Nashville neighborhood's new protected bike lanes ranked among the U.S.' best in 2023
Nashville is not particularly well-known for being bike-friendly, but the city recently earned a shoutout for a very specific part of town that was recently overhauled.
The city ranked No. 47 out of 50 metro areas in a 2022 study for bike-friendliness. In late 2023, the city was ranked by Forbes to have the worst commute, in part due to a lack of options for commuters who want to bike, walk or use public transit to get to work.
WalkScore.com, a website dedicated to ranking large cities based on their walkability, bike-friendliness and accessibility of public transportation, currently grades Nashville 29.7, one of the worst scores on the list of 130 cities in the United States.
But with the adoption of Vision Zero in 2022 and a wave of momentum from Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office, Metro Planning Commission and community organizations, Nashville may be able to continue its progress.
What to know about the completed 12th Avenue bike lanes
When it comes to recent improvements to bike lanes, Nashville is getting noticed. The recently-completed project bringing new, protected bike lanes to 12th Avenue South was ranked on a list of the best new bike lanes in 2023 by Peopleforbikes.org, an advocacy organization focused on improving bike infrastructure in the United States.
The ranking highlighted bike lane projects in 20 cities of all sizes, from New York to Agawam, Massachusetts.
The 1.5-mile long 12th Avenue South bike lanes project improved connectivity to downtown on a well-traveled city artery. Along 12th Avenue is affordable housing in the Edgehill community, a city library, police precinct, Belmont University, electric bike-share stations and several parks, shopping areas and restaurants. It's also a major bus thoroughfare for the city, and covered bus stops were part of the "complete street" project.
“Complete and green street projects like 12th Ave South are essential to connecting all of our roadway users—people walking, using transit, and driving, said Nashville Department of Transportation director Diana Alarcon when the project was unveiled.
"These streets help us get closer to our goal of being a safe, pedestrian friendly multimodal city. This project is a success story, and I’m so grateful to the council members and community members for helping us get here.”
Improved sidewalks and crosswalks were also part of the plan, which was completed in early 2023.
Is Nashville a good biking city?
While Nashville falls short when compared to other cities, it has come a long way with more improvements on the horizon. Walk Bike Nashville, a nonprofit advocacy group working to improve bike friendliness, has several bike routes outlined on its website and makes monthly pilgrimages to Metro Council meetings to bring attention to bike and pedestrian safety.
The stakes are high, though. The Tennessean reported 2022 was the deadliest year on record for pedestrian deaths, with 48 people killed in Nashville while walking and two people killed while biking.
While Walk Bike Nashville, along with families of loved ones killed while walking or biking, urges action steps like reduced speeds on dangerous streets and campaigns to increase driver awareness, the group also celebrates the joy and excitement of getting around via bike.
The organization encourages bikers and walkers to essentially take back the streets while practicing safety and awareness in hopes the momentum will continue and cause concrete change similar to the 12th Avenue South project.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville neighborhood's bike lanes among U.S.' best in 2023
