Nashville mayor unveils the 'Choose How You Move' proposal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As this city grows, the challenges of how Nashville gets around get bigger and bigger.

We all care about the solutions to those challenges.

Under a transit plan, Nashville's Mayor unveiled Friday, more sidewalks and bus services could be in the works.

But with the prices of everything going up, should folks here pay more in sales tax to cover the cost?

The Mayor's proposal, called "Choose how you Move," would add sidewalks, upgrade traffic lights and bus stops, and fund more frequent bus service on some of Nashville's busiest roads.

Nashville voters would have to give the final OK.

O'Connell's plan would not create a light rail system -- the hallmark of the much more costly transit plan that Nashville voters turned down six years ago.

A bump in sales tax would pay for the improvements: 25 cents extra for every $50 spent, totaling about $70 a year

Is that something the Mayor thinks people are willing to pay?

"It does become a thing where if I go into Kroger or Target and put a quarter in the jar every time, the benefit we get, if I know I'm going to have easier access to a school park, library, grocery store, small business, much less the access to transit, I think being able to demonstrate the clear benefit is going to make the cost palatable," O'Connell said.

O'Connell also said some routes, like the 55 he rode in on, have jumped in ridership compared to before the pandemic.

Metro Council and the state comptroller's office will have to approve the Mayor's plan before voters can weigh in, in November.