We can’t sugarcoat the fatal impact the lack of crosswalks, sidewalks, and bus shelters have on low-income communities.

Don’t forget Workers’ Dignity is doing a $50,000 multi-racial fundraising campaign until December 31st to better organize our communities. 52 people have pledged and donated $17,000. Join in and help us continue the fight on transit injustice and make sure the city puts pedestrian safety before greedy corporations.

In the past several years, Nashville has had record economic and population growth but it has come at a huge cost to our low-income communities. Nashville has invested in infrastructure like sidewalks, crosswalks, benches, and bus shelters for high-income gentrified communities, but has failed to equitably fund low-income communities and communities of color.

This past week alone, two pedestrians were struck by cars and killed while attempting to cross the street. Michael Anderson was killed by a car while crossing W Trinity Lane this Friday. Chad Amis was hit and killed by a Ford Mustang on a Briley Parkway I-24 overpass. If the pedestrian deaths were happening in the Gulch or Wedgewood Houston areas, crosswalks would appear overnight. It shouldn’t be life threatening to be a bus rider, biker, or pedestrian in Nashville.

Music City Riders United (MCRU) is demanding more infrastructure including sidewalks, crosswalks, benches, bus shelters, and other traffic calming measures to be put in low-income communities. MCRU member A. Randolph has been speaking out on the urgency of pedestrian safety:

Safety is always a key concern, and right now, bus riders don’t have it. Our streets are built for car culture and don’t consider pedestrians and bus riders’ need to cross streets. Street crossings are often either non-existent or dangerous; rarely safe. Painted lines don’t make a crosswalk! Cars won’t stop for a bus rider trying to get to their bus on the other side.

All Nashvillians ought to have a right to safe crosswalks and sidewalks regardless of which part of town they live in. It is time the city dedicate funding to develop our low-income communities rather than offering $375 million to corporations that are known to accelerate gentrification in cities.

Two Asks:

Tell someone who has never donated to Workers’ Dignity before about MCRU’s campaign for pedestrian safety in low income communities. Take 10 minutes and call your family and friends, email, Facebook, and knock on your neighbors door.

If you haven’t donated to the campaign yet, please do so, and take a moment to be thoughtful about the impact you’re really having. The fight for safer, equitable transit continues and Nashville’s growth makes that fight critical! Donate Now!