cbowe34.bsky.social
Father - Husband - Urbanist - Civil Engineer - Transit Enthusiast - Pro-Housing - Safe Streets - Metro Vision Zero Advisory Committee Member - Nashvillian
My thoughts are my own and do not reflect any other organization's opinion
230 posts
148 followers
327 following
Active Commenter
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It's easy - simply tear down the inner loop interstate through East Nashville and build the new mobility center between Main and Woodland where the Interstate used to be. Very close to the new stadium, can use Interstate Drive (to be renamed Transit Way), and let's the EBB car sewer really shine!
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I don't understand the difference, if I am being honest. What do you mean by sidewalk extension?
And you are right - funding for transformative projects is limited and poorly managed. Hopefully programmatic approaches, like the CHYM plan can streamline the process moving forward!
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We got pump those 56 numbers up! I think the 34 picking up folks on Gallatin between Briley and Hart is hurting the numbers
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I'm still supportive of this type of move because it reframes the public perception of this road. In the future, if curb or concrete protection is proposed here, NDOT won't have to fight about whether a bike lane belongs or not - it's already there!
Just gotta keep pushing for the next steps!
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Another takeaway: the 31.3 miles of bikeway shown on this map looks... almost inconsequential and completely disconnected.
That just highlights the vast number of lane miles we have to manage in Davidson Co. It's definitely not an easy job and there is so so so much to keep pushing for!
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So while I celebrate the miles of bikeway Nashville has added in the past few years, I think it is reasonable that we all demand better and more protected options - especially on our most dangerous roads!
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The speed limit here is 40 mph - which district CMs fought to keep from going lower (30 or 35 depending on the segment, as proposed by NDOT).
Would you feel comfortable on this bikeway, separated from 27,000+ AADT by some vertical and surface paint?
Would you let your kids ride here?
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Although there is a healthy buffer and flex posts present in spots along this bikeway, the buffers often narrow or disappear at intersections as more lanes are added for car movements. There are also no posts in front of the numerous very long driveways, a hallmark of Nashville area pikes...
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Which is a TDOT controlled road - a huge win for Nashville if TDOT is relaxing its grip on the state routes and allowing more people friendly design! But here is a screenshot of a typical segment of the "protected" bikeway:
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So yes - technically NDOT did see the completion of 10.7 miles of bikeway in fiscal year 24-25. That's encouraging news!
However, when you go a level deeper, you see that fully half of the bikeway completed was this stretch of Lebanon Pike:
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And the accompanying detail for reading the map:
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Real ball knowers know that the solution to stormwater management is dense development + trees & thoughtfully designed open space freed up by that density
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Live posting is so hard!
Especially without a laptop. But I can never get connected to a reliable wi-fi signal in there so 🤷🏻‍♂️
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It has come to my attention that I may have misrepresented Director Alarcon’s comments re: EBDA. See below for a correction:
bsky.app/profile/star...
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Best I’ve seen is on one of the infographics included in the survey: (paraphrasing) “30k car trips per day means we need four car lanes on the boulevard”
No discussion of tradeoffs on the alternatives - just that stark assertion
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Gotta conduct traffic stops to get DUIs.
Currently they are drunk driving (and the extreme level of negative externality that carries) generators.
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Can't underestimate Steve Nash's impact here either. Before Nash, there were very few dribble drives that ended in dribble outs and kick outs - most ended in a FGA at the rim!
Getting defense in rotation often results in 3 or 4 subsequent dribble drives, none of which end in an attempt at the rim.
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Full comments from @kemcdonell.bsky.social here:
bsky.app/profile/kemc...
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Also quick fact check: there is exactly one signed loading zone on 8th right now - right in front of the Standard.
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Congestion pricing = imposing costs on driving = less cars
Smoothing out traffic signals = reducing costs on driving = more cars
My guess in NYC is that the volume of cars decreased enough to reduce overall exposure to pedestrian/vehicle conflicts
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She says the bike lane wasn’t supposed to be installed because T&P never approved the removal of curb parking.
Apparently the developer was supposed to take his approved SP plan to T&P for their stamp before building the bike lane?
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Most of the design guidance is probably a holdover from the Cooper administration’s efforts to imagine an iconic new neighborhood, complete with a redundant highway for… reasons.
