Upcoming Bluefields Traffic Calming Meeting

UPCOMING BLUEFIELDS TRAFFIC CALMING MEETING

When: November 21st, 2024  - 6:00 pm

Where: Donelson Library 2714 Old Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37214  (Google Maps)

Attending: Councilman Jeff Gregg, Diana Alarcon, head of NDOT.

Subject: Traffic Calming solutions for Bluefield Ave. 

Bluefields NDOT Meeting Presentation
Gay Conn, Traffic Calming Chair - May 29th at Hermitage Precinct

Thanks to Jeff and Diana for setting up this meeting. Councilman Gregg has asked me to give an overview of where we are now.

I am Gary Conn. I am a ten-year resident of The Bluefields and my wife & I own 2 properties on Bluefield Ave. Last year we held a Bluefield Neighborhood Association Traffic Calming meeting and I was asked to chair the Committee to help steer us to a solution for The Bluefields.

Eventually only Bluefield Ave. was approved for a traffic calming solution. NDOT tasks Kimley Horn to come up with a plan. That plan is presented and if no revisions are requested votes are cast to approve or disapprove the plan. Resident voting on the plan is reserved only for residents of Bluefield Ave.

In the 1^st virtual NDOT meeting last Dec. 7^th, Speed Tables were recommended. Generally, the Bluefields Ave. group were interested in something more appropriate for our neighborhood, such as Chicanes.

The NDOT vendor from Kimley Horn agreed to revise the solution to address our concerns.

A 2^nd meeting was held on March 26^th. At that time, the revision presented was the exact same solution presented in the 1^st meeting: 

Speed Tables.   Although we only had a dozen Bluefield Ave. residents participate in the 2^nd virtual meeting, it was felt by the group that a more tailored solution was still desirable in order to get enough votes for NDOT to proceed.

Tonight, however, the entire Bluefield neighborhood is invited to address concerns over the traffic issues we currently have, but we are SPECIFICALLY talking about Bluefield Ave.

I understand that since that last virtual meeting Councilman Gregg has taken Ms. Alarcon on a tour of the Bluefields and has had some discussion about our unique situation.

Why do we need traffic calming?

Although the goal of the NDOT program is to lower speeds, Bluefields residents are also concerned about reducing cut-thru traffic, which is actually where most of the speeding comes from.

What are the objections to Speed Tables?

Speed Tables appear to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Many of us have experienced these in Donelson and some other areas in Nashville.

Some believe Speed Tables are not appropriate, because of:

1. Safety: Drivers are driving around the speed tables into yards and destroying the road edge and yards.
   
   
   
   
2. Residents have even placed their own streetside barriers to prevent this.
   
   
   
   
3. There is evidence that repeated use can damage vehicles
   
   
   
   
4. Some are concerned about the effect on property values, given the industrial appearance of the speed tables
5. 5 speed tables seem like too many to some. 
   
   
6. Each of the 5 speed tables requires 2 eight foot yellow signs for a total of 10 new eight foot yellow signs on Bluefield Ave.
7. We understand that NDOT currently has no procedure in place to remove speed tables if we decide we no longer want them

What kind of solution do we want?

Although opinions vary from no solution at all - all the way up to gating the entire community, there is interested in a solution that addresses these 4 things:

1. The safety of walkers in the neighborhood
2. Slowing speeders down
3. Reducing cut through traffic
4. An aesthetic forward looking solution that is more in line with our Historic Registry neighborhood, which perhaps enhances OTHER neighborhood improvements down the line, such as sidewalks, etc. Peter Beare is here tonight and I’m sure he would like an opportunity to talk more about that, given the time.

What solutions meet this criterion? Here are 7 suggestions:

Standalone Curb Extensions

Pedestrian Islands at the triangles 

Media Islands 

Roundabouts

and finally:

Chicanes

Radar Feedback Signs

Stop Sign at Cumberland Circle triangle

Chicanes are the solution that we favored in the Traffic Calming committee, but all 7 of these solutions meet our 4 criteria.

So, why are we special?

1. We take pride in Donelson’s oldest neighborhood as evidenced by our traffic triangles.
2. We are adjacent to the new Donelson Village
3. We have an active neighborhood association that is concerned about our appearance, which has been strictly maintained from its beginning in 1929.

In closing,

During my voluntary term as Traffic Committee chair, I have done my best to balance all concerns. Although everyone here tonight has an opinion about what needs to be done, I think we can all agree that we are thankful for YOUR time tonight to discuss options for what we believe is a jewel in Donelson’s crown, The Bluefields.