Residents invited to meeting at Glencliff Elementary on Metro sidewalks, bikeways

Submitted by KATIE YOUNG • McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations • February 13, 2008 A series of community meetings will be held to update the public on the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways for Davidson County and to solicit input from the community. Among the meetings will be one for Zone 5, which will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at Glencliff Elementary School, 120 Antioch Pike. The original Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways, completed in March 2003, is under review by Metro Public Works and the Metro Planning Department and will be updated based on the Sidewalk Priority Index (SPI) and other factors. The SPI establishes the order for new sidewalk construction and improvements based on proximity to neighborhoods, schools, libraries, parks and other facilities that create pedestrian traffic. "I want to encourage residents from all parts of Nashville to participate in these community meetings," Mayor Karl Dean said. "We've made great strides in recent years to accommodate walkers and cyclists. Going forward, we want to make sure decisions about new sidewalks and bikeways are based on the most current information. "No one knows our communities' needs better than the people who live in them, and their input is critical to this process." The strategic plan provides: (1) recommended pedestrian and bicycle networks; (2) design standards for constructing sidewalks and bikeways; (3) criteria for establishing priorities for repair, improvements and new construction; (4) recommended changes to relevant ordinances and regulations; (5) public education and enforcement recommendations; and (6) an assessment of the funding mechanism. Since the plan was adopted in 2003, the city has added and repaired 124 miles of sidewalks, 94 miles of bike lanes and more than 7,000 wheelchair-accessible sidewalk ramps. For more information about the sidewalks and bikeways strategic plan, visit www.nashville.gov/sidewalks.