Safer and Healthier Community; Forest Hills Pathways

We, the neighbors and friends of the City of Forest Hills, call for safer streets with additional pedestrian and bike pathways in our community.

On the 20th of June this year, a 14-year-old boy was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle at the intersection of Tyne and Hillsboro Blvd. The young boy suffered multiple injuries that will require months of rehabilitation. According to the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, the United States reported a 32% increase in pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities over a 10-year period between 2008 and 2017. In 2019, Pedestrian deaths reached a 30-year high. Contributing factors to this increase included cellphone usage, distracted driving and lack of designated pedestrian-bike pathways.

When a community invests in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, the benefits are multifaceted, including:
• Increasing Property Values and Economic Activity
• Enhancing Community Awareness, Safety, and Identity
• Preserving and Protecting the Environment
• Improving Physical and Mental Health with Active Lifestyles

Fifteen years ago, the John C. Lovell Bikeway opened to the public creating a pedestrian-bike friendly pathway that extended from Percy Priest Elementary School to Radnor Lake Park. In today’s COVID-19 social-distancing existence, there is an increased demand on our public spaces and how those spaces are being utilized. The Lovell Bikeway is just one example of neighbors and families regularly using public spaces to walk, bike and stay connected. We need a concerted effort to make pedestrian-bike pathways a priority in our community.

This petition requests the City of Forest Hills to align the necessity of transportation with the needs of the citizens for public health, safety, and environmental considerations by:
1. Updating the City's Comprehensive Plan to include more bikeways, crosswalks, pathways and sidewalks.
2. Enforcing and lowering speed limits to slow traffic in our neighborhoods.
3. Coordinating with Metro Nashville and other satellite cities to extend and connect greenways, bikeways and sidewalks throughout Metro Nashville.

Respectfully submitted by the undersigned: