Upper Cumberland municipalities are being asked for feedback as T-DOT updates its Statewide Bicycle Transportation Network plan.
The network provides people a safe way to travel via cycling, be it commuting to work or recreationally. Active Transportation Planner William Rogers III said the main reason for the updates comes from community demand.
“The public who’s asking for active transportation for more transit, more biking, more walking facilities,” Rogers said. “‘If you built it they will come,’ sort of thing. So we want to provide people the opportunity to use multiple modes of transportation.”
Rogers said other reasons for the updates include a desire to increase the chance of someone using biking as a mode of transportation as well as a recent increase in fatalities among vulnerable road users. Multimodal Planning Intern Cameron Frueh said the League of American Bicyclists looks into and analyzes policies and priorities to help expand bicycle safety and infrastructure in each state.
“Right now Tennessee ranks at 19 out of 50 so there is still a lot of room to grow and there is actually a demand now to accommodate new infrastructure and new priorities which really will help safety and confidence in bicycling,” Frueh said. “And that’s really been since the start of the pandemic and it’s continued for the last two years or so.”
Rogers said that they have sent a survey to municipalities and other entities to get feedback on where the best locations might be for state routes. He said they plan to do the first phase using state roads, and then go back and look at other avenues to add to the network.
Rogers said they plan to take the feedback and create a first draft for the new plan hopefully next month.
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