A right-of-way (ROW) is a right to make a way over a piece of land

Right-of-way also right-of-ways (1768)


  1: a legal right of passage over another person's ground.


From Wikipedia:  A right-of-way (ROW) is a right to make a way over a piece of land, usually to and from another piece of land. A right of way is a type of easement granted or reserved over the land for transportation purposes, this can be for a highway, public footpath, rail transport, canal, as well as electrical transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines.   A right-of-way can be used to build a bike trail. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way. In the case of an easement, it may revert to its original owners if the facility is abandoned.


Below is a link to a page with links to Metro's interactive maps.  The first one on the list is the Parcel Viewer, which shows approximately the parcel lines for properties within Davidson County. 


Learn where your Right-of-Way is

My point being, where are the people of Nashville to walk if we keep obstructing our Right-of-Ways??? 

Nashville Pedestrian Death Registry - Wayne Elam, DOD 3/28/2015

Wayne Elam

NPDR - Wayne Elam


Where my daddy was hit and killed, the city had 9 years of study that says what needed to happen at that exact intersection…and they were only doing rudimentary things – they never did the key and necessary things to improve safety. There have been numerous accidents and injuries at that intersection, my Daddy just happened to be the one body that left the earth as a result of the lack of safety at that intersection.

My Daddy was a military veteran…he literally spent time making sure that we were safer as a country. So for my Daddy to leave the earth under these circumstances – an unsafe intersection in the heart of Nashville – it’s just too much. Let me tell you, my greatest thought is that the street where my Daddy got killed, should not be named Garfield Street, but Wayne Elam Boulevard.




I agree.  The Nashville Pedestrian Registry is meant to go further.  Meant to delve into the lives of those lost while pedestrians in Nashville.  A simple walk can turn deadly if a city does not plan and produce safe and well crafted infrastructure.  These decisions affect the lives of EVERY citizen in this city.


Nashville Pedestrian Death Registry

Non-ADA sidewalk structure - a 'good' example

Public Works Customer Service Request Form




Here is a good example of where a sidewalk in Nashville is not ADA compliant.  Imagine walking here with a stroller or a wheelchair.  You would have to enter the roadway to get by.


This is also a place where the right-of-way may be infringed upon.  The rock wall likely should have been set back a few feet to allow for a green buffer.


These are the kind of things that need to be reported to Public Works and the Council Person. 


The link above can be used to contact Public Works in Nashville.

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PLEASE consider the right-of-way before building costly hardstructures and planting trees & bushes.

16 Pedestrian deaths to date in Nasvhille - 16 too many. A few things you can do...

Just want to remind all Nashvillians that you can contact Public Works with questions in regards to walkability and the rules.  There has been a lot of energy around walkability lately - with sidewalk bill 493 (Link to Sidewalk Bill 2016-493) and the recently updated pedestrian law (Link to Pedestrian Bill 2017-740).


As we move forward in Nashville to improve our ability to simply take a walk, I want to caution you to understand where your right-of-way is and where you can build or plant.  When hardscapes and trees/bushes are in the public right-of-way, they infringe on the place where pedestrians are to be when there is not a sidewalk provided and they decrease our safety.

We have had 16 pedestrian deaths in Nashville this year (Nashville Pedestrian Death Registry).  Sixteen too many.  We all must do our part to create a safe space for our walkers.


***Link to an interactive map where you can understand where the right-of-way is on your property or on properties where you may walk:


http://www.nashville.gov/Planning-Department/Mapping-and-GIS/Interactive-Maps.aspx




***Link to Public Works - you can submit a request if there is a particular issue in you walking path:


https://www.nashville.gov/Public-Works/Forms/Request-Customer-Service.aspx




If you know someone who has perished while on foot in Nashville, please contact us at:  Nashville Pedestrian Death Registry

Another Piece on Wallking Districts!

http://www.wsmv.com/story/36123261/neighbors-discuss-walking-district-pilot-program#.WZBAwbIb32I.facebook

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -            
An effort to end pedestrian fatalities is taking shape across the Metro area.

Walking districts aimed at slowing drivers down have popped up in three different neighborhoods.


It is part of a pilot program, and is a new concept for Nashville. For the next six months, police and public works will study traffic patterns before deciding whether to make the changes permanent.


Neighbors say the concept is great. But, many believe more needs to be done to get drivers to slow down.


“These streets have been historically race tracks,” said Cleveland Park resident Cory Ripmaster.
Ripmaster enjoys walking with his family around the neighborhood. For years, he complained about drivers going too fast.


“What they do is they get in our neighborhood and they see an open road, and they push the gas pedal down," explains Ripmaster.


Now, a sign right across the street from his home warns drivers to slow down.
Cleveland Park, Hillsboro-West End, and the Una neighborhoods all have these same signs. They are designated walking districts.


Within the districts, speed limits on local residential streets are reduced to 20 mph from 30 mph. On residential collector streets, the speed limit was lowered to 25 mph from 35.
Metro public works heard complaints from residents. They hope this pilot program will make drivers more aware of people walking in these areas -- many of which include school zones.
Metro police say they will patrol the areas, reminding drivers of the new speed limits at first. But over time they will transition to writing tickets, if drivers continue to speed through the walking districts.


The goal of this pilot program is part of what's called Vision Zero -- aimed at eliminating all traffic fatalities.


Before and after data will be compared to determine what impact reducing speed limits had in these walking districts.

Walking Districts are LIVE in Nashville!!!

