What to do about the Hassle and Cost of Parking Downtown

by Rod Williams, Oct. 12, 2023- I like downtown Nashville but not as much as I did ten years ago. Ten years ago, I knew several secret spots downtown where I could find unmetered on-street parking. If by chance, for some really big event, those had been discovered, I knew of a spot on state property that said if I parked there, I was subject to being towed, but I did park there and was never towed.  Even if I had to pay to park, it was not an excessive fee.

My favorite place to park and where I can usually find parking is the downtown library garage.  Back when First Tuesday met at the offices of Waller Law at 511 Union Street, which is across 5th Ave. from the Hermitage Hotel, I always parked at the library. It was about a two block walk to 511 Union but that was not too bad.  If parking at the library, if you get your parking ticket stamped by the library, you get the first hour of parking free. 

Now, when I go downtown, I sometimes walk. From my house a roundtrip walk to Lower Broad is 4.2 miles. I try to get exercise daily and walking, competing with gardening, is my main source of exercise. Usually, when I go downtown, I Uber. From my house Uber may cost between $9 to $24, depending on demand.  That is not bad, especially if you are splitting the fee with someone else. I prefer it to the hassle of traffic and parking. 

The current issue of The Scene has an article titled, One-Fifth of Downtown Nashville Is Devoted to Parking. Is That a Good Thing?  It is well written and informative. The article does point out a logical function of pricing. Quoting someone from a group called The Parking Reform Network, the article points out that if parking is priced too low, more drivers are incentivized to stay in spots longer, reducing the availability of spots for drivers arriving downtown. Anyone who has studied economics or even thought about it much knows that is a function of prices. Higer prices reduce waste and proper pricing leads to greater efficiency and the market sets the optimal price. 

The article's author, however, seems to think price gouging is going on downtown and seems to think parking rates should be regulated saying, "There are few if any examples of American city governments regulating rates in privately owned parking lots. Tennessee has state laws against price gouging, but they apply to a limited number of food, medical and emergency goods during “abnormal economic disruption” and certainly don’t include parking."

As pointed out in the article also, about ten years ago Nashville eliminated mandatory parking minimums based on a building’s square footage, occupancy, and use. If such was still in place, we would not have seen the growth downtown that we have witnessed. I was glad to see that parking minimums eliminated. Ever since about the late fifties, zoning in most cities, including Nashville, required minimum parking for commercial buildings. That resulted in the shaping of our cities where buildings are all separated from each other with a parking lot in front or office buildings in office parks surrounded by acreage of surface parking lots. Modern zoning also led to a shortage of affordable housing and urban sprawl, but that is a topic for another post. 

So, what is to be done to make Nashville more accessible. First of all, don't do much. Let the market figure it out. 

Secondly, don't stand in the way of innovation. Can you imagine what Nashville would be like without Uber?  What would the need for parking be? Yet, Nashville tried its very best to stop ridesharing services when they first came to Nashville. You can read about it here, here, and here. One does not know what the next innovation will be before it is here, but government often thinks of its job as to protect people from innovations. 

Thirdly, embrace smart parking and technology and privatization of on-street parking.  Nashville has upgraded many of its parking meters so one can pay at a kiosk with a credit card but that is not really "smart meters."  Privatization was proposed once before and went over like a lead balloon, but I think it is time to try it again. If there is too much opposition to privatizing the parking, then Metro should institute modern parking technology on its own if the debt service will support it. With smart technology, one can add money to the parking meter from your smart phone. This would be a good service. If you have ever had to leave an enjoyable meal early or rush a business meeting because your parking meter was going to expire, you can see how convenient this feature would be. Also, with smart parking technology, when searching for a parking space, smart parking can tell you where there is an available parking space. With smart parking technology, the price of parking can vary with demand. With variable parking rates, supply and demand works in real time.  At times a parking space is more valuable than at other times; the price one pays to park should reflect this. 

Fourth, make riding a bus more user friendly. I live on a street four houses off of 8th avenue. The bus runs up 8th ever 40 minutes.  I have never ridden a bus in Nashville but thought I would try it. Unfortunately, the bus does not take credit cards and if paying by cash one must have the exact fare.  I am pretty much cashless. I can go in almost any bar or coffee shop and tap my credit card and get a beverage. Riding a bus should be that easy. 

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Nashville, Tennessee is ranked as the city with the toughest commute.

by Rod Williams, Oct. 13, 2023- According to a new study by Forbes, Nashville is the worst city in America for commuters.  The study shows that commuters in Nashville lost 41 hours in congestion in 2022. Nashville has 452,194 workers with 2.6% of households not having access to a car. Nashville residents have an average commute time of 28.6 minutes to work each day. 

Other cities in the list of the top five worst cities for commuters are Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Houston, Texas; and Washington, D.C.. Los Angeles and New York are not in the top five, and neither are Boston, Dallas. or Fort Worth, but they are in the top ten. 

I find this hard to believe but that is what the Forbes study shows. While Nashvillians spend 29.6 minutes on average on their travel time to work, New Yorkers spend 43.4 minutes. So, why is Nashville ranked worst? The study factors in a walk score, a bike score, and a transit score and Nashville scores low on all counts. If one considers only time travel to work, we are not in the top ten of worst commutes. 

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Mayor Cooper's new $1.5B transit plan. Show me the money!

by Rod Williams - Mayor Cooper has proposed a new $1.5 billion transit plan for Nashville just as if we were awash in money and people were clamoring for more public transportation options.  I don't guess he has noticed. The Corona-19 government shut down has caused a $200 million hit to revenue projections this year.  And, in December we may very likely see a referendum pass that rolls back the 34% (37% in the General Services District) tax increase passed in June.  

