Sidewalk Project #3 - Walking From Woodlawn to Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN

Heading out on a cold day in the Chariot.

Taking Andie (4 yo) to school on foot. Our route will be Woodlawn Av to Compton, Sharondale to Woodlawn (again) to Natchez Trace, Blair to 24th Av S.  Woodlawn will be the most difficult on foot as it is narrow. 

Start time 10:19a, 0.88 miles, 2023 steps.

Woodlawn is very narrow.  It functions as a cut through.  Therefore, drivers go pretty fast.  

Biggest lesson learned:  on streets that are narrow and function as cut through - waving at every driver reduces tension.

Woodlawn

                  There appears to be room for a sidewalk.

Turning onto Compton, heading north is a relief after Woodlawn.   

A walker is supposed to walk opposing traffic.  This sidewalk start will not require a mid-block dart/dash to reach its origin. 

Nice wide sidewalk near 440 overpass, heading north, Woodlawn

Heading north on Natchez 

Two things are quickly apparent on Natchez, heading north.    Sidewalk is infringed upon by utility poles/guy wire & trash bins in multiple locations.  The Trash bins occlude the sidewalk entirely.

Mid-sidewalk utility pole

Literally, cannot fit.

Bushes overlapping sidewalk.  

                            Sidewalk converted to a narrow path.

Turning west onto Blair, great wide sidewalk with green buffer.  

    Blair is perfect for walking and it shows - we passed plenty of pedestrians out walking. 

Sound Forest planting.  

 Nashville can be brutally hot in the summer months.  

Planting tree lined sidewalks would be ideal for pedestrian comfort.

                Tree lined sidewalks = Shade Parade!

Shade Parade!

Corner of 24th Av S and Belcourt.  

The utility pole leaves a blind spot for drivers who may be making a right turn from 24th onto Belcourt.  There is a moment, when you are completely behind the pole, that a driver would not be able to see you.  Drivers making turns are a source of potential conflict.  

50 minutes, 1.8 miles, 4117 steps.

A few more examples of trash cans occluding sidewalk.

Perk of a good long walk…sleeping baby.

Another example of utility pole and guy wires blocking sidewalk, Natchez

Fire hydrant mid-sidewalk, Natchez

Abutting a concrete wall, this utility pole and guy wire blocks walkway.  

             With a stroller, you must enter flow of traffic, Natchez

Note the many footsteps on this wide sidewalk
Overpass, 440, Woodlawn Dr.

On Compton, heading south.

Note the terminus of the sidewalk.  Due to sidewalk being on the west side of the road, to comply with pedestrian law of walking against traffic, one would have to perform a mid-block dart/dash to cross over.  This is one of the most prevalent sources of pedestrian/driver conflicts.

The Sartorialist in Nashville - Images from the Sidewalk

The Sartorialist in Nashville

Images from the Sidewalk

Have you ever met anyone interesting while sitting in your car?

 

Walking allows you to meet interesting people…

http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-street-elise-on-21st-ave-nashville/

http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-street-avery-nashville/

http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-street-krystal-nashville/

http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-street-emily-painter-nashville/

Lack of sidewalks called into question after pedestrian killed - Feb 2013 Nashville

This emphasizes the importance of pedestrian awareness here in Nashville.  It also dramatically shows that we need sidewalks for safety alone…

Lack of sidewalks called into question after pedestrian killed

Posted: Feb 21, 2013 4:50 PM CST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

Nathan Walters knows first-hand the dangers of sharing the road.

"I got hit on July 4th on Gallatin Road where there's no bike lanes," said Walters.

"I walked away without a scratch," he added, "I tumbled over the car. I have no idea how in the world, but luckily I wasn't injured."

The death 32-year-old Livia Rose Smith also hits home for Walters. 

Smith's body was found on Barclay Drive, right in front of his house, around five o'clock Wednesday morning.

"I had no idea at that point there was a body like five feet from my driveway," said Walters. "Seeing that and knowing that I was all sleep like 20 yards away and didn't hear anything, couldn't do anything to help her and knowing that it's being investigated as a hit-and-run, I just felt like if we don't do something about the traffic scenario around this whole area in general, that could happen a lot more often."