Improving walkability in Nashville is a long term goal of mine.  Recently, I've had 2 major projects, Sidewalk Project #1 - Bowling Av and Walking Districts both get attention. 


Both projects that were started roughly 4 years ago.  I highlight this to show that working on improving infrastructure in a city takes a long time.  I also show this to question the length of time needed.  Projects, such as Walking Districts could be fast if our leadership had a platform where walkability was goal #1.  If funding reflected walkability as the highest priority, we could make serious progress fast!  Each year, sidewalk funding is but a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to need.  
 

***

Walking Districts are LIVE in Nashville!  3 neighborhoods have been chosen - West End/Hillsboro, Cleveland Park (East) and Una
(Antioch).  Speed limits are reduced to 20 mph on neighborhood streets and 25mph on collectors.


For the Hillsboro/West End neighborhood, the borders of the Walking District are: West End, Hillsboro and 440.

Consider becoming a pace car in these neighborhoods!  Don't speed, even if cars stack up behind you.

***

The concept of a Walking Districts is pretty straightforward.  Designed for local streets that are highly walked but have a low Sidewalk Priority Index (SPI) score.  With our current system of using the SPI, these areas would be last on the list of sidewalk creation.  And, maybe rightfully so.  The areas I am talking about are low volume in vehicular traffic neighborhoods and many have a park-like feel.  

The concept entails 3 things making it a quick, easy, and inexpensive fix.  The first is signage:  a sign announcing that you are entering a Walking District.  The second is a street decal (think of the bicycle decal you see on roadways but change it to a pedestrian).  The third is a speed limit reduction to 20mph.

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Walking District 2017
Walking District 2016
Walking District 2015
Walking District 2015
Walking District 2014

Is 8th Avenue South a cut-through or is it a community?

I get my haircut on 8th Av South. I'm always struck by how it feels: a place to pass through. Quickly.

I only go there to visit a specific business & then move on.

There is little life on 8th. The sidewalks are uncomfortable - not a spot of shade to be found - directly next to busy, fast paced traffic. The blocks are ridiculously long. The curb appeal is zero. There are no people! Which means no one to pop into one of the shops. Just cars -whizzing by.

To me, in its current state, 8th Av is essentially a thoroughfare for cars heading to more distant neighborhoods.
It doesn't seem fair that those distant neighbors should deny this area's improvement just to keep a quick way home. I65 is so nearby.

I don't know what the answer is except having city leadership commit to walking and biking as a main mode of transportation.  With that viewpoint, the decision is easy to make.  You listen to the commuters but filter the final decide through what is best for ALL. 


I vote for 8thAv S being a community.  In its current state, 8th Av is not great.  There is not much life here.  But, it could be vibrant!  This reminds me of both the West End issue and the one in Green Hills.  Both communities are ok but could be great with proper infrastructure for both bikes and pedestrians. 


Development is going to occur.  The decision comes down to development with great infrastructure (bike lanes, walkways and public parks/green spaces) or without. 

Is 8th Avenue South a cut-through or is it a community? We vote community. #VibrantSafe8th

http://www.newschannel5.com/news/new-developments-raise-questions-about-8th-ave-south


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Is 8th Avenue South a cut-through or is it a community? That question has become the center of a debate over how to change the road in Berry Hill.
It would be fair to call the Melrose Neighborhood a construction zone, for now. Several new apartments and restaurants will bring around 1,000 new people to the intersection on 8th Ave South and Craighead alone.
"It's a fast growing part of town and it's exciting to bring your residents in," said Broadstone 8South Spokesperson Justin Wilson.
Broadstone 8South is one of the complexes getting in on the action. But differentiating itself from the pack, it brings with it an alternative to hundreds of extra cars constantly on the road: dozens of custom bikes for residents to use.
"The easier you make it for people, the more apt they are to do it," Wilson said, talking about cycling. The complex has entrances both on 8th Ave and on Elliot Ave, which will send cyclists toward the 12 South neighborhood.
They hope they help cycle the neighborhood forward.
Right now, not even the Executive Director of Walk Bike Nashville will bike on 8th Ave South.
"I don't feel very safe biking here," admitted Walk Bike Nashville Director Nora Kern to NewsChannel 5, "I bike almost everywhere I go, but this part of town is really hard to get to safely by bicycle."
The city has ideas on the table that could make things better: more crosswalks, slower driving speeds and also a "road diet," changing 8th from four lanes to two plus a center turn lane to make room for bike paths and better sidewalks.
"The city's changing. And this street is changing no matter what. So doing nothing really isn't an option," Kern said.
The road diet is an option some business owners loudly protest, with large blue signs that read "Don't shut down 8th Ave" up and down the street. One sits in James Kopcsak's parking lot.
"I do not see enough bikers on 8th Avenue to compensate to narrow it to two lanes," said Kopcsak, the owner of Classic Modern.


He says he supports other ideas to make the area friendlier to walkers and bikers, but thinks the road diet is too far. He knows 8th is currently a common cut-through to Williamson County.
A recent TDOT study may surprise many who drive in the area. It shows that over the past 30 years, traffic counts on 8th in that neighborhood have remained relatively stagnant, compared with the exploding I-65 corridor nearby.
As the neighborhood changes, all eyes are on the future. Many agree the community is closely tied to what happens on the road.
"We're open and we're excited to see where this neighborhood goes," Wilson said from the Broadstone 8South. The first residents will move in this weekend. Studio apartments are offered starting at $1329.
One of two traffic studies are complete on 8th Ave South, with the results from the second expected in the fall. Click here for a link to the information from the first study