Tennessee Transportation System Struggles To Keep Up With Population Growth
Image: I-75 ramp near Sweetwater, Tennessee Image Credit: Jaro Nemčok / CC
The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
Tennessee residents drive more and the state has the second-lowest rate of state and local funding per capita for its roads, according to a new policy brief from ThinkTennessee.
In its “Changing Lanes” brief, ThinkTennessee shows that Tennessee has the eighth-most vehicle miles traveled per capita in the country and that number is growing, up 17% since 2005.
“Tennessee’s population is increasing at a rapid rate, but our state’s current transportation system is struggling to keep up with our growth and does not provide enough affordable transportation options for Tennesseans,” said Erin Hafkenschiel, president of ThinkTennessee. “We hope that the data provided in this report will empower our transportation decision makers to reimagine the role of transit in Tennessee, which includes rethinking the way we fund projects as well as prioritizing efficient multimodal options to improve mobility and quality of life.”
While Tennessee ranks in the top 10 in federal road funding, it lags behind other states in the bottom 10 of transit and multimodal federal funding and ranking 39th in transit performance.
Tennessee has few transit options outside of driving with traffic fatalities rising 29.9% from 2011 to 2022 while pedestrians and cyclists saw traffic fatalities increase by 115.9% over the same period.
The policy brief also found Tennessee ranks 43rd in transportation costs relative to household income for moderate-income families with owning and operating a car costing an average of $13,974 per year, which the policy brief attributes to funding decisions and under-investment in creating a variety of transportation options.
“Because Tennessee invests less than other states in transit, walking, and biking infrastructure, Tennessee has one of the highest drive-alone commute rates – 11th highest in the nation – while ranking 42nd for transit commuting, 48th for bike commuting, and 49th for commuting on foot,” the paper points out.
Among the policy suggestions from the paper are prioritizing transportation that moves more people, including strategies to maximize transportation capacity, look into a mileage-based road user fee as a funding source and prioritizing safety for all road users.
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
Talk about your basic, socialist policies….this “ThinkTennessee” is a real ‘winner’! Tennesseans have time and again rejected these ideas as they will lead to more government control. I do not believe most of the stats they provide in this report, most of them are simply made up to fit their agenda. A few of them are obviously true, but Tennesseans like their independence. The best things our state government can do is commit to keeping their promises of using (tax payer’s money) gas tax for infrastructure improvements….yes road improvements are very costly (what isn’t these days?), but I didn’t hear any of those ‘issues’ when the politicians were selling us on the idea of more fuel taxes and Governor Bill’s recently approved plan! So, “ThinkTennessee” can take their much more expensive ideas of as they put it, “prioritizing transportation that moves more people” i.e., buses, trams and trains to a state like Illinois, New York or maybe California! By the way, I hear that train is literally breaking the bank in cost over runs yet after 20 years, it is still not even in operation! In the meantime, I’ll keep complaining about, but gladly paying for $3.34 per gallon gas to retain my independence, self-reliance and self-respect!
This study is part of the long march campaign to convince Tennesseans to raise their own taxes in a faint hope of someday not having congestion.
As if.