Also, the public is not on board.  In 2018 the public voted against a $9 billion transit plan  that would have build a light rail, bus rapid transit, downtown tunnel system.  Since the government imposed the economic shutdown, WeGo has been losing millions of dollars. Not only are fewer people riding because they are working from home or have no place to go, but mass transit is a spreader of the disease. On a train or plane or bus, you are breathing the expelled breath of every other person in the conveyance vehicle. Mass transit is a health hazard. 

I walk almost every day a trek that takes me down 8th Avenue South over to 12th Avenue South to Belmont Avenue and back.  I am not walking at rush hour so I don't know if anyone is riding the bus then but I always notice if anyone is riding the bus.  Almost every bus I see is empty except for the driver.  Sometimes there may be one or two people on the bus but most of the time they are empty. Why take these big buses to the suburbs and back just as if there were riders for these busses? 

Would this not be a good time to think outside the box of doing things the way they have always been done and consider something innovative? Nashville could take the lead in creating a mostly private, paratransit, demand-driven, public transportation system. Now when riding the bus is a health hazard and demand is down would be the time to innovate and experiment.

For more on the Mayor's transit proposal, see this link.  For more on my thoughts on pubic transportation see, What to do about Mass Transit and traffic congestion. 

 

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How much did it cost to "rebrand" the MTA as WeGo.

Sometimes I have questions that I don't have the answer to but wish an elected official or the news media would ask. This is one such questions: How much did it cost to "rebrand" the MTA as  WeGo. I have emailed MTA asking this question. If I get an answer, I will share the information.

I would doubt that it cost less than a million dollars. We probably paid a consultant half a million dollars to come up with the brilliant new name. An outside marketing firm probably spend months studying the issue and held focus groups.  MTA then had to repaint all of the buses and redo the signage and website and literature.  Nothing government does comes cheap. It seems like the money would have been better spend on improving service.

Changing the name will do nothing to improve transportation or to entice people who do not now ride a bus to ride a bus.  Instead of wasting time and money on "rebranding," the MTA should be embracing markets and new technology. The future of transportation is not antiquated rail or large empty buses riding fixed routes.

Despite the rebranding, many are still not happy with the MTA. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig. Group says Metro bus routes aren't making the grade.

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Ride a bike, take Uber, walk. You may not miss your car.

This week the organization Nashville Connector has launched a Commuter Challenge asking downtown commuters to pledge to make at least one trip to work not driving alone during the week of Oct. 22-Oct. 28. I don't work downtown but if you do, I encourage you to try it.

I go downtown about once a week, sometimes more.  I am using my car less and less. Last time I went down town was last Wednesday to attend the First Tuesday event. I Uberred to the the event and walked back.  I try to get some exercise each day so I often walk for exercise. It was a pleasant day for a walk.  The fare to the event was about $8. When I drive, I park beneath the public library in that garage and get my ticket stamped at the library so the first hour is free. It still ends up costing me about $5 to park. Sometimes, I have to drive repeatedly around the parking garage waiting for someone else to leave in order to find a parking space.

Sometimes I go to Lower Broadway to listen to music and drink beer. From my house near the Wedgwood  Ave and  8th Ave intersection, to lower Broad is about two miles. I just checked the cost of an Uber fare. If  I was going right now at noon on Monday, October 22nd the fee for an UberX would be $7.53.  If I wanted to take the Uber Pool it would only be $4.58.

Actually, I usually walk when going to Lower Broad which is good exercise and free. Last time I went, I rode mys bicycle. If I am going with someone else, I Uber. If two people are sharing the $7.53 fee, it is cheap. To park near lower Broadway is about $20 and those parking spaces can be hard to find.  Another advantage of Ubering is that I do not have to monitor my beers in take so much. When driving, I carefully monitor to make sure I do not drink more than one beer an hour. When some one else is driving, I can enjoy an extra beer. Like Judge Kavanaugh famously said, "I like beer."

Uber is quick to respond, and catching an Uber at my house or downtown is almost always quick. My usual wait time is about two minutes.

Back in September, my daughter and I went on a weekend trip to Montreal. The trip to the airport was $13.34. The return trip was $15.42.  There is no way I could get there and back with less hassle and as cheap. Driving is a hassle and even leaving your car at a fly away lot is expensive.

I know if you live further out, to take Uber or Lyft can be more expensive, but if you have never tried it, you owe it to yourself to at least see what it would cost. Unless you have a free parking space downtown, taking an Uber may be cheaper than the cost of parking.

I know habits are hard to break, but if you start not driving you may find out you like not driving. Door to door service, no stress of driving, no looking for a parking space, no paying up to $20 to park or $20 to park and $2 for valet service are advantages of not driving.

The market and technology are providing solutions to congestion and traffic woes. There is much more the market and technology could do if government would become a welcoming partner rather than an obstacle. In the meantime, rather than just complain about traffic and parking and congestion, embrace what we already have.  I have not ridden one of the Lime or Bird scooters but last time I was biking, I saw lots of people using them. They are becoming a significant contributor to mobility without relying on ones own car.  So, I encourage you to try life without a car: Uber, Lyft, Lime, Bird, MTA bus service, bike, walk, carpool. It is not expensive and you may not miss your car.

