Nashville Connector piloting free e-bike and scooter ride program in anticipating of heavy traffic Saturday
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — With an event-packed weekend on tap for Music City, there's a lot of traffic congestion expected in town. However, the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure believes a new pilot program could help alleviate some of the stress.
Events at Bridgestone Arena, the Ryman Auditorium, Brooklyn Bowl and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center as well as sporting events at Nissan Stadium, Geodis Park, First Horizon Park and Percy Warner Park mean that drivers can expect to see more traffic than is usual for a weekend.
Meghan Mathson, the transportation demand program manager for Nashville Connector within NDOT, said a new pilot program is designed to get you out of the car and to your event faster.
RELATED: NDOT advises drivers to prepare for heavy traffic Saturday, encourages alternative transportation methods
'We're working with all three micromobility companies — Bird, Lime and Spin — to offer a free $10 [value] ride to and from the events,' Mathson said. 'We know that streets are pretty confined, and we've heard struggles with parking and getting stuck in parking garages, so we really want to be proactive and try to get folks that are able to on sustainable modes of transportation.'
Eventgoers can opt for an e-bike or scooter Saturday to get to and from the entertainment. To participate, you can download any of the Bike, Lime or Spin apps on your phone and use the code 'NDOTSPECIALEVENTS' to redeem the ride.
'It will be interesting to see how many folks are potentially using the code that potentially live downtown or are staying downtown,' Mathson said. 'And there might some opportunities to partner with hotels or tourist organizations to push this messaging further.'
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NDOT leaders plan to use the data from this weekend to see how often the corrals and bike racks are being used and where people are populating and parking the devices — it'll take between one and two weeks to analyze the numbers to see if it's a program that will continue.
'What a great way to take advantage of the beautiful weather and save money while biking to and from the event,' Mathson told News 2. 'We do know that CMA Fest is coming up; all these other events are really upon us. Nashville's busy in the summer, so we do really want to be proactive.'
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