In the first of what will become many neighborhood walks, the Metro Health department and several local groups surveyed barriers to traveling by foot or bike over the weekend.
About 25 people walked from Gallatin Road through the Greenwood neighborhood to Hattie Cotton Elementary School in East Nashville.
The Metro Health Department’s Margaret Holleman says getting kids and adults to exercise is key to improving health, but she says there are many things which can make streets less than friendly to something as simple as walking.
“Everything from whether the cars are moving too fast—it makes people uncomfortable to walk, to are there curb cuts so somebody in a baby stroller or wheelchair can get off and on the curb, are there dogs around, does it feel safe from a crime perspective?”
Holleman says they’ll be assisting other neighborhood groups repeat the same exercise.
The neighborhood survey project is being conducted in conjunction with Walk/Bike Nashville, Vanderbilt University, the Nashville Civic Design Center, Healthy Nashville 2010 and several other Metro agencies.
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