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Technology, not more traffic lanes is answer to traffic woes says Bill Lee and Randy Boyd

by Rod Williams - Diane Black's proposed solution for Nashville area traffic woes is to double-stack the three interstates in Nashville and complete he Interstate 840 north loop. Her three opponents in the race for governor take a different approach. Bill Lee and Randy Boyd have said technology is the answer and Beth Harwell has said solving Nashville's traffic problem is basically a local issue.

As reported in The Tennessean, Bill Lee says, "I’m a businessman. I run a corporation. We look to technology to solve some of the greatest challenges in our society, and five years ago we never would have imagined you would push an app on your phone and get in the car with a perfect stranger and drive away, but technology changes the future."

Lee said the state should focus on smart traffic lights, private-sector ride-share programs and technology to further utilize the state's roadways, such as rarely enforced HOV lanes.

Randy Boyd said, "When we look at the solution, it needs to be a regional solution, but also I think the thing we are not looking at enough is technology. There’s some new technology investments that I believe are gonna help relieve a lot of the problems that we have. It’s not just about spending our way out."

I agree more with Lee and Boyd than I do Diane Black on this issue, with the exception of building the northern part of the I-840 loop. Building the I-840 loop would divert a certain amount of traffic from the north that is headed either west or east at Nashville. I do not know if that is a significant amount of traffic or not, but if traffic studies show it is, then that northern loop should be build. I am not sold on the idea of double decking the interstates. I do not think it necessary and it is quality of life issue.  Wider interstates or double decked interstates create a more stressful environment and are ugly.

I am convinced that para-transit, express bus service and technology can solve our traffic problems. We do not need rail or interstate expansion except in certain locations to correct bottlenecks. For more on my thoughts on traffic see this link. For the Tennessean's story on the position of candidates for governor on this issue of transportation, follow this link.

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Opinion | Not all Nashville transit plan opponents are from 'far right'

Mr. James H. Pratt who is a former reporter and editor for The Tennessean and served as press secretary to former U.S. Sen. Jim Sasser writes in a Tennessean opinion piece that Not all Nashville transit plan opponents are from 'far right.' He lays out his own liberal credentials and says he opposes the plan. He says proponents of the plan have largely taken the tactic of attacking the opponents as engaging in "Trump-style lies" and being funded by the Koch Brothers and attacking the credentials of highly respected and honored Vanderbilt economist Dr. Malcom Getz. I have noticed the same thing.  Instead of responding to the criticism of the opponents or making a good case for the plan, the proponents have engaged in attacks on the opponents.  I am pleased to see an honest liberal point that out.  Read the piece at this link.

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Vote Against the Transit Plan on May 1

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Tomorrow the transit referendum is on the ballot. Please vote NO!

Tomorrow the transit referendum is on the ballot.

 Please vote NO! 

We must vote AGAINST this boondoggle. If this plan passes, it will make Nashville one of the highest taxed cities in America and it does not solve congestion. By gobbling up roadway capacity it may make congestion worse. Fixed rail is an antiquated system and mass transit ridership is declining all over America. The cost of the system is $9billion assuming no cost overruns and most projects of this nature have huge cost overruns.

For my views transit see What to do about Mass Transit and traffic congestion.

Click HERE to find your polling location.

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TRANSIT PLAN COSTS $568,000 PER CURRENT BUS RIDER

From Better Transit for Nashville: 

TRANSIT PLAN COSTS $568,000 PER CURRENT BUS RIDER IN 2035, 

LIGHT RAIL PLAN WILL COST $386,300 PER PUBLIC TRANSIT RIDER IN 2070, 

IF LIGHT RAIL STILL EXISTS, PLAN WILL COST $455,800 PER RIDER IN 2070

NEW: COST OF THE TRANSIT PLAN PER CURRENT NASHVILLE BUS RIDER: $568,000 per rider. The facts: all data is public information, easily found at the website apta.com. We welcome the pro side or anyone to refute these stats. apta.com. Current DAILY MTA TRIPS: 31,300 (2017). Total DAILY RIDERS: 15,650. Cost: $8.9B divided by 15,650 = $568,690 per rider.
At apta.com, the url sequence is: resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2017-q3-ridership-APTA.pdf

In 2035: total riders will be 23,038. Cost of $8.9 billion divided by 23,038 = $386,318 per rider in 2035. See charts below. 
In 2070, if light rail still exists, total riders will be 48,265. Total costs 52 years from now: $22 billion. Cost of $22B divided by 48,265 = $455,816 per rider in 2070. See charts below. 

Summary: 14 cities have light rail (LRT) which Nashville is voting on. The ridership data and numbers from LRT systems with decades of data, create realistic, accurate projections of ridership for Nashville in the future. If Nashville builds out the $8.9 billion plan, public transit ridership is projected to increase from current 15,650 riders to 23,038 riders in 2035. The total cost of $8.9 billion divided by 23,038 equals $386,000 per public transit rider in 2035, including the five light rail lines with 31.3 miles of LRT, the tunnel build out, and the bus system (actual total: $386,318). NOTE: we are only against light rail & the tunnel, which is 70% of the plan; we are FOR a strong bus system, BRT, technology & more. Because this plan is 70% LRT & tunnel, we are against it.
In 2070, 52 years from now, with LRT & Bus, projected riders will be a generous total of 48,265. Totals costs, see chart below: $22 billion. Therefore, $22 billion divided by 48,265 equals $455,816 per rider in 2070.
In 2070, Nashville’s CSA population will be 5.39 million people (2% growth rate, double the national average; current CSA pop.: 1.8 million). The riders figure of 48,265 is actually very generous. Remember, public transit is declining at 3.5% annually. In 52 years, as experts confirm, public transit as we know today will not exist. Tech and other factors are rapidly changing how we commute, travel, get goods & live. In 2070, transit riders will be about 2.5% of commuters/drivers (48,265 people). Megan Barry’s $8.9 billion transit plan combined with the extreme operating losses of the LRT-heavy transit system (losses from 2018-2070) will result in a costs of at least $22 billion, a low estimate. The majority of the losses will be due to having expensive, costly light rail and tunnel. Bus systems are more cost-effective and a more effective transit solution than light rail, with operating losses dramatically less than light rail operating losses.

