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A resolution urging the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Transportation and the Mayor’s Office to renew and accelerate its commitment to Vision Zero initiatives to eliminate pedestrian fatalities, in response to a sharp increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths in Nashville and Davidson County in 2026.
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WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government has formally committed to Vision Zero, a strategy to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all through targeted infrastructure, enforcement, education, and engineering interventions; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. RS2022-1724, the Metropolitan Council adopted the Vision Zero Action Plan and Vision Zero Five-Year Implementation Plan designed to achieve Vision Zero by 2050; and
WHEREAS, the Vision Zero Five-Year Implementation Plan will expire in fiscal year 2027; and
WHEREAS, Nashville is currently experiencing a public safety emergency on its roadways, with 2026 trending toward one of the deadliest years in the last decade for pedestrians and cyclists; and
WHEREAS, recent victims of this crisis have included Larry W. Smith, and Hershel Trotter, who were killed while cycling, as well as Billy Ray Swaner, Yulonda Parham, and Kanon Oldham, who were killed while walking on Nashville streets; and
WHEREAS, Nashville has already recorded at least 20 pedestrian and cyclist deaths so far in 2026, a disturbing escalation representing four times increase from May 2025; and
WHEREAS, multiple fatal pedestrian and cyclist crashes have occurred along high-injury corridors such as Murfreesboro Pike, Gallatin Pike, Lafayette Street, and other streets identified in the Vision Zero High Injury Network. Several of these fatal wrecks have been due to speeding, inadequate lighting, and unsafe or absent crossings; and
WHEREAS, community groups and safety advocates have increasingly called on the Metropolitan Government to deploy proven “quick-build” safety improvements-including high-visibility crosswalks, refuge islands, curb extensions, protected bike lanes, and enhanced lighting-combined with lowered speed limits and stricter enforcement; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor’s Office and the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (“NDOT”) acknowledge the gravity of the situation and assert their support for Vision Zero goals; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor’s Office and NDOT must work to install quick-build improvements at all known high-risk locations; and
WHEREAS, NDOT should work with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to enforce lower speed limits in pedestrian-priority zones where legally permissible; and
WHEREAS, a renewed commitment to robust public education campaigns aimed at drivers and pedestrians and quarterly, publicly accessible updates on Vision Zero progress, including crash data, injury/fatality trends, and implementation metrics is necessary to achieve Vision Zero; and
WHEREAS, each pedestrian and cyclist death is preventable, and decisive, equity-focused action is required to protect all Nashvillians; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper for the Metropolitan Council to call on NDOT and the Mayor’s Office to make these reforms and further their efforts to reduce the number of traffic-related deaths and serious injuries to zero. One death on Nashville’s roadways is too many.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. The Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as urging the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Transportation and the Mayor’s Office to renew and accelerate its commitment to Vision Zero initiatives to eliminate pedestrian fatalities, in response to a sharp increase in pedestrian deaths in Nashville and Davidson County in 2026.
Section 2. The Metropolitan Council requests NDOT to work with the Vision Zero Advisory Council to create a new Vision Zero Five-Year Implementation Plan prioritizing the High Injury Network.
Section 3. The Metropolitan Council further requests that NDOT present to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on interim solutions for pedestrian and cyclist safety and overall progress on the Five-Year Implementation Plan and Vizion Zero Action Plan before December 30, 2026.
Section 4. That this resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.