How Transit Affects the Health of the Nashville Region

Health and mobility are interconnected. When you spend a lot of time in traffic or can’t get around the region easily, it can affect your health in ways you may not expect. 

The Chamber is working with the Mayor’s office, the Transit For Nashville Coalition and their community partners to support transit solutions that will improve the quality of life and, hopefully, the health of the region.

Access

Mobility issues can be an impediment to good health by limiting access to care. Access to adequate health care is often thought of as having health insurance coverage, but physical access is another factor. This is especially true for residents with disabilities who rely on public transportation.

Nashville already has some transit options that address the needs of differently-abled residents – their AccessRide program. AccessRide is a paratransit service that operates specialized van services for residents who are unable to use regular buses due to a disability.

In their 2017 report, Moving Forward, the Chamber’s transit initiative, urged MTA to implement software upgrades to allow for dynamic scheduling and improve dispatch and routing efficiency.

Released on October 17, Mayor Barry’s Let’s Move Nashville plan proposes improvements to AccessRide including real-time information, call-ahead service and same-day scheduling. These proposed upgrades should increase disabled residents’ access to reliable transit which could lead to greater access to health care.

Commuting

In an article that analyzed census data from 2016, The Brookings Institution found that 76.3% of commuters in America drive alone to get to work. This percentage is even higher in the Nashville area, with 81.8% of commuters driving alone to work each day.

In addition, commuting times are increasing across the board in Middle Tennessee. In fact, the 2017 Vital Signs report shows a 30% decrease in average commute speeds from 45 miles per hour to just 31 miles per hour between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Longer commuting times have been associated with greater risks of physical and mental health impacts. A study conducted in the UK found that workers with longer commutes were 33% more likely to suffer from depression and 21% more likely to be obese.

The Let’s Move Nashville transit plan hopes to shorten commuting times by offering better alternatives to car-only, single-driver commuting including rapid bus, light rail and improved and expanded existing bus service.

To ensure that Nashville gets the comprehensive transit solutions it needs, sign the Transit for Nashville coalition petition to get Mayor Barry’s Let’s Move Nashville plan on the ballot for May 1, 2018.

Also, support the advocacy of the Chamber by investing in membership. Chamber membership gives you a chance to share your opinion on hot policy issues, like transit and education with our policy survey and Middle Tennessee Business Voice.