NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville has 310 miles of bikeways, according to the Nashville Department of Transportation. An additional 42 miles are on the way, either under construction or in the design phase.
But currently, only 19 miles are protected, with a barrier between bikes and cars.
As the city grows, so does the need for different ways to get around.
And leading into National Bike to School Day Wednesday, NewsChannel 5 went to the Napier area where several groups are teaming up to redesign a neighborhood and show what could be possible.
Driving on Cannon Street, it looked like one of many construction projects in our city on the rise. But this one is for the kids, to help with Bike to School Day.
"This year we really wanted to have a more lasting impact," said Walk Bike Nashville Executive Director Meredith Montgomery. "So instead of biking with these kids and saying 'see you next year,' we wanted to do something that would have a lasting impact and get these kids biking to school more often."
NDOT, the Civic Design Center and Walk Bike Nashville are painting crosswalks, adding traffic circles and building a temporary cycle track, separate from cars, to get kids safely to school. They've also added bike racks to store student bikes to the front of Napier Elementary.
The temporary installation will last beyond Wednesday. It's meant to be in place for one month, which will cover the rest of the school year.
"(We're putting) temporary things like paint and planters that don’t cost a lot and try it out and see what's possible, and see what the community thinks," Montgomery said.
She said if the city gets positive feedback from the neighborhood, it could encourage investment in permanent infrastructure to give people more options to get around safely.
Wednesday is National Bike to School Day. And divers should be on the lookout for additional kids out and about during the commute.
