nashvillain_too

WeGo buses have bike racks on the front too

Curbed, via New York Magazine, has a good summary of New York City's progress towards safer streets. Lots of pictures. Not sure what it says about Nashville's chances when advocates in the most pedestrianized big city in the U.S. have to fight tooth and nail for safe streets. https://www.curbed.com/2023/12/safer-new-york-street-design-pedestrian-bike-progress.html?origSession=D231213a1UmuRju9CpsDH75PtCaC0OGco5ewElrz0wpP2qZark%3D&_gl=1*1pol335*_ga*MTE2NzMzMTQwMy4xNzAyMzkzMDYz*_ga_DNE38RK1HX*MTcwMjQyNzk1OS4xLjAuMTcwMjQyNzk1OS42MC4wLjA.

Downtown is just a little farther along the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome timeline

Ten years to re-stripe and paint some lanes. Pretty ambitious stuff

That's already under construction, btw. Much needed density on one of the most used transit routes in the city (despite being a low-density area). The surrounding neighborhoods are being up zoned piecemeal, from R20 to RS20 (are those the right codes? I can never keep them straight) as is the Nashville way. Would be nice to get a comprehensive zoning plan that acknowledges goals around affordability, climate change, walkability/Vision Zero. Whatever.

You're basically saying that people who drive can't be inconvenienced but it's perfectly okay for people who use transit and cycle to be incredibly inconvenienced. Man, finding a parking space is such a hassle because there's no parking app. Well, what's it like finding a safe route to cycle? What's it like trying to figure out when the next bus is coming and how long you have to wait on a transfer? You'll probably say, "Well so many more people drive so obviously they should be catered to." And the answer to that is, "No duh, we've spent the last 70 years spending on infrastructure that only services one mode." How do you change without actually, you know, changing? Will some people (you) be peeved because their favorite parking spot is no longer right in front of their destination and no longer costs free? Yeah, sorry. Colby Sledge has done a lot for the city and is actively trying to make it a better place and to his credit cares more about the people who live here than visitors.

I forgot to mention that condo or apartment towers are contemporary options for multifamily, but towers and 5-over-1s shouldn't be the only options for multifamily. There need to be more diversity and options for developers and families throughout the city

I'm not a planner, in public policy, nor a politician. But, since you asked... Transit-oriented development over park and rides. Housing, commercial, and office at transit stops instead of parking works better. Upzone the entire city. Allow for commercial and office uses everywhere. Reduce burdensome regulation to make it easier and cost effective to start up small businesses where people live. Overhaul other zoning regulations like setbacks so that developers can maximize the square footage of lots. Remove pointless building regulations that make it hard/impossible to build diverse types of multifamily housing. As it stands, five-over-ones are the only way to make money with multifamily; and those suck. Admit that the pikes and other high injury network corridors are just city streets and redesign them as such. Remove vehicle lanes. Reduce remaining lane widths. Add bus and cycle lanes. Widen sidewalks. Raised crosswalks. Trying to improve transit without simultaneously overhauling land use is a non-starter as is abundantly clear with the current state of affairs. None of the above is radical or revolutionary. It would just be a return to how Nashville developed before we destroyed it for the benefit of suburban commuters. Is that supposed to be a positive? Again, they're just responding to the way things are. Do you want them not to get to school or not to eat just because it's really difficult or impossible to do those things without somebody driving?

Can we make it on 25 years of mediocrity? Also, can we admit that Metro was completely hoodwinked now that we know that the Titan's valuation increased to $4.4 billion after the stadium deal. An increase that was entirely predicted by anyone with a pulse who pays attention. What a racket

Public policy should not be based on anecdotes. I don't know when you were in high school, but times have changed. Lots of kids these days aren't even getting their drivers' licenses. Speaking of anecdotes, my stepson is 16 and doesn't have his learner's permit, let alone a license. Maybe he's just lazy or maybe he's influenced by the increasing perception among younger generations that car dependency sucks. Considering motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers, can you blame them? People won't get out of their cars because it's virtually impossible to exist without them, not because some mythical car culture. People all over the country are desperate for options--walkable neighborhoods, reliable transit--as evidenced by the premium people are willing to pay to live in areas that make that somewhat feasible.

3 garage entrances/curb cuts on one block isn't great. I guess developers have decided that 2nd ave is a car sewer but the 3 lanes of high speed commuter traffic kind of backs that up

Still more parking than living spaces. There's about 300 units at 11 North right?

1,475 living spaces. 1,870 parking spaces. Cool.

Thing is, in Paris, you don't need a car to go to the performing arts center. Leaving TPAC and sitting in traffic for an hour would definitely be a deterrent for A LOT of people