Nashville is tightening parking restrictions in the downtown core, meaning drivers will now have to pay to park in many city-owned spots inside the Interstate 40 loop up to Harrison Street, regardless of the time of day. The changes are part of the city’s move toward “smart” parking systems that use digital kiosks rather than coin-operated meters.
City officials told The Tennessean when the changes were announced that they are intended to make it easier for the Nashville Department of Transportation to consistently enforce parking policies, increase parking meter usage and provide rates that are “considerably under market” for downtown drivers. The change is also projected to generate an additional $200,000 in revenue “earmarked for future parking and traffic improvements,” according to NDOT spokesperson Cortnye Stone.
“Nashville’s parking program is antiquated and in need of a major overhaul,” Stone tells the Scene via email. “By bringing more order to our downtown streets, we’re able to make them safer for everyone including drivers and pedestrians.”
But downtown employees — especially those who are responsible for finding their own parking before heading off to bartending shifts and performance gigs at places like Lower Broadway honky-tonks — worry the changes will make it harder for them to work in one of the city’s most lucrative areas.
“Love to see my town becoming even more unfriendly towards musicians,” tweeted Jerry Roe, who plays in bands including Friendship Commanders. “Truly nearly no reasons to live here anymore.”
Another user wondered if Nashville would be better off just enforcing existing meters more consistently.
“Seriously... tourist[s] arent typically parking on the street [in] droves, so this loose change will come from the folks who live here,” tweeted Robert Looper III. “24/7 is a bit extreme for a place with only a bus.”
Joshua Hedley, an acclaimed singer-songwriter who performs several times a week at Robert’s Western World, was one of several Twitter users to respond more bluntly to the news: “They’ll do anything they can to fuck downtown workers,” he tweeted.
Hedley moved to Nashville 18 years ago and got plugged into the city’s music scene by performing long shifts at the bars and honky-tonks on Lower Broadway. Working there can be a well-paying gig for both musicians and bartenders. According to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, the city saw 12.6 million visitors in 2021 and received $7.36 billion in direct visitor spending at bars, restaurants and hotels.
Many downtown bars and restaurants, however, don’t provide enough parking for all of their employees and musicians. That means many workers have to arrive downtown early for shifts and search for parking, often resorting to paid lots. That’s especially true for musicians, who often have to bring bulky instruments, amplifiers and other equipment to every shift.
“If you’re paying $10 [for parking] six times a week, that’s $60 a week,” Hedley tells the Scene. “It adds up, and depending on where you are, the money’s not great playing down there. If you’re making $140, and you have to give $10 of it back every time, it just feels kind of like a penalty, when in reality, the people who work downtown drive the economy of the city.”
Stone, the NDOT spokesperson, notes that there are loading and unloading zones on Broadway that musicians use, as do other workers. Metro also completed a Downtown Nashville Neighborhood Traffic Project — dubbed the Connect Downtown study — to improve access to downtown for residents. The study was completed with input from the Nashville Downtown Partnership, Stone says, and recommendations from the study will be presented in the coming months.
“Much of the department’s work centers on building out a truly multimodal transportation network that enables people to get where they want or need to go without a car,” Stone says. “As more Nashvillians embrace bikes, e-bikes, scooters, etc., we’re confident shorter trips can be made without a car.”
Hedley says he supports expanding transit options, adding that he’d love to be able to take a train from his home in Madison to meetings downtown or in 12South. In the short-term, though, he still feels like he’s reliant on a car.
“I definitely understand the desire to create an initiative to have a more public-transportation-oriented city, walking-oriented city, cut down on traffic and cars,” Hedley says. “It is a great idea, but feasibly, we’re not there.”
Nashville Downtown Partnership spokesperson Alexis Bell tells the Scene that the group works to provide reliable parking access for downtown employees.
“Nighttime economy employees can consistently rely on at least two great options,” says Bell in an email. “The Metro Courthouse/Public Square Garage and the Library Garage offers low-cost parking after 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. In addition, SP+ Parking Management Services offers discounted parking options specifically for downtown merchants.”
Stone also notes that NDOT “will be looking to roll out a downtown employee parking program in the next few weeks” but that details are still unconfirmed. That would be good news for people like Hedley, who says he’s been calling for a parking permit for verified downtown employees for years.
“There’s a finite amount of [downtown workers], and there’s an infinite amount of tourists that come down there,” Hedley says. “I don’t know why they couldn’t give us permit stickers that allow us to park for free. I’m talking musicians, servers, bartenders, anybody who works downtown.
“I feel not necessarily that we need to be rewarded for the work we do, but just not penalized for it.”