"It really hit home for a lot of folks," said Peter Westerholm, "That this could be any of our neighborhoods and any of our friends."

Westerholm, the Metro council person for the area, told Nashville's News 2 the issue of more sidewalks is something he's trying to bring more attention to.

Westerholm worked with the city to get a crosswalk put up along Eastland Avenue near a dense shopping district.

"We have lots of side walks that are planned, but are not yet funded," he explained.

Metro Public Works told Nashville's News 2 there is a Sidewalk Master Plan.

The plan was developed about 12 years ago, and ideally called for $20 million in each year's budget be dedicated to adding new sidewalks and making improvements.

Metro Public Works said the reality is, they get about $12 million per year, and this year, Mayor Karl Dean asked all city departments to prepare budgets reflecting a two percent cut in spending.

"I think there's a lot more that needs to be done," said Walters. "Hopefully, it doesn't happen again, because this area is really tight. [If] you know somebody, you know everybody out here."

Sidewalk Project #2 - Hillsboro Pike, Nashville or The Story of Why Hillsboro has a Traffic Problem

Nashvillians love to fuss about the traffic in Green Hills.  

Henry (20mo) and I decided to tour Hillsboro Pike on foot.  Specifically, we walked from Whole Foods to the Green Hills post office. 

Hurdles presented themselves immediately.

Starting point, note time and distance.

Walking north on Hillsboro Pike

 An example of a sidewalk that is essentially impassable.

Hillsboro Pike, walking north, Trader Joe's parking lot.

 Bumpers of cars extending over sidewalk.

Hillsboro Pike, walking north.

Limited width, difficult with stroller.

Hillsboro Pike, walking north.

Multiple curbs makes walking with stroller a 'stop and start' scenario.

Hillsboro Pike, walking north, Abbott Martin Rd is intersection ahead.

 Limited width, difficult with stroller.

Hillsboro Pike, walking north, just past Abbott Martin Rd.
 

I can't even comment on this.  This is embarrassing. 

Hillsboro Pike, walking north.
Near Green Hills Mall entrance, the sidewalk ends.

So, we go out in the road.

A very short sidewalk, decorative at best.

And, the sidewalk begins again.

There are multiple examples of curbs that making walking with a stroller a challenge.

Green Hills post office, exactly 0.54 miles, and a 14 minute walk from Whole Foods.

Heading south on Hillsboro Pike from the Green Hills Post Office.
Curbs and rough pavement.

Bus stop on Hillsboro Pike.

 Lots of trash behind chain link fence.

Somewhat less than inviting…

Hillsboro Pike, heading south, in front of Hillsboro High.
Where the sidewalk end again

Hillsboro Pike, in front of Hillsboro High.

Surprisingly, this was one of the most refreshing spots to walk in the Green Hills area.  

Wide and smooth pavement provided an adequate buffer from traffic.

Tree lined = Shade Parade

With parked car, had to enter into flow of traffic.  

The sidewalk begins again.

Greenbriar Village on Hillsboro Pike offered a great example of a sidewalk with a green buffer.

Hillsboro Pike, walking south.
Rough pavement, curbs, telephone pole mid-sidewalk.

Poor maintenance
Large telephone pole mid-sidewalk

Hill Center, Whole Foods

 Walk from Green Hills post office to Whole Foods, exactly 12 minutes.

Shade Parade is dedicated to improving walkability in Nashville

Walk from Whole Foods on Hillsboro Pike to Green Hills post office takes less than 15 minutes on foot, 0.47 miles, and roughly 1081 steps.  

Traditions

Traditions


I called Ed Freeman on Sunday, commissioner of Belle Meade and of 'We Need Sidewalks Now' campaign to glean advice on how to proceed with Shade Parade.  Sadly, he pointed out 'Nashvillians do not have a tradition of walking'.  

  

As a physician and a mother, this makes me cringe.  This may be Shade Parade's biggest hurdle.  


It is fairly rare to see a pedestrian in Nashville on most streets at most hours particularly in West Nashville.  

On Hillsboro Pike, walking north, entrance to Trader Joe's.

Many sidewalks are literally unwalkable in Nashville.  

Shade Parade is dedicated to changing this…