This month, the Metro Department of Public Works will hold hearings around Nashville on priorities for the city's nearly 5-year-old sidewalk and bikeway program. But it could be a tight year for those who hope for an expansion of such urban improvements.
Mayor Karl Dean last fall called for a review of the plan begun by the Purcell administration to determine whether priorities should be reset because of city growth patterns and other changing needs.
At the beginning of the sidewalk and bikeway plan in 2003, Nashville had 752 miles of sidewalks, about half that of comparable cities, and few bicycle lanes. Since then, as The Tennessean recently reported, 124 miles of sidewalks have been added or repaired, 94 miles of bike lanes have been added, and 68 miles of bike routes are being built or designed. The program also added 7,203 wheelchair-accessible sidewalk ramps.
The numbers are encouraging, but suggest that Metro government has a long way to go, especially if its leaders are to fulfill expectations of turning Nashville into a people magnet prized for its vibrant quality of life.
Urban planners and municipal officials long ago identified the ability to get around a city without driving as a major factor people take into account when they decide where to live. The neighborhoods that developed rapidly at the height of suburban sprawl failed to consider the aesthetic and practical value attached to safe, convenient walking to shops, restaurants and libraries. Nashville has certainly been guilty of that shortsightedness in the past, but now has begun a turnaround. Neighborhood activists, Metro Council members, school officials, even developers call for more and improved sidewalks in areas of Davidson County where walking has been hazardous, if not impossible.
But this march toward progress may run into a major roadblock this year: the economy.
Even in previous years, the sidewalk program was underfunded. The original 2003 plan called for a $20 million annual budget. But the program never received more than $5 million-$10 million in a year, and the amount has been shrinking. Jim Snyder, Public Works' director of capital projects, told The Tennessean that $5 million will cover only repair and maintenance.
Now, with the national economic picture worsening, so may local programs such as sidewalks. In early December, Dean told Metro department heads to sketch out scenarios for cuts as deep as 15 percent for the 2008-09 budget. With the need to cover school improvements and police and fire protection, not to mention Metro jobs, sidewalk program advocates should not expect an infusion of cash this year.
That does not mean citizens should give up on the program, however. There are ways to continue improvements without extra funds. For example, Public Works is exploring ways to better target areas that most need new sidewalks or repairs, such as schools and parks. The department is also looking for tie-ins to other projects; a new sidewalk or bike lane may be attached to a stormwater project along the same right of way, for example. These approaches are promising, but will be more so if citizens take a hand in making them happen. Who knows better than a resident where sidewalks and bike lanes are needed most?
If you have ever worried about your child's safety in your neighborhood or wished you could conveniently walk or bike to the corner store, you owe it to yourself to take part in the public hearings and the subsequent comment periods on the Public Works findings.