Full analysis: Data and analysis is of light rail ridership in the eight (8) cities similar to, yet all larger (both in pop. and pop. density, PD), than Nashville’s pop & PD. Also , a comparison to the six (6) cities, much larger than Nashville, with LRT systems.
The eight (8) cities are listed below with:
CSA Population, Pop. Density, Light Rail Miles, & Avg Daily Ridership Per Mile.
The Per Mile stat is a key. Nashville is planning 31.3 miles, so we can multiply the average of these 8 cities’ average daily ridership per mile, to project what Nashville’s total light rail daily ridership will be for the entire 31.3 miles of light rail.
We are assuming that all other factors stay the way they are now – which is generous, considering that public transit ridership is declining at 3.5% nationally and locally, and tech is changing commuting dramatically. Light rail is becoming more & more obsolete annually. Local taxpayers continue to pay for the losses of the average city public transit system (Nashville’s MTA lost $77 million on a $93 million budget; most recent audit) running a bus system, though it is vital to public transit, etc, etc. But let’s assume all other factors stay the same.
Someone may say, “well, in 2035, Nashville’s population will be 2.67 million, so these bus ridership figures have to be increased.” In reality, even though population is increasing, bus ridership is declining at 3.5% annually, even though population is increasing. And this model and projection keeps bus ridership the same as it is today. Also, the total rail ridership of 1,443 riders per mile (avg of the 8 cities) is based on cities that have avg pop. of 2.86 million, more than Nashville’s projected 2035 pop. of 2.67 million.
NOTE: $6 billion of the $9 billion cost is for light rail and the tunnel. Breakdown:
Five LRT light rail lines: $3.4 billion
Tunnel: $940 million
Debt service on bonds for the light rail/tunnel: $1.16
Operating Costs for rail/tunnel: $400 million ($46m/year).
Total: $6 billion

Nashville in 2035:
Nashville, 2.67m, 1,862 PD, 31.3 miles
Avg daily ridership due to small PD (less than half of the other cities’ avg PD): 361;
361 x 31.3 miles of light rail = 11,300 daily riders on light rail

Cost Per Transit Rider in 2070, 52 Years from Now
In 2070, 52 Years from 2018, the cost of Megan Barry’s transit plan per public transit rider in 2070: $455,816.
The pro side says we need to plan for far into the future. Let’s look at realistic, generous projections of ridership in 2070.
In 2070, Nashville/Davidson Co.’s population will be 2.02 million, with population density (PD), a key determining factor regarding light rail ridership, at 4,008. Nashville’s CSA population (all 10 counties) will be 5.39 million.
In the chart below, realistic projections for Nashville’s light rail (LRT) ridership are based on the average ridership of six (6) large cities with decades of light rail results and figures. The six cities’ PD average is 5,266 people/square mile, 31% higher than Nashville’s of 4,008; PD for all cities is calculated using the city population (for us, Davidson Co.), not the CSA. A lower PD means people are spread out more, and farther away from light rail lines; another reason light rail will not work in Nashville.
Nashville’s CSA is also smaller than the six cities’ average CSA population. But we will still use the six cities’ average ridership per mile of 2,333 people.
Therefore, in 2070, Nashville’s 31.3 miles of LRT, with 1,167 riders per mile, will have a light rail average daily ridership of 36,527 commuters. Commuters: Of the 5.39 million population in 2070, approx. 69% are commuters/drivers, or 3.7 million commuters in the CSA. The total of 36,527 LRT + bus riders is about 1.3% of commuters, a figure similar to the current average percentage of transit ridership (LRT + bus) in the 14 cities with light rail.
Remember, public transit ridership is declining at 3.5% nationally & locally (MTA audits, 2016-2017), a decline that applies to both light rail and bus ridership. But we will assume, generously, that light rail ridership in 2070 is the same as it is today; though in reality, with tech changing our world, in 50 years, it is very likely that light rail will not even exist. The light rail systems are already obsolete, even more so in 50 years.
Let’s also assume that bus ridership of 11,650 stays the same for 50 years. In reality though, if the 3% declines continue, in 50 years, bus ridership likely will not exist.
Approximately 25% or more of current bus riders will switch over to light rail (probably more), so bus ridership in 2070 will actually be 23,475. Light rail lines replace bus route lines.
LRT of 36,527 plus bus riders of 11,738 (75% of 11,650) equals 48,265, or approximately 1.3% of commuters.

Therefore, 98.7% of commuters are primarily in cars, trucks, and other transport options. It seems surprising that a city government would spend $9 billion to focus on, at best, 1.3% of commuters. Wouldn’t it make more sense to spend money and resources on both groups: the 98.7% of commuters and their roads, and the 1.3% of public transit riders?
Total losses from 2018-2070 are projected to be at least $22 billion, a low estimate. MTA is projected to lose $2.1 billion in the next 15 years, see chart below. Operating losses starting in 2035 will be at least $300 million, a figure used to calculate losses from 2035 to 2070, though losses will certainly be much, much greater. Light rail is exponentially more expensive than bus to build, operate, manage, maintain, repair, and more. MTA loss chart is below. MTA lost $70 million in 2017 and projected to lose $76 million in 2018. Chart below: three LRT cities’ public transit losses, on average $627 million a year.

