Sometimes unfortunate developments happen out of sheer momentum not because anyone planned them. How else can you explain Ben Affleck’s inexplicably thriving film career, the virtual ubiquity of cargo pants—or—to use a more local example, why Centennial Park became a hostile place for anyone on foot?
Until recently, it was difficult to run, roller blade, walk or get around in a wheelchair at Nashville’s signature park without risking being hit by a Chevy Monte Carlo. It’s not that anybody wished for such a tenuous state of affairs, but over the years, as driving became an acceptable leisure activity—as opposed to a purely utilitarian one—automobiles have come to intimidate pedestrians. In the case of Centennial Park, they have run people off the road entirely.
But all that’s changing. A back-to-basics master plan for Centennial Park is gradually pushing motorists to the periphery, while those on foot, blade or bike are enjoying their own paved and car-free route. When that route is finished, it will loop around the lake and Parthenon forming an almost perfect mile. Concrete parking lots will become grass, and the outer road to which cars will be relegated will become a two-way loop, making it easier for rangers to control traffic.
“I feel safer now,” says Terrance Nash, a 22-year-old Tennessee State University student, who was recently enjoying a midday walk around the park’s partially completed paved walkway. “Now you can come here anytime and not worry about cars.”
And it’s only going to get better. Already, construction crews have finished a good part of the paved walkway and should have it completed by early to mid- summer. Along the east side of the lake, the main road is currently closed. When it reopens, it will be shut down to vehicular traffic and become part of the paved walkway. Cars and tour buses that used to rumble along that heavily traveled part of the lake to see a picturesque view of the Parthenon will be directed to the outer park road alongside 25th Avenue. Motorists still will be able to drive to the north part of the lake and will find more than enough parking, but their days at the top of the Centennial food chain are over.
“Up until now, the people in the park have had to share the roads with the vehicles,” says Jackie Jones, the public information officer for the Metro Parks and Recreation Department. “Now we’re hoping that we’ll have a more pedestrian-friendly park for everyone.”
One of the byproducts of the park department’s improvements is that it might—and might is the key word here—alleviate the civic scourge that is Sunday afternoon cruising. For years and years, Centennial Park has been flooded with drivers slowly and aimlessly circling around the park on Sundays, creating congestion on the main road, and more or less making it impossible for anyone to enjoy even a fleeting moment of peace. Last month, a criminal named Corey Lamont Johnson decided to drive a stolen 1994 Chevy Blazer across a grass field. When a park ranger approached him and asked to see identification, Johnson showed him a Criminal Justice Center wristband bearing his name. He then fled on foot, although park officers apprehended the passenger. More disturbingly, when police searched the Blazer, they found two assault-type rifles and a magazine loaded with ammunition.
When the park’s improvements are finished, the main road will be a two-way loop, making it easier for park rangers to redirect traffic if the Sunday cruising becomes untenable. Also, the cruisers and all other motorists will be banished to the outskirts of the park—giving pedestrians and others some needed breathing room.
And then there are pure aesthetic issues that the improvements will address. Grass will be planted over the middle parking lot in front of the Parthenon. So instead of having two grass fields interrupted by rows of parked cars, there will be relatively expansive green space creating a smooth visual line leading up to the 71-year-old Greek replica. It will also make it easier to host special events. In addition, decorative lighting and gardening will line the paved walkway. There will be new benches, tables, chairs and trash cans throughout the park.
Prompted in part by the April 1998 tornado that disfigured Centennial Park, the $1 million to $2 million in improvements are intended to upgrade the crown jewel of the city’s park system. Even before the storms, Centennial was showing its age. Its few sidewalks were starting to crumble, and the wall along the lake looked about as stable as a Music Row marriage. The improvements will include sidewalk repaving and a rebuilt lake wall.
But while the plan will improve the park’s postcard image, its main effect will be to create a safer place for pedestrians.
“Centennial Park is without a doubt the most popular park in Nashville—no ifs, ands or buts about it,” Jones says. “I think we’re hoping the master plan will bring about a safer park that is more pedestrian-friendly and more accommodating to bikers, roller bladers and wheelchair use.”
Comments (0)