With the arrival of summer break for students at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) is not taking any time off. Instead, the department is taking advantage of the empty schoolyards to aggressively continue its efforts to bolster safety in school zones across the city.
The focus is on installing a standard set of safety features, which includes "SLOW SCHOOL ZONE" pavement markings, radar feedback signs that actively display driver speeds, flashing "School Zone" beacons, and clearer speed limit signs. The end result aimed for by NDOT is to improve the visibility of pedestrian crossings and to encourage drivers to reduce their speed in sensitive areas frequented by children.
Last summer, NDOT completed safety enhancements at 15 school zones, and they have plans to continue their work at 16 additional locations by this coming August. In a statement obtained by Nashville.gov, Mayor Freddie O'Connell expressed the city's commitment to safety, stating, "These projects move us closer to our goal of making every school zone safer within the next five years."
Sites for improvement are carefully chosen, targeting areas that fall within Nashville’s Vision Zero high-injury network—zones identified as particularly dangerous due to a history of traffic-related injuries. "Our goal is to ensure standardized school zone markings and signage across the county," said NDOT Director Diana Alarcon, “We want people driving to take notice, slow down, and look for children walking or biking.” Schools on the list for upgrades include Warner Elementary and Hume Fogg Magnet High School, among others. The full list can be found on the official NDOT announcement.
For any non-emergency issues concerning Metro Nashville streets, residents can make reports via hub.nashville.gov. The projects not only aim to safeguard students but also stand to enhance neighborhood walkability.