Nashville taxpayers pay about 55% of MTA’s budget. MTA self-funds about 15%. Nashville taxpayers, the state, and the federal govt pay 85% of their budget.
Low projections are that a light rail and bus system will lose about $300 million a year starting in 2033, after the build out. If we just use the $300 million figure only for the 37 years from 2033 to 2070, though the losses will actually much, much higher, the total is $11 billion. The actual losses year-on-year would be $11.4 billion or more.

Add in MTA’s projected $2.1 billion in projected losses from 2018-2033, and the total is $13.1 billion.
$8.9 billion + $13.1 billion = $22 billion, for the 96,497 riders in 2070, or $227,986 per rider.

What are some of the operating losses of cities with large light rail systems? Three examples are: Denver, which Megan Barry’ and her team cites as a “model” for Nashville’s potential light rail, Houston, and Dallas. Their average operating loss, most recent year, was $627 million (chart below).
Why is this so high? Light rail is exponentially more expensive than bus system, and less effective as a public transit model than bus, to: build, operate, maintain, manage, repair, and more.

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Rev. Enoch Fuzz: Vote Against the Transit Tax Plan May 1

Rev. Enoch Fuzz

by Rev. Enoch Fuzz - As we try to inform voters about how wrong this transit tax plan is for Nashville, we encounter again and again how almost impossible it is to oppose Metro and whatever Metro does.

Many people I know, including those who volunteer with our group Better Transit for Nashville, cannot exercise their freedom of speech and have to remain private and behind the scenes because of fear that ... (link)

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Erica Gilmore switches sides, now opposes the transit plan.

by Rod Williams - Erica Gilmore, an at-large member of the Metro Council and candidate for mayor, who voted in the Council in favor of the $9billlion transit plan has switched sides and says she no longer supports the plan. She made the announcement on Monday April 9th, two days before early voting begins April 11. Brenda Gilmore had not only voted for the plan in the Metro Council, she sponsored the legislation that put the question on the May 1 ballot and had advocated for the plan's passage. She was the proponent of the plan in a WKRN News 2 debate that aired in February. As early as two weeks ago she was still advocating for the plan.

Erica Gilmore

Erica Gilmore is African-American and high profile. Her opposition could be a major blow to the transportation plan.  The Black vote is crucial to passage of the plan.  The election is May 1 and that is the Democrat primary, which in Davidson County is tantamount to the election. Courthouse officials, such as County Court Clerk, Juvenile Court Clerk, Sheriff  and some judges will be nominated in the Democrat primary to run in the August general election.  Since Republicans will not be fielding candidates, those who win the Democrat primary on May 1, will run unopposed in August. Traditionally, in the Democrat primary and off-elections in general in Nashville, Blacks turn out is higher than white turn out.

There has arisen serious opposition to the $9 billion transit plan in the Black community. Some  of the opposition is the same as in the larger community, that it is too costly and ignores modern technological changes that is changing the face of transportation. Of concern to many in the Black community is that a fixed rail system on major thoroughfares will not benefit them.  They see a greater need for a better bus system. There is also a concern that the transit plan will further the process of gentrification.

In the race for mayor, David Briley who was elevated to the office of mayor when Mayor Megan Barry plead guilty to a felony and resigned, is running for election to the office of mayor for a one year term to complete the unexpired term of Mayor Barry.  Ten other people are also seeking the office. Many will feel that Briley should be retained in the office for the remainder of Barry's term just so we do not have four different mayors in the span of a little over a year. With eleven candidates for mayor, I do not think Briley can win without a runoff. The way I see it, the person most likely to make the runoff is Erica Gilmore. While she is not my choice to oppose Briley, I think she is most likely to be the Briley alternative.

David Briley is an enthusiastic supporter of  the proposed transit plan. Weather Erica Gilmore has had her mind changed as the debate has brought new facts to light or if it is a calculated move to benefit her in her race against Briley, I don't know. Either way, it is welcome.

At yesterday's press conference Gilmore said the city's current plan is "unworkable." She also  said the plan before voters "distracts from the things that are most important," such as education funding, affordable-housing shortage and the city's increasing cost of living.

“I can no longer support this particular plan,"  she said. "As hopeful as I had been in the past to make this plan work, I recognize that it is too imperfect. I have concluded that salvaging this plan is currently unworkable. I was definitely trying to make this plan work. But as I talk to more and more citizens, they are not in favor of this plan."

For news coverage of this development see this link, this, and this. 

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Councilman Robert Swope introduces alternative transit plan: "Intelligent Transit for the It City Nashville."

Councilman unveils alternative plan for mass transit in Nashville 

Nashville Business Journal - Autonomous vehicles and double-decker highways: Those are the lynchpins of Metro Councilman Robert Swope's vision for mass transit in Nashville, which he unveiled Tuesday.

Dubbed "Intelligent Transit for the It City Nashville," Swope's plan — which was formed in coordination with Memphis-based The Digit Group — suggests implementing new technology to help alleviate the region's growing mobility problems. (read more)

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Councilman Robert Swope to unveil alternative transit plan

Robert Swope

Metro Councilman Robert Swope plans to unveil his own transit plan on April 10 as an alternative to the proposed $9 billion mass-transit plan which will be on the ballot as a referendum question on May 1.  Early voting for the May 1 elections starts April 11.

