Route 21
Dublin Core
Title
Route 21
Subject
MTA Field Work Assignment
Description
Route 21 (University Connector): Katie Murdock, Matthew Burns, Lauren Taylor
While riding MTA from the stop on Belmont Boulevard northward on our route to its turnaround point at Clarksville Pike, we noticed an overall decrease in commercial chain businesses and less pedestrian activity that marked increasingly less expensive residential areas throughout the cityscape. We had quite a few observations of the route we took: The Vanderbilt/West End area had a mix of both newer and more historic apartments, as well as business complexes, but the end of the the route in North Nashville had a drastically different atmosphere. We noted the interesting architecture at the predominantly black schools of Fisk University and the old and new sections of Meharry Medical College, as well as the similar feel Tennessee State University had to Middle Tennessee State University. The surrounding residential areas were very eclectic in their styles with a few random newer apartments or duplexes on the corners, but there were no orderly subdivisions that we drove past on the main road. Toward the turnaround point, we found it interesting that there was a rather large police precinct literally right next to the “projects” we drove through. This seemed very similar to the area near Belmont with the new Midtown Precinct and the Edgehill “projects” immediately surrounding the precinct. There were a lot of boarded up, run-down houses, parks, and small businesses throughout the route as well. The only large commercial chain we saw in North Nashville was Wendy’s since everything else was local businesses that catered to blacks, such as beauty supply stores, as seen in the advertising on benches. It seems that the Interstate 40 really disconnected North Nashville from the wealthier areas of West Nashville/Belle Meade, and the split of Centennial Park on the street change between 28th and 31st also seemed to be a big dividing factor that served as a major point of change between North Nashville and West End, etc. Some other interesting aspects include a graffiti mural of the Freedom Riders on an interstate underpass and the building of a new chapel in this northern area. We mainly noticed issues of class and race/ethnicity in our field work. There was very little foot traffic the further we went out from Belmont, mainly due to the fact that seemingly safer areas are at the southern part of the route and because of the sidewalks present in said areas; for instance, we saw a lot of joggers out in the Vanderbilt area. Mainly older black men rode the bus we were on, but one lady who was a Belmont cafeteria worker was also on the bus. They were probably using the bus because of it being the least expensive mode of transportation and were probably headed home from work at this time in the late afternoon. The bus we rode was equipped with a wheelchair securement location, but we did not notice any areas designated for bicycles. MTA does seem to be a relatively viable source of public transportation, but few seem to be taking advantage of what it offers to the public, which make it seem wasteful in some regards but still very helpful to those who do depend on it to get around town; maybe some steps need to be taken to make the MTA buses seem more viable for others to consider using them. While MTA does have extensive routes and plenty of stops all throughout the Metro Nashville area, we found that some of the maps seem somewhat disorganized and were difficult to use in finding exactly where the stops were located; it would probably be beneficial to make the bus stop signs without covered benches a bit more obvious to passers-by and to more clearly demarcate the streets on which those stops are located so that people could find them more easily. It is pretty easy to ride a complete circuit of a route, but on the other hand, planning out how to switch routes seems like a jumble of colors, lines, and numbers. Before this assignment, we were relatively indifferent to public transportation and never really considered using it as a means to get around town, at least here during our time living in Nashville. Compared to other cities’ public transportation systems, Nashville does not have an expansive system in place or one that continually circles the entire city on one route. As far as we can tell, Nashville does not have a subway because it was not originally planned to have one and also since its population did not seem to be able to sustain something like this. As far as convenience, cost, and ease of use, the bus system is very effective, but it does not cut down on time or anything at all because it does not bypass any possible traffic like a metro system would. Today, however, with the rapid projected growth, there definitely is a need for additional modes of public transportation, such as more frequently used/government run commuter trains. The goal of public transportation is to get people from place to place in the most economical and eco-friendly way, which then, in theory, reduces traffic congestion and pollution. MTA does not seem to quite be hitting the mark on this goal because not many riders utilize the system, and the buses are usually empty when they drive by. Public transportation never really seemed like a viable option for us in terms of convenience when we already have cars to get us to and from school and our jobs, so this was our first time riding the MTA buses.
