avenue

The two people were crossing the street when officials say someone turning into the parking lot of a construction lot hit them. One person is in critical condition. The other is in non-critical condition.

The pedestrians were reported as being outside of a crosswalk when they were struck. 

There were 4,882 pedestrian fatalities and 78,000 pedestrian injuries resulting from traffic crashes in the US in 2001. 

According to Pedestrian Crash Types: A 1990s Informational guide, just under 60% of pedestrian crashes occur when a pedestrian is crossing the street at a mid-block location or at an intersection. 

According to Cui and Nambisan, from a paper entitled Methodology for Evaluating the Safety of Midblock Pedestrian Crossings (2001) conducted in Nevada from 1993-1997, 55% of fatal pedestrian crashes and 28% of all injury pedestrian crashes occurred at 'crossings - not at intersection'. Identified reasons for mid-block crossings included complex and inconvenient intersections and long cycle lengths for cross walks. Of special note, this study also found that even when a pedestrian was crossing with the right-of-way, right turning vehicles that should yield and also left turning vehicles with permitted turn phasing still have potential conflicts with pedestrians.

10 Least Walkable Cities - Nashville is #2

Admittedly, the article below from 2008 (http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/the-top-10-least-walkable-us-cities.html) is dated but Nashville held rank of #2 suggesting a long path ahead to true walkability...Has Nashville made progress?

Treehugger
The Top 10 Least Walkable U.S. Cities
Kenny Luna
Business / Corporate Responsibility
July 21, 2008

Following is the list, created by Walk Score, of the least walkable major cities in the U.S.

Top 10 Least Walkable U.S. Cities
1. Jacksonville
2. Nashville
3. Charlotte
4. Indianapolis
5. Oklahoma City
6. Memphis
7. Kansas City
8. Fort Worth
9. El Paso
10. Mesa

Sources:  http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/the-top-10-least-walkable-us-cities.html
http://mpw.nashville.gov/IMS/Sidewalks/StrategicPlan.aspx

Sidewalk Project #1 - Bowling Av, Nashville, TN

Bowling Av runs from Murphy Rd at its northern end, crosses West End Av, then travels south to terminate at Woodmont Blvd.   There is a novel written about it with a charming portrait of a home on its cover.  They sell it at Parnassus Books.  The house sits in a field of peacock blue - connected to nothing except the evergreens that hug its corners.  

The avenue shares some characteristics with this novel's cover as a good portion of it has homes with lawns that run directly up against the road without a pedestrian walkway.  More than half of Bowling has sidewalks but the stretch from Woodlawn to Woodmont is without.  

On an avenue such as Bowling, where the sidewalk abruptly ends, what is one to do if your intent is further on down the road?  T.C.A. 55-8-135 'Crossing at other than crosswalks' states that a pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.  But what if you are not crossing the road - solely trying to walk down it?  

Does a pedestrian not have the right to walk in Nashville?

View facing North on Bowling at Woodmont.

Walking against traffic.

As an experiment, we attempted to walk north on Bowling starting at Woodmont tonight.  Being a large stroller with 2 kids, myself and a dog - we were not unobvious.  It was nearing 5pm and the golden hour light was upon us.  These latter elements certainly added to the challenge - arguably asking too much of this first walking experiment.  We made it exactly 11 minutes or 0.31 miles before I aborted the trial at Forrest Park.  Initially, my children thought it was pretty fun - they pointed at all the cars that passed.  Within minutes, a lady furiously flashed her lights at us.  It didn't feel like cars were honoring the 3' rule.  Then, a sizable SUV, driven by a teenager, came alarmingly close.  That was it - we bailed! 

According to T.C.A.55-8-136: 'Drivers to exercise due care'

(a) every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due car to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway…

(b) every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care by operating the vehicle at a safe speed, by maintaining a safe lookout, by keeping the vehicle under proper control and by devoting full time and attention to operating the vehicle

According to T.C.A.55-8-136: 'Pedistrians on roadways'

(a) where sidewalks are provided, it is unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon on adjacent roadway…

(b) where sidewalks are not provided or are obstructed, any pedestrian walking along shall, when practicable, walk only on the left side of the roadway or its shoulder facing traffic that may approach from the opposite direction…

A pedestrian does, therefore, have the right to walk in Nashville but is it right for it to feel so unsafe?