SOUTH NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — New crosswalk installations and fresh paint are slowing traffic on a stretch of road where a 77-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run earlier this year.
A silver sedan struck and killed Jerry Robinson as he crossed Antioch Pike in February, Metro police say. The driver did not stop.
Gib Jeffries, co-creator of South Nashville Greenways, said he never met Robinson — but he couldn't stay silent after the crash.
"I biked through here, like two days after the accident, and kind of recorded the road," Jeffries said.
Jeffries began documenting every hazard he observed along the corridor, then brought his findings to Nashville's Vision Zero committee.
"Eventually some fresh paint was put down after some repaving was done, but I wanted to see more than that," Jeffries said.
That push led him to a program connecting residents with the Nashville Department of Transportation and nonprofits like the Civic Design Center and Walk Bike Nashville. The approach is called tactical urbanism — a model where community members lead their own projects to improve street safety using low-cost, quick-turnaround changes.
"Doing things like planters is very easy. Putting paint on the ground is very easy and low cost," Civic Design Center Community Development Director Veronica Foster said.
Jeffries and his neighbors installed the changes themselves. Foster said the project is a model for what's possible when residents take the lead.
"It is just one example of how all of these groups can come together and take something into their own hands to make a difference," Foster said.
The results are already visible on Antioch Pike.
"I've definitely observed cars just driving more carefully as they come through here, they're driving slower," Jeffries said.
For Jeffries, the project is also a message to other residents watching unsafe conditions in their own neighborhoods.
"If you have an unsafe road near you, this is something you can do. You can take action and work with your city to make it safer," Jeffries said.
Foster said the broader goal of tactical urbanism is rooted in community collaboration.
"It's really about coming together, making sure that there's a vision, and then we can help provide those designs to make it a reality," Foster said.
"We want to actually protect people from the vehicles," Jeffries said.
Click here if you would like to learn more about Nashville's Tactical Urbanism Project.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@NewsChannel5.com
As a parent, staying one step ahead of the "bad guys" is getting increasingly tough due to the vast landscape of the online world. Like me, if you are raising kids - Phil Williams' latest investigation is a must see. I appreciate the knowledge and practical steps he delivers in this report.
- Carrie Sharp