But NDOT, by the director’s admission is not driving the bus on design. Baffling
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AECOM are the design engineers for the project, but they are getting a set of design priorities from somewhere, and I imagine that is the role EBDA is playing.
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We’re living in the world you built for us
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We are going over time and Diana is being very gracious with her time. She works hard, y’all!
But I’m done posting for tonight. If you’re still following along, just come to the next meeting!
June 10th at 5:00 pm
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Apparently it is the East Bank Development Authority!
NDOT will still own the road and its maintenance in perpetuity!
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She’s says the number one job following the CHYM vote is making transit work.
Says there is a lot of hope for adding things like bike lanes back as redevelopment allows for less on street space requirement for loading and valet.
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8th Ave will then become a transit priority corridor, where there is currently lots of loading zones.
So the loading zones are now heading to 9th Ave, taking the place of the bike lane that was installed by a private developer as part of their SP rezoning agreement.
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Next up: 9th Avenue bike lane removal.
Diana is explaining in exquisite detail how transit will work with the ConnectDowntown plan. Apparently we piloted a transit only configuration to show TDOT it won’t have adverse impacts on the state route.
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Main/Gallatin project is in engineering design right now. NDOT is very close to finalizing ROW acquisition plans for that one which will feature bus lanes, one car lane each direction, and protected bike lanes!
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@jerewoo.bsky.social asked if we are going to pilot transit only lanes anywhere in Nashville before EBB is built.
Director Alarcon says we should have at least a few pilots on that in other places within the next year or so, which can inform the EBB transit design
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But anyway, take the survey!
www.nashville.gov/featured-ini...
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Director Alarcon has been adamant that feedback from the recent meeting and currently active survey can make a difference in the final product. Again… skeptical.
She is also intimating that the East Bank Development Authority has been more adversarial than collaborative so far đź«
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East Bank project is reliant on federal funding - so I guess that means we might need to compromise on our priorities to get the funds approved. Makes me wonder how much of the EBB design is an attempt to assuage regulators at the expense of its eventual users…
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Director Alarcon is claiming that you can design roads that carry high volumes of car traffic and make it safe for all road users, but just that it hasn’t ever really been done in the US.
Color me skeptical that you can shove 30,000 vpd into a high intensity pedestrian environment & “make it work”.
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Next up: East Bank Boulevard discussion.
NDOT is not in the drivers seat on design, but will “own” the infrastructure after it gets built, and so has some limited say on elements like material selection.
Priorities for the “spine road”:
Transit
Pedestrians
Safety 🙄
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Metro has never had a capital management system until this year apparently? Everyone was just using Excel spreadsheets, lol. Makes so much sense.
Capital plans should get much more sophisticated and easier to track going forward.
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Diana tells us there are two HAWK beacon projects that are already in the works thanks to the LiDAR data collected in Phase 1!
NDOT will be prioritizing bridge replacements in several locations across the county.
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Budget includes funding for 8 already funded FTEs + 11 more new FTEs to support the CHYM program!
Director Alarcon already hedging on the timeline for CHYM, calling it VERY aggressive.
Phase 2 of the SMART grant I referenced earlier is set to begin very soon!
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Unfortunately, the photos take forever to upload, so I’ll grab the super interesting slides.
NDOT is hiring! If you’re interested in building better transportation in Nashville, send them your deets.
Diana is very excited about banner hanging crews to meet apparently super high demand, lol
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LED streetlight retrofit projects have been a huge success. Dickerson Pike has been demonstrably safer following the LED rollout and pedestrian safety has really improved.
School zones will receive standardized striping and signage across the county within the next 5 years.
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Director Alarcon says CHYM will super charge our signal timing projects to help traffic move more smoothly.
Editorial note: this has neglible impact on safety. Slower cars are better for safety, as a general rule.
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Some data on beautification and pothole fixes show pretty steady improvement over the past three years. Awesome improvement in pothole filling!
More data:
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Director Alarcon is here to speak with us tonight!
We start with the NDOT budget presentation ahead of their discussions with council next week.
NDOT’s stated priorities:
Goal 1: Safe Neighborhoods
Goal 2: Customer Focus
Goal 3: People and Culture
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I can’t keep up with each individual case we are covering, and the cellular data in this room is having trouble keeping up with me so we will pick it back up for the next agenda item
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Red dots indicate 2025 fatal crashes to date and teal triangles indicate April crashes.