While riding MTA from the stop on Belmont Boulevard northward on our route to its turnaround point at Clarksville Pike, we noticed an overall decrease in commercial chain businesses and less pedestrian activity that marked increasingly less expensive residential areas throughout the cityscape. We had quite a few observations of the route we took: The Vanderbilt/West End area had a mix of both newer and more historic apartments, as well as business complexes, but the end of the the route in North Nashville had a drastically different atmosphere. We noted the interesting architecture at the predominantly black schools of Fisk University and the old and new sections of Meharry Medical College, as well as the similar feel Tennessee State University had to Middle Tennessee State University. The surrounding residential areas were very eclectic in their styles with a few random newer apartments or duplexes on the corners, but there were no orderly subdivisions that we drove past on the main road. Toward the turnaround point, we found it interesting that there was a rather large police precinct literally right next to the “projects” we drove through. This seemed very similar to the area near Belmont with the new Midtown Precinct and the Edgehill “projects” immediately surrounding the precinct. There were a lot of boarded up, run-down houses, parks, and small businesses throughout the route as well. The only large commercial chain we saw in North Nashville was Wendy’s since everything else was local businesses that catered to blacks, such as beauty supply stores, as seen in the advertising on benches. It seems that the Interstate 40 really disconnected North Nashville from the wealthier areas of West Nashville/Belle Meade, and the split of Centennial Park on the street change between 28th and 31st also seemed to be a big dividing factor that served as a major point of change between North Nashville and West End, etc. Some other interesting aspects include a graffiti mural of the Freedom Riders on an interstate underpass and the building of a new chapel in this northern area. We mainly noticed issues of class and race/ethnicity in our field work. There was very little foot traffic the further we went out from Belmont, mainly due to the fact that seemingly safer areas are at the southern part of the route and because of the sidewalks present in said areas; for instance, we saw a lot of joggers out in the Vanderbilt area. Mainly older black men rode the bus we were on, but one lady who was a Belmont cafeteria worker was also on the bus. They were probably using the bus because of it being the least expensive mode of transportation and were probably headed home from work at this time in the late afternoon. The bus we rode was equipped with a wheelchair securement location, but we did not notice any areas designated for bicycles. MTA does seem to be a relatively viable source of public transportation, but few seem to be taking advantage of what it offers to the public, which make it seem wasteful in some regards but still very helpful to those who do depend on it to get around town; maybe some steps need to be taken to make the MTA buses seem more viable for others to consider using them. While MTA does have extensive routes and plenty of stops all throughout the Metro Nashville area, we found that some of the maps seem somewhat disorganized and were difficult to use in finding exactly where the stops were located; it would probably be beneficial to make the bus stop signs without covered benches a bit more obvious to passers-by and to more clearly demarcate the streets on which those stops are located so that people could find them more easily. It is pretty easy to ride a complete circuit of a route, but on the other hand, planning out how to switch routes seems like a jumble of colors, lines, and numbers. Before this assignment, we were relatively indifferent to public transportation and never really considered using it as a means to get around town, at least here during our time living in Nashville. Compared to other cities’ public transportation systems, Nashville does not have an expansive system in place or one that continually circles the entire city on one route. As far as we can tell, Nashville does not have a subway because it was not originally planned to have one and also since its population did not seem to be able to sustain something like this. As far as convenience, cost, and ease of use, the bus system is very effective, but it does not cut down on time or anything at all because it does not bypass any possible traffic like a metro system would. Today, however, with the rapid projected growth, there definitely is a need for additional modes of public transportation, such as more frequently used/government run commuter trains. The goal of public transportation is to get people from place to place in the most economical and eco-friendly way, which then, in theory, reduces traffic congestion and pollution. MTA does not seem to quite be hitting the mark on this goal because not many riders utilize the system, and the buses are usually empty when they drive by. Public transportation never really seemed like a viable option for us in terms of convenience when we already have cars to get us to and from school and our jobs, so this was our first time riding the MTA buses.
Creator
Katie Murdock
Source
Katie Murdock
Publisher
Mary Ellen Pethel
Date
March 2016
Rights
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Format
Text
Language
English
Type
Word Doc
Coverage
Route 21 University Connector
Collection
Citation
Katie Murdock, “Route 21,” Making Modern Nashville, accessed April 29, 2024, https://drpethel.com/nashville/items/show/15.