Swope told The Tennessean, his plan was “intelligent transit for the ‘It City.’”  He did not reveal any  specifics about his plan but said, "China, Dubai, New Zealand and a lot of other countries are scheduling implementation of a number of these transit options right now. So if we look at technology to assist and aiding the transit problems in this city, this isn't something that we have to 'wait five years for technology to get there.' It exists today." "Every single part of this, we're doing somewhere in the world right now," he said of his transit plan. 

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Councilman John Cooper: Transit plan is not a flexible plan

From No Tax 4 Tracks: We pay a lot of attention to what Metro Council member at large

John Cooper

John Cooper says.

He’s thoughtful.  He does his homework.  And he’s committed to a better Nashville.

So, when we saw his comments on Facebook about the $9-billion light rail plan, we took notice.

Mayor Briley and pro-transit people consistently say the plan is flexible, it can adapt.

Cooper doesn’t see it that way.

“By state law, there are 250 words that are going to be on the ballot that describe this transit. And this is a proxy. The 250 words are a proxy for the 55-page document which is available online, which I do encourage people to read. And that document is very important. It’s very detailed, and it really has an effective…force…of law. And so, the four bus rapid transit lines and the five railroad lines, and the tunnel is all in this document. And for that document to be changed, it has to be declared impossible, financially unfeasible, then the council has to say that it was unfeasible and then there has to be another referendum. So, it’s not that flexible of a plan.”

Charlotte, North Carolina.  Lots of talk about their system.  So, Cooper went.

“I went to City Hall and showed myself around and learned what I could, and they were very nice. And every single person there said, “What are you telling people in Nashville about transit”? And I said, well, congestion. That’s a big problem in Nashville. And to a person, everyone in Charlotte said, “You cannot say that. Congestion will get worse with transit.” And then I said, “Well why’d you do it in Charlotte?” and they said, “Development, development.”

“Fundamentally, this transit bill is about adding a large number of people to downtown Nashville — on the order of 200,000 people to downtown Nashville. If your transit-oriented development districts run at the density they feel it needs to be run at — in Charlotte that’s 22 people an acre — we have over 9,000 acres that’s going to a transit-oriented development district, that is relocating a city the size of Chattanooga or Orlando, Florida to downtown Nashville. So, ultimately this plan probably does not address congestion at all; it probably creates congestion.”

Congestion. I-65, 24, 40 and 440 and this plan.  Cooper says:

“They’re two entirely separate systems. One will serve downtown Nashville, and the other will not — there’s no way that you can pull off the interstate and use the transit. Now the internal downtown Nashville transit system will serve the people, but those are people who are not yet here. They are not yet here. So, the federal projections for population growth in Davidson County between now and 2032 is only, we will go from 685,000 to 740,000 — that’s more people for sure. But most of those people are already moving into downtown Nashville and really don’t need a regional transit system. Where the great growth is coming from are in all the surrounding counties — the Sumner, the Wilson, the Rutherford, and Williamson; and fundamentally they don’t link into this transit system. Now they may one day, but it is like that baseball movie “Field of Dreams” — build it and they will come. You’re taking this speculative idea of development in the future.”

It’s not that flexible of a plan.

...this plan probably does not address congestion at all; it probably creates congestion.

It is like that baseball movie “Field of Dreams” — build it and they will come. You’re taking this speculative idea of development in the future.

We think Cooper makes a lot of sense.

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Vote Against the Transit Plan on May 1

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What's on the Council agenda for 3/20/18: Protecting from competition the jobs of current bus drivers, regulating the Airbnb website, changing the scope of the Mayor Barry investigation and more.

By Rod Williams - The Metro Council will meet Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 6:30 PM in the Council chamber at the Metro Courthouse.  If you are going to watch the Council meeting, you need a copy of the Council agenda and the staff analysis  or you really will not know what is going on. You can get the agenda and analysis at the highlighted links. I know a lot, but I often don't know if a piece of legislation is good or bad but I know enough to know if it raises a red flag and I see some red flags on this agenda. I hope someone is paying attention.

Boards and Commissions
The first order of business is the call to order, prayer and pledge followed by consideration of mayoral appointments to boards and commissions. The first item is the selection of a Deputy President Pro Tempore. With David Briley elevated to the position of Mayor, current President Pro tem Sheri Weiner will serve as moderator of the Council which necessitates the selection of another council member to be next in line should she be absent or need a break. I suspect there has been a lot of jockeying to fill this roll with a lot of vote solicitation. This is something that normally would only interest Council members but can be instructive as to the factions and relative power of those factions.

There are eight mayoral appointments to boards and commissions on this agenda for Council confirmations. The council normally rubber stamps whomever the mayor nominates, however last council meeting the Council, in an extremely rare move, rejected the appointment of  distinguished former Councilman Charlie Tygert to a position on the Sports Authority. I never did discover what was behind that unexpected development. I would not expect any of the nominees to be rejected, but then I would not have expected the nomination of Charlie Tygert to be rejected.


Resolutions on Public Hearing: There are two of them and both are exempting establishments for the minimum distance requirements for obtaining a beer permit. I have no opinion on the merits of these applications.

