As exciting as it is to see the Music City’s population growing year after year, it has unfortunately made Nashville’s traffic problems more apparent than ever. The city’s infrastructure was simply never designed with this kind of population in mind. As a result, Nashville’s roads and bridges were not built to handle the amount of motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic that funnels through our town on a daily basis. This has led to increased traffic congestion and more opportunities for car accidents, truck accidents and pedestrian accidents.
HOW SERIOUS ARE NASHVILLE’S TRAFFIC PROBLEMS?
According to the car accident statistics released by the Tennessee Department of Safety in 2015, from 2008 to 2014:
- There were more traffic accidents in Davidson County than any other county in Tennessee
- Davidson County ranked in the top 10 in the state for motorcycle crash rate
- No county had more injury crashes and speeding-related accidents than Davidson County
- Davidson County had the second most licensed drivers in Tennessee
- There were only two counties in Tennessee with a higher crash rate for drivers 65 years old and older
- Davidson County ranked number one in the state for automobile accidents involving drivers aged 15 to 24
In addition, TomTom performed an analysis of commute times for Nashville drivers in 2014. The results showed that, on average, drivers in Nashville who have a commute to and from work of 30 minutes a day spend 75 hours a year in traffic, the equivalent of three days. According to TomTom, Nashville’s commute numbers in 2014 ranked it 23rd in traffic congestion amongst major cities in the US and 33rd amongst major cities in North America.
WHAT CAN NASHVILLE DO TO IMPROVE ITS INFRASTRUCTURE?
The Nashville Business Journal featured an article last year that highlighted Nashville’s traffic problems, including tips from a transportation expert concerning how the city could adjust its infrastructure to help alleviate some of its traffic issues:
- Collaborate with every segment of the community from government agencies to residents to investors
- Find a stable source of long-term funding
- Research how people in communities throughout the area commute for work and recreation
- Design a plan to integrate new transportation options with existing transportation options that is both effective and efficient
- Make sure the transportation system takes into account all forms of transportation, including interstates, city streets, sidewalks, public transportation routes and bike lanes
- Put the plan into action through strategic investments that expand and improve the city’s transportation infrastructure
Nashville is a wonderful city, a fact that has gained our town much deserved national recognition and made it a popular destination for those looking to be a part of a community on the rise. As great as our community’s growth has been culturally, Nashville’s infrastructure has not grown at the same rate, which is both inconvenient and unsafe for commuters. This needs to change. Here is hoping our city’s leaders recognize this and adapt before things get worse.
“They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.” – Luke 6:48
Stanley A. Davis is a car and truck accident attorney serving the greater Nashville, Tennessee area.