The Idea of Going Car-Free in Memphis is Laughable and Sad at the Same Time

I have lived in Memphis the majority of my life. I was born here and I know this city very well. While this is the only city I would truly ever want to call home, I have what I feel is a legitimate grievance: we do not live in a city designed (or modified) to effectively or realistically travel about without the aid of a personal automobile.

Courtesy: The Commercial Appeal

Memphis has public transit. Before I began driving, I used Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) extensively. Once you learn how to use it, that is. When I needed the aid of public transportation, I was one of the thousands of people who saw MATA buses and trollies running up and down city streets, wondering just how to use them and where, exactly, they where going. But once I learned the system, schedules, etc, it was a pleasant experience, for the most part.

But riding the bus in Memphis can be a challenge. In some case, it takes intricate, almost reconnaissance-like planning and scoping to get from where you are to where you want to go. The way buses are scheduled, if you are traveling to a transfer point and the bus you are one arrives late, you plans either change on the fly or you wait it out until the next bus rolls along. That, along with the fact that many areas of the metro area are not widely served (namely the surrounding affluent suburban areas and the far eastern portion of Shelby County) does not make relying upon MATA a realistic possibility.

Courtesy: http://carfreememphis.wordpress.com/

Even with recent efforts to integrate bike lanes throughout the city, Memphis can be highly frustrating to maneuverable with a car. Drivers in this city are simply not mindful of anything on the street that's not a car. It's largely a fantasy to think one can ride a bike from Whitehaven to Midtown without almost getting killed by careless drivers or encountering roadways and thoroughfares not designed with neither pedestrians nor bikers in mind.

While noble and bold in conception, the aspect of ditching your car for a month in the name of reducing auto emissions and helping the environment is laughable. For now, anyway.

For those not from Memphis, you must understand that there is a stigma attached to not owning a car in this city. It doesn't matter if you're driving a $500 raggedy tax refund used jalopy, you're better than those people who have to ride the bus. That alone will keep people away from MATA. Or walking. Or riding a bike.

Courtesy: Memphis Daily News

Like I stated before, when I first used the bus, I had no idea how it worked and I wasn't alone. If MATA would make the process less of a mystery (perhaps designating an advertising budget like they did in the 70s and 80s?), I think ridership would go up. Also, an expansion of routes (in area and frequency) would making riding buses and trollies more attractive.

If bike routes and lanes expanded, this would help. But the harsh truth is that Memphis drivers are not used to sharing the road with bikers. Drivers often use bike lanes like shoulder, with no regard for the bike lanes' intended use.

Going car-free is idealist, nothing more. A good idea, but still, just an idea, really.

More info about Memphis' 30 Day Car Free Challenge can be found here.

Cheers, all.