FLOOD hubNashville Bike Blitz, April 5-11

hubNashville is Metro Nashville Davidson County’s portal for non-emergency services and information. In other terms, it is Nashville’s online 311 service for its residents, which you can also dial to submit a request during business hours. The hub has all sorts of possibilities like requesting to clean a blocked drain, building permit applications, and even things like cars parked in bike lanes.

A Bike Blitz is inspired by the concept of a BioBlitz, where communities document as many species as possible in a set timeframe. Instead of cataloging wildlife, we’re mobilizing Nashville cyclists to identify and report issues through hubNashville.

Many cyclists notice hazards and problem areas but don’t always report them. A coordinated week-long effort will highlight the scale of needed improvements and push for action. The Blitz will be from April 5–11, the week before the Nashville Bicycle Festival (see you there!).

Reporting everything you see can feel daunting, and hubNashville can be a bit of a clusterfuck, but it’s still the best way to submit issues to Metro Nashville. And yes, responses to hubNashville requests are often unsatisfactory and disappointing; however, the act of notifying the city about issues, and having them documented is a critical and worthwhile action to take. Documented, unsatisfactory responses, are still greater, actionable steps than having no paper/digital trail whatsoever.

Ride as you normally would, but take the time to submit hubNashville requests for issues you see — potholes, blocked bike lanes, faded markings, and more. Give yourself an extra 5-15 minutes for your rides throughout the week to be sure you’re not too rushed to submit the problems you encounter. We’ll highlight some of the things you should report in the next section, but if you see something is wrong, submit it!

Search for hubNashville 311 in your app store. You can submit anonymously, but you'll need to save the incident number to get updates on your report. If you register for an account, your information will be auto-filled upon submission.

Additionally, if you are registered, you can go to the My Requests page and see all of the requests you've submitted! Some of our friends may be working on prizes for the most submitted over the week at the Nashville Bicycle Fest -- this is a great way to keep track.

If you use a dedicated cycling computer, use the "Lap" function to mark GPS locations to submit a HUB request later. I regularly do this, and sometimes it's easier to submit all of the issues I see out on a ride after the fact. But make sure you do it!

In the weeks leading up to the Bike Blitz, go ahead and submit a few issues just to get the feel for it.