Bike Walk Tennessee works to make Tennessee a better place to bike and walk for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. One of our main goals with this mission is advocating for safe biking and walking at the state and local level. To achieve this goal, Bike Walk Tennessee participates in the annual National Bike Summit with the League of American Bicyclists, engages with Tennessee representatives in Congress and state representatives in the Tennessee House of Representatives and Tennessee Senate to encourage policy and funding decisions that benefit biking and walking.

What We're Advocating For

Cycling on Sidewalks Position

Bike Walk TN promotes policies and programs in the State of Tennessee that provide safe places for people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike and use other micro-mobility modes, and to ensure the safest possible interactions between these different modes and motorists. Under Tennessee state law bicycle riders are allowed to ride on sidewalks but must provide due care not to create an unsafe situation for pedestrians. Local jurisdictions may enact laws restricting bicycle riding on sidewalks, but this can be problematic if safe facilities are not provided for bicycle riders to move across town and access stores, schools and places of employment for daily trips. This can especially be the case for new riders, low-income bike-dependent riders, and children who are riding to neighborhood locations and to school.

The ideal course of action for cities, towns and counties in the state is to provide networks of bicycle facilities consisting of buffered and protected bike lanes, side paths and greenways, and traffic-calmed neighborhood streets to facilitate safe riding and reduce the risk of pedestrian/bicycle conflict on sidewalks. Bike Walk TN recommends that if a local jurisdiction pursues an ordinance that restricts bicycle use on sidewalks, that the ordinance language provides caveats to distinguish between sidewalks and side paths based on width, and that enforcement is only applicable where a safe alternative is provided along the same roadway for bicycle users of all ages and abilities.

The greater amount of support we can build, the greater change we can affect.
Please consider supporting our work by 
getting involved or making a donation today!