NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More efforts are being poured into keeping Dickerson Pike safe for pedestrians. It's dubbed as one of the deadliest in the state for those trying to get by on foot.
A new, colorful, mural has been painted to try to raise awareness about the amount of crashes. it's led by groups including Complete Streets and Walk Bike Nashville.
The mural along Dickerson Pike and Duke Street is a tactical urbanism installation, which means it's a community-led temporary installation intended to pressure government agencies into installing a more permanent or expensive version.
Dickerson Pike is one of the deadliest streets for pedestrians in the entire state. 40 people have been hit in the past 5 years on just over a one-and-a-half-mile stretch from Ewing to Trinity Lane. Nearly half of the crashes lead to death or life-changing injuries.
Most recently, a pregnant woman was killed as she was walking across the road near Bellshire Drive.
Because of that, groups are continuing to call for major change which includes this mural that will help support the study for Complete Streets that will help safety improvement and groups like Walk Bike Nashville are proposing the road be changed from five lanes to three.
They said that would slow down drivers and leave more room for pedestrians. Dickerson Pike is a state road, so any plan for a larger re-design would be up to TDOT.
