Pedestrian Safety Measures Launch In Downtown Nashville

Downtown Nashville’s pedestrian safety experiment — featuring an idea known as the “pedestrian scramble” — goes into full effect Tuesday.

The pilot program follows
a citywide study that pinpointed the most dangerous areas for pedestrians and bicyclists.

WPLN featured the pedestrian scramble last month. The idea, which has already been in use on Broadway between 1
^st and 5
^th Avenues, is to stop vehicles in all directions about every 100 seconds. For that cycle, pedestrians can cross in any direction, including diagonally.

In addition to the crossing change, the city installed portable fencing to create a wider sidewalk, while eliminating street parking. 
A new dedicated loading zone is now in effect for all loads, including deliveries, bands, taxis and buses. 
And some signage in the walkways has been removed for consistency and to keep paths clear.

The methods will be tested for about three months.