NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Dickerson Pike is one of the busiest roads in Nashville used by drivers and pedestrians alike, making it also one of the most dangerous.
“Six people were killed while walking on Dickerson Road last year alone,” said Lindsey Ganson, director of advocacy and communications for Walk Bike Nashville. “There’s no sidewalks on much of Dickerson Road, there’s very few crosswalks, there’s not enough lighting for people that are walking at night.”
That’s why the organization is calling for change. They’re starting with the intersection at Dickerson and Hart Lane.
"Twenty-two people were hit by cars just in the past four years, so when people are getting struck that often in an intersection, we know it's time to do something," Ganson said.
To do it, Walk Bike Nashville has enlisted the help of some of Nashville’s youngest residents.
“So we worked with the Civic Design Center’s Youth Action Team to propose some solutions to the pedestrian safety issues here on Dickerson Road,” said Ganson.
"There will be a glow in the dark crosswalk on Hart Lane and Dickerson Pike and then- kind of like the sidewalks- we’re going to have artwork that kind of also glows," said Nada Shalta,f who is a member of the Nashville Youth Design Team along with her sister Lema. "We also wanted to add beach balls that have LED lights in there so people are aware that there’s people crossing but also so the road has some light.”
The teenagers designed the artwork which they plan to install at the intersection.
“So we kind of wanted to do a plan for people to be able to be safe from crossing those roads, but also for people who are in their cars to notice hey, there’s people are actually crossing,” said Shalta.
It’s all part of what’s called the Dickerson Road Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.
They will seek input from the community to develop improvements that will be presented to the city.
“We need the Department of Transportation to build infrastructure to keep pedestrians safe and we need drivers and everyone to slow down and be careful and stay alert because a second of your time could save a life,” said Ganson.
If you would like to provide input, you can submit this survey.
