Walking trips have become less routine in Nashville
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There's been a staggering decline in the number of trips Nashville residents take by putting one foot in front of the other.
Why it matters: Walking is good for us — especially after a weekend of Thanksgiving feasting. And it's better for the environment if we opt to walk rather than drive when possible.
By the numbers: The number of annual average daily walking trips per 1,000 people in the Nashville metro area dropped 43% between 2019 and 2022, per a new StreetLight Data report.
- There were 170 annual average daily walking trips per 1,000 people in 2022, compared to 300 in 2019.
How it works: StreetLight measures travel behavior based on anonymized data from mobile devices, vehicle GPS systems and more.
- For this analysis, one "walking trip" is any trip taken by foot that is more than 250 meters — about 820 feet — from start to finish.
The big picture: Nationally, the number of annual average daily walking trips dropped 36% in the contiguous U.S. during that time.
The intrigue: "Active transportation" — that is, walking and biking — accounted for just 10% of overall trips in 2022, down from 14% in 2019.
- Driving, however, is only 4% below 2019 levels — yet another sign that America is a country of car lovers.
What they're saying: It's clear the pandemic had an "obvious impact," StreetLight says. But beyond that, the group isn't sure what's keeping Americans off their feet.
- Some of this could be remote work, which can make it easy to become overly sedentary.
Of note: Pedestrian and cycling groups have bemoaned safety concerns amid an alarming increase in deaths and injuries on Nashville roads.
- Walk Bike Nashville hosted a memorial walk earlier this month.
- Mayor Freddie O'Connell's transition team has urged the city to accelerate its safety efforts.
The bottom line: "For communities focused on safety, climate, health, and equity initiatives, an all-hands-on-deck strategy across safety, transit, land use, and more will be needed to increase walking activity," per StreetLight's report.