Sidewalks Ain't What They Used to Be

Sidewalks are pretty simple things. You throw down some concrete, and people walk on them. Sometimes, people will ride bikes, or worse, an electric scooter, but mostly, sidewalks are for walking. Generally, sidewalks are a good thing and simple to execute. You choose a location, get permission, get some money, grab some materials, and start digging and pouring. Yet ask the folks over at Walk Bike Nashville about sidewalks, and they'll say something like:

[The city's sidewalk plan] has to look at the intersections of climate adaption and mitigation, equity, pedestrian safety, access to food, access to healthy living and lifestyles and public transit while also emphasizing safety.

There's a ton of "my job is really important" energy in that statement. When confronted with such language, ask yourself how the world would function were the person talking not in said job, then listen accordingly.

Much like basic questions around gender that the Woke mind virus provokes to no one's benefit, the Sidewalk Question dares to ask, "What is a sidewalk, actually?" Presumably, only the super bureaucrats on the Metro Council and Walk Bike Nashville have license to speak on such high falutin issues like these. Careful, fellow citizen, this is an issue that only the experts are capable of handling. Do you have a Ph.D. in Sidewalk Intersectionality Studies? Didn't think so.

The city is in the process of collecting comments on a new WalknBike plan through November 5th.

The new plan should be published in January.