NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The “Choose How You Move Plan” for Nashville is now in the hands of Metro Council after Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s team filed an ordinance to recommend the program be on the ballot in November.
It’s something some WeGo bus riders say they would support, like Leslie Carter. She's a Nashville native and has seen Music City grow rapidly.
“A lot of traffic, less streets, and there needs to be more buses around the area," Leslie Carter said.
Carter says the extra traffic is putting her safety at risk.
“I've almost gotten hit by cars trying to cross the street to catch the bus and everything," Carter explained.
Nashville resident Natasha Briggs also thinks it’s affecting the WeGo bus system.
"They’re just they're either running earlier than they're supposed to be or running behind," Natasha Briggs added.
The issue is so bad for Briggs, she’s typically always late for work. "Thankfully my boss understands," Briggs noted.
Improving the city’s transit system is apart of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transportation plan called “Choose How You Move”.
The Choose How You Move transportation improvement program builds on more than 66,000 ideas submitted by Nashvillians over more than a decade that informed 70 plans and studies. Key components of the plan are:
- 86 miles of new and improved sidewalk
- Nearly 600 smart signalized intersections that can read traffic and improve flow
- 24/7/365 bus service with more frequency, plus new crosstown and express routes
- Funding for safer, complete streets and 12 community transit centers
- Added security for WeGo, so security grows as the system grows
This week, the mayor’s team filed an ordinance with Metro Council that would allow them to recommend the transportation improvement program’s inclusion on the November 5 ballot.
If approved, the Davidson County Election Commission would vote on whether to call the countywide referendum election.
According to an independent audit, The transportation improvement proposal would raise sales tax in Davidson County by half a cent, also pull from bonds, state, and federal grants to fund it.
Carter hopes the proposal makes it to the ballot. "Your kids ride on the bus, your families ride on the bus, if you want them home and safe. Pray we get these votes," Carter said.
The first reading of this ordinance will happen on June 18th at the Metro Council meeting.
If voters do approve it, according to the proposal, it would be implemented over the next 15 years.
Mayor Connell’s team says the cost of the transportation program is $3.1 billion in today’s dollars. It's what will be on the ballot in November if Metro Council and the Election Commission approve the plan.
The $6.9 billion is a best guess of what the program would cost if you make projections about inflation and cost pressures over more than a decade into the future, according to The Finance Department. They're also factoring in the inclusion of $1.4 billion in federal funding that the city would likely have access to if "Choose How You Move" passes.
"While this estimate uses nearly the same methodology, comparing it to 2018, it has little utility because the underlying projects are different. For example, the 2018 plan includes trains and other high-cost projects that the 2024 does not. What we know with more certainty is the 2024 plan costs $3.1 billion in today's dollars, and $111 million in annual recurring costs," Metro's Finance Director Kevin Crumbo said.
