Chamber’s Mobility Week to address congestion with creative events

August 30, 2016

Brentwood Home Page
by Samantha Hearn

In just a few weeks the Williamson County Chamber will host a Mobility Week, where it will ask businesses in the area to participate in getting as many cars as possible off the roads during peak hours.

From Sept. 12 to 16, the Chamber is partnering with Nissan for the county-wide initiative focused on exploring practical ways that individuals, commuters, corporations, schools and small businesses in Williamson County can work collaboratively to reduce traffic on roadways.

Each day will promote a different way to be active in the community, focused on changing behavior to reduce congestion and improve circulation in peak hours. The week is about urging companies, large and small, to allow employees to have flexible schedules, work from home and create a carpooling/ride sharing program.

Monday, Sept. 12 will be School Day, focused on solutions to alleviate the traffic that comes during school hours. There will be a kickoff celebration at 8:30 a.m. at a to-be-announced location, as well as a FrankTalks seminar hosted by Franklin Tomorrow. This event is free to the public.

When school is in session, lines for drop-off and pick-up zones can stretch across hundreds of yards, causing parents to spend nearly 20 to 30 minutes idling outside of schools. According to the Chamber, this wait causes the vehicle to produce 20 times more pollution than traveling at 30 miles-per-hour.

Tuesday, Sept. 13 will be Food Truck & Rideshare Day, focusing on ways to increase ridesharing and carpooling opportunities. That kickoff celebration will take place at 11:45 a.m. at Harpeth True Value Home Center, located at 203 Downs Boulevard & Columbia Avenue.

The event will feature a lunch hosted by Harpeth True Value Center in which a variety of food trucks and restaurants will serve along Columbia Avenue.

Wednesday, Sept. 14 will be Flex Work Day, focused on encouraging businesses to allow their employees to work from home or have flexible schedules.

The average commute time to work for a Williamson County resident is 27 minutes, according to the Chamber. If a person works five days a week, they spend 2.25 hours a week commuting to their job, or 108 to 115 hours a year sitting in their car.

According to the Chamber, if you work from home one day a week you could gain back 64-68 hours per year that is being spent on driving to and from work.

Along with working from home, flex scheduling with staggered work hours and remote working can vary the traffic patterns of commuters, which reduces the probability of traffic jams, accidents and fatalities. The time and location of this day’s kickoff event are to-be-announced.

On Thursday, Sept. 15 it’s the second annual transportation summit, which will take place from 7:30 a.m. to noon at The Factory at Franklin. Presented by Nissan, this event will let business and community leaders hear from local experts leading the way in multi-model transit solutions.

Friday, Sept. 16 will be Park(ing) Day, an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks.

By reducing the number of cars on the road, that leaves more space for more inspiring, vibrant areas such as parks, trails and recreational complexes.

The Park(ing) Day kickoff celebration will take place at 9:45 a.m. at Public Square in downtown Franklin, located at 101 3rd Avenue South.

For more information about Mobility Week, visit www.willcomoves.com.