The project team for the nMotion transit plan presented its 6 billion dollar proposal to the Nashville Metro Transit Authority and the Regional Transit Authority board earlier this month.
This plan, which will be enacted over 25 years, could have significant influence on students’ public transportation choices.
Junior biology major and student government secretary Vince Law said he believes public transit options like this one may have a major impact on students.
“I think if the city were to invest in really good public transportation, Lipscomb’s parking would probably be a lot better just because if we were to institute maybe a no-freshman-car rule, that would be a viable option because there would be better transportation for people to get around the city,” Law said.
Major aspects of this are a commuter rail and a light rail, but perhaps the biggest gain for students is the purposed addition of new crosstown and through city-routes accessible from Lipscomb. According to the recommendations, the projections of population and ridership growth are high, but senior law, justice and society major Rachel Parker has her own idea for what can be done to get Lipscomb students to take advantage of the transit and rethink the ideas they have about public transportation.
“Market it to students to say, ’Yes, you can use our public transportation system efficiently to get where you want to go,’” Parker said. “I don’t think a lot of students know that bus transportation is free to students, and if they do know, it does not have a very positive connotation that you can get there efficiently.”
After spending time living and working in Orlando and London as well as taking Lipscomb’s influencing change class, which studies public transportation in Nashville and other growing cities, Parker thinks Nashville’s public transportation needs many improvements, but the nMotion plan is a step in the right direction.
Although some students only plan to stay in Nashville for their time at Lipscomb, Law said this plan is increasingly important for students who want to build their careers in Nashville. Law attended a metro council meeting for a class he took in the spring, and he is interested to see how this plan shapes his future in Nashville.
“I know it was a really cool experience for me, even though it was for a class, to get insight into what is happening with the growth of our city, and our success as a school is very tied into that,” Law said. “I would just encourage everyone to always be aware of what is going on and to be plugged in — just because this could be your city one day if you decide to stay, work and live here.”
While the project team itself is comprised of citizens, the nMotion plan has an advisory board with both public and private stakeholders including Lipscomb’s own Randy Lowry.
The board will be allowing 30 days for public input before the plan goes to a vote. Comments on the plan can be submitted at nMotion.org.
