Transit center opens in North Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Thursday, Nashville city leaders cut the ribbon on the new Dr. Ernest Rip Patton Jr. North Nashville Transit Center.
The center was named after a late Freedom Rider and civil rights activist, and they expect it to create better connectivity around Music City. For North Nashville resident Nia Smith, access to transit is crucial to her livelihood as she is a permanent pedestrian.
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“My options right now are the 19 or I could walk to the 50,” Smith added. On days like this, that’s impossible. That’s really not an option for me. Being able to have a transit center means I don’t have to go downtown to connect right back to a neighborhood that I’m next to.”
The opening of the transit center is a welcome sight in a community where ridership is high. WeGo Public Transit leaders told News 2 that they saw a 36 percent increase in ridership on the seven routes that pass the transit center.
In addition to cross town routes that don’t require going through downtown and more frequent service, the transit center offers real-time bus information, quick ticket vending machines, Wi-Fi, and an air-conditioned waiting room — among other amenities. Nashville mayor Freddie O’Connell said that the city is focusing on safety and access with this new center.
“This increases jobs access from about a little more than 10,000 to about 60,000 jobs that suddenly become accessible to everybody in this community,” O’Connell told News 2. “We are trying to get transit access into communities where we know it’s necessary.”
WeGo leaders said that more features for the new center are on the horizon. Those future features include level bus boarding platforms on Clarksville Pike and bike storage for riders. For Smith, the transit center isn’t only indicative of more connectivity. She told News 2 that it’s a clear investment in a diverse community that’s long overdue.
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“It’s so deeply important for us to have access to the places in our city and the spaces around us that we have been actively cut out of. The only way this can be repaired is investment…” said Smith. “This is very encouraging. It feels like there’s a next step.”
Metro leaders said that an economic impact study by the city will monitor the effectiveness of the center, The study is expected to be complete in the next few months.
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