There are 44 resolution on the agenda and all are on the consent agenda at this time. A resolution stays on the consent agenda if it passes  unanimously the committees to which it was assigned. Resolutions which receive negative votes in committee are pulled off of consent. Also any councilman may have a resolution pulled off of consent. Those remaining on consent are lumped together and passed by a single vote. Resolutions on the consent agenda are usually not controversial and tend to be routine matters, such as accepting grants from the Federal or State Government, entering into inter agency agreements over mundane things, appropriating money from the 4% fund, settling lawsuits, or approving signs overhanging the sidewalk. Unlike a bill which requires three votes of the Council to pass, a resolution only requires one vote of the Council. These are the ones of interest:

Resolution RS2018-1085  authorizes a short-term extension to the liquidity facility agreement related to the Metropolitan Government’s water and sewer commercial paper program. This is complex and I have no opinion of it but it will cost metro money. I hope the Budget and Finance Committee looks at this closely to determine of it is an appropriate, necessary and wise move.

Resolution RS2018-1088  declares eleven parcels of metro owned property surplus and transfers them to selected non-profit organizations for the purpose of  developing affordable and "work force" housing. It also grants $10.7 million from the Barnes Fund for Affordable Housing to subsidize the housing development. Woodbine Community Organization, Our Place Nashville, and Living Development Concepts were selected as recipients of the grants and properties. In addition ten other organization get grants to promote the development of affordable housing. This resolution requires 21 affirmative votes to be approved.

Resolution RS2018-1109 would set a public hearing for the creation of the Donelson Transit- Oriented Redevelopment Plan. This is development focused on development around the Donelson train station. To learn more about it follow this link.

Resolution RS2018-1110 concerns the Council investigation of the Mayor Barry scandal. On February 6, 2018, the Metro Council adopted Resolution No. RS2018 calling for a Council investigation. Since then, as everyone knows, Mayor Barry plead guilty to a crime and some of what the Council was to determine has already been determined. So this resolution modifies the prior resolution to clarify that the Special Committee will prepare a Report and Recommendations to the Council about its findings to include any recommendations for further action, as well as recommendations for additions or revisions to the Metropolitan Government Code of Laws, policies, or regulations. In light of what has happened, this seems appropriate.


Resolution RS2018-1111 authorizes the employment of Burch, Porter &; Johnson, PLLC as Special Counsel to the Metropolitan Council to investigate the Mayor Barry scandal. Since Mayor Barry has already plead guilty to a crime and the scope of the Council investigation will be limited as outlined in resolution 1110 above, I wonder if hiring an outside firm is even necessary at this point. This resolution does limit the payment to the firm to only 15 hours of billable time at a rate of $395 per hour. Unless they have already determined that the firm is racially diverse in addition to questioning if we even need an outside law firm at this point, expect some Black members of the Council to raise the issue of the firm's racial diversity.

Resolution RS2018-1112  adds a representative of Saint Thomas Health to the strategic planning committee established pursuant to study the future of Nashville General Hospital operations. While my preference would be that we would get totally out of the hospital business, if that is not going to happen then it is wise to bring in outside experts to advise the city how to better manage General Hospital. I support this.

Resolution RS2018-1113 request of the Metro Transit Authority that if the May 1 light rail referendum should be approved, that MTA continue to use the Davidson Transit Organization as its "sole management provider." Regardless of your opinion of the wisdom of Metro pursuing a $9 Billion light rail transit system, this is a dumb idea. Should the referendum pass, Metro should seek the best operator for the system. This resolution is designed to protect the jobs of current bus drivers. A government's job should not be to award patronage or to protect the current employment of current employees but to provide necessary services in the most cost-efficient means possible. This resolution needs to be defeated.

Resolution RS2018-1120 is a meaningless memorializing  resolution expressing the support of the Metropolitan Council for the right of public employees to unionize and urging the Supreme Court to rule in favor of public employees in a case before the Supreme Court.  This is hardly worth opposing, but I think if I were serving in the Council I would ask to be listed as abstaining. I do not think the Council should be expressing itself about national issues or requesting the Supreme Court rule a certain way. The resolutions contains some verbiage about income inequality and recalls the Memphis sanitation workers strike of the 1960's and references the "I am a man" speech. Probably this will pass without discussion but someone may take an opportunity to grandstand.

Bills on First reading: There are 19 bills on first reading. First reading is a formality that gets bills on the agenda and they are not considered by committee until after they pass first reading. They are all lumped together and pass by a single vote except in rare circumstances. I do not read them until they get to second reading.

Bills on Second Reading: There are only six bills on second reading and this is the only one of interest.

Bill BL2018-1056 would regulate the on-line market for Short term rentals, that is it

would regulate websites such as Airbnb.   It would require these sites to  require a Metro permit number for each STRP application prior to placing the property on the online marketplace site. It would also require the sites to provide a detailed quarterly reports to Metro. I would oppose this if I served in the Council. The development of the quarterly report could require new computer programs or lots of man-hours for the sites. While the staff analysis does not address the issue, I would like to know by what authority Metro had to require this of a company that is not physically located in Nashville and is simply a go between facilitating the interaction of people who want to provide a place to stay and people seeking a place to stay.  What if Metro required Airbnb to have agents who were locally licensed real estate agent? Could Metro do that?  If Airbnb simply ignores this law, what can the city do about it. How would they enforce it. The Internet does not stop at the county line. 

Bills on Third Reading:  There are 31 bills on third reading and most are approved zoning bill. These are two disapproved zoning bills, Bill BL2018-1099 and Bill BL2018-1100 which will take 27 votes in favor to be approved.  Sometimes because a member may be absent or distracted or take a position that they do not vote for bills disapproved by the Planning Commission or based on their perceived merits of the bill may vote "no" or abstain. In the case of a disapproved bill an abstention is the same as a "no" vote. Sometimes it can be hard to get 27 votes for a bill. I have no opinion on the merits of the bills.

