NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSBORNE) -- Music City pedestrians may have another tough year ahead if early January is any indication. Two people have already been struck and killed on the city’s streets in 2019.
A man was struck by a bus on Jan. 1 on Fourth Ave. A woman was struck and killed by an SUV on Old Hickory Jan. 9.
Nora Kern with Walk Bike Nashville notes that 2018 again set a grim record for pedestrian deaths with 22 people killed citywide (see cout note below). She says the same number of pedestrians died in 2017.
Kern gives the city high marks for being transparent and collaborative about pedestrian safety, but also says she’s disappointed that more isn’t being done to address known trouble spots.
“So many of them continue to be hotspots where people are being hit and killed each and every day.”
Kern and her group have organized a petition drive, hoping to convince Metro officials to devote more resources to the problem.
Jeff Hammond with Metro Public Works says his team is also troubled by the pedestrian deaths. He says cities nationwide are reporting similar spikes. In Nashville’s case, he says a growing population means more pedestrian-vehicle encounters.
“If we’ve got more people walking and we’ve got more traffic out there it stands to reason that there are gonna be more incidents. That runs true in any form of transportation.”
Hammond says Metro Public Works is deploying a range of short and long term safety solutions. He believes the city is making good use of the resources available.
To get a more complete understanding of the issues of concern and solutions being offered, listen to the complete interviews with Kern and Hammond linked below.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Metro Public Works, Walk Bike Nashville, and the Nashville Pedestrian Deaths Registry all list different totals for the number of pedestrian deaths in 2018. They are 23, 22 and 21 respectively.