To watch the Council meeting, you can go to the courthouse and watch the meeting in person or you can watch the broadcast live at Metro Nashville Network's Government TV on Nashville's Comcast Channel 3 and AT&T's U-verse 99 and it is streamed live at the Metro Nashville Network's livestream site and you can watch it live on Roku. You can catch the meeting the next day (or the day after the next) on the Metro YouTube channel. If can stand the suspense and just wait, I will post the video on this blog the day after or the day after that and provide commentary.  

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How will light rail work on Gallatin Road?

From Better Transit for Nashville - Watch a car go LIGHT RAIL SPEED OF 15 MPH & how other cars on Gallatin Rd. fly by; several drivers got angry. Imagine THREE LANES OF LIGHT RAIL PERMANENTLY DOWN THE MIDDLE OF GALLATIN RD FOR 6.4 MILES, for the next 50 yrs. Learn about the $9 billion Nashville transit plan & the five (5) light rail lines planned on five roadways.

This video is about the Gallatin Rd line, 6.4 miles at $789 million. See video of the street, photos, and watch a vehicle going light rail speed of 15 mph, with drivers upset, honking, flying by. Light rail is an obsolete, outdated transit model in a tech world. It is already obsolete, so why do Metro & corporate Nashville want it so badly? They get rich and benefit in 10 major ways, see them below. Light rail will at best serve 1% of commuters. The project will take 15 years and will totally alter nine (9) primary roadways: Gallatin Rd., Murf rd, Nol Rd, Charlotte Ave, NW Corridor, and four for Bus Rapid Transit: Dickerson Rd, West End Ave, 21st/Hillsboro Rd & Rosa Parks/Clarksville Highway.

Top Reasons we are against the plan:

• The plan is not regional. 
• Light rail is an obsolete transit model. 
• Light rail ridership is 1% or less of commuters. 
• Bus systems are more effective at increasing transit ridership. 
• Light rail has failed in increasing transit ridership or reducing traffic in the cities that have it, even after 35 years, in cities with populations & pop. densities Nash will not reach for 75 years. 
• At best, in 50 years, with light rail, Nash’s public transit ridership might go from 2% to 2.5%, likely will decrease. 
• In 50 years, light rail will be completely obsolete. It’s obsolete now. 
• The cost of the $9B plan per current MTA bus rider: $568,000 per rider. ($9B/15,650 riders=$568K)
• The $9 billion cost could bankrupt Nashville. We will be financially threatened until at least 2060 with bonds, debt, four new taxes incl. highest sales tax in the nation. 
• Light rail & BRT on nine (9) roadways will eliminate two & three lanes on already high traffic streets, a disaster. 
• The plan includes NOTHING related to tech which is changing how we commute, travel & live. 
• Light rail/tunnel is 70% of the costs.
• Light rail is an outdated, 1800s transit model. 

Ten (10) ways the rich get richer through the $9B plan:

1. They make $millions from the $9B build out. 
2. The rail industry will make $millions from the build out. 
3. Ongoing profits from the $300+M operations, maintenance. 
4. Goldman Sachs & banks will make $50-100M from the bonds & financing, 
5. Their corp./businesses will increase in value due to artificial govt. economic boost to “transit.” 
6. Their land values near LRT/BRT will increase artificially. 
7. They will continue to get business from Metro’s $2+ billion annual budgets. 
8. They will continue to get tax breaks, tax incentives & sweetheart deals from Metro. 
9. Developers will continue to get favoritism & codes changes that allow them to make more money; such as less parking requirements because “transit” is on the roadway. 
10. Metro will get more tax revenue & have lower infrastructure costs, allowing bureaucrats to have job security for life.

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How much will the transit plan cost you? $1.71 a day, or $52 a month per household.

From a No tax 4 Tracks email:

The Morning Line - NoTax4Tracks

$5 a month or 17 cents a day?

They are wrong.  And, their own numbers show it.  Here’s how:

Beginning in 2018 with that first .5% increase, you will pay 76 cents a day, or $23 a month.

In 2023, with the 1% sales tax increase, the daily cost to everyone in the county will be $1.71, or $52 a month.

1. Start with the 2023 sales tax collection from page 54 of the Let’s Move Nashville Report ($225,564,000).
2. Take the tax revenue burden carried by Davidson County, at 80% according to the. U.S. Census American FactFinder[1] ($180,451,000).
3. Divide by the number of County households expected in 2023 (assuming a 1.07% growth rate from six-year data), 289,830.

$225,564,000 x .80 = $180,451,000 ÷ 289,830 = $623 per household in 2023

The cost per household = $1.71 a day, or $52 a month

We found it highly amusing that Mayor Briley said yesterday Nashville would “Fail” if the $9-billion light rail plan doesn’t pass.  He’s so serious.  But think about the absurdity of that statement.

Fail?  With everything Nashville has going for it, the magic that makes Nashville the “It” city, what will cause it to not move forward is the falling into the same backward-looking trap the previous administration bought into.

Pro-Tip to the new Mayor:  Be different.  Be distinct.  Find your own voice, don’t replay the broken record of the past.

PS:  Our team at the Nashville Business Journal’s forum yesterday at the Omni shamed the other side.  We had hard facts.  The other side’s lack of detail and overall arrogance showed the audience why a vote against this light rail plan is the right vote.  We think the audience agreed with us.
   

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[1] https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml — Davidson County has 37 percent of the population of the MSA and 46 percent of the payroll in retailing. The ratio of 37/46 indicates that about 80 percent of the retail activity in Davidson originals with local residents and twenty percent comes from the rest of the MSA.

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Taxville

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