Petition to Add Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Funding to the Memphis City Budget
Petition to Add Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Funding to the Memphis City Budget
The Issue
To the Mayor and Memphis City Council:
We, the undersigned, call upon the City of Memphis to prioritize the safety and well-being of all road users by adding a dedicated line item for Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure in the city’s annual budget.
This is a matter of public safety and life-saving urgency.
In 2025 alone, Memphis ranked second in the nation for hit-and-run incidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. Even more alarming, preventable deaths and serious injuries continue to rise year after year. In just the first quarter of 2025, Memphis recorded 15 fatalities and 25 serious injuries involving people walking or biking. These are not just statistics—they are lives lost and families impacted.
We propose the City of Memphis immediately allocate a minimum of $5 million annually toward bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. In the event of any pedestrian or cyclist death during a calendar year, we further propose this amount increase by $500,000 per fatality, earmarked for investigating root causes and implementing safety solutions.
Importantly, the practice of adding bike lanes during repaving or resurfacing projects should not count against this budget line item. These routine projects should remain funded separately, as they are part of basic road maintenance—not safety investments.
Key investments from the proposed budget line should include:
- Protected bike lanes and safer pedestrian crossings
- Speed limit reductions on residential streets to 20 mph
- Strict enforcement and penalties for drivers texting, speeding, or blocking bike lanes
- Mandatory educational classes for drivers involved in bike/pedestrian crashes
- Detour requirements for construction and delivery companies that block right-of-way
Not only will these steps save lives, but they will also boost the local economy, with national data showing that every $1 million spent on bike infrastructure creates 11.4 local jobs.
We also urge the city to partner with organizations such as the Memphis Hightailers Bicycle Club to promote road safety through education and outreach.
Memphis has a chance to be a leader in protecting its most vulnerable road users. We ask you to act now.
Add pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to the budget—because every Memphian deserves safe streets.
247
The Issue
To the Mayor and Memphis City Council:
We, the undersigned, call upon the City of Memphis to prioritize the safety and well-being of all road users by adding a dedicated line item for Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure in the city’s annual budget.
This is a matter of public safety and life-saving urgency.
In 2025 alone, Memphis ranked second in the nation for hit-and-run incidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. Even more alarming, preventable deaths and serious injuries continue to rise year after year. In just the first quarter of 2025, Memphis recorded 15 fatalities and 25 serious injuries involving people walking or biking. These are not just statistics—they are lives lost and families impacted.
We propose the City of Memphis immediately allocate a minimum of $5 million annually toward bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. In the event of any pedestrian or cyclist death during a calendar year, we further propose this amount increase by $500,000 per fatality, earmarked for investigating root causes and implementing safety solutions.
Importantly, the practice of adding bike lanes during repaving or resurfacing projects should not count against this budget line item. These routine projects should remain funded separately, as they are part of basic road maintenance—not safety investments.
Key investments from the proposed budget line should include:
- Protected bike lanes and safer pedestrian crossings
- Speed limit reductions on residential streets to 20 mph
- Strict enforcement and penalties for drivers texting, speeding, or blocking bike lanes
- Mandatory educational classes for drivers involved in bike/pedestrian crashes
- Detour requirements for construction and delivery companies that block right-of-way
Not only will these steps save lives, but they will also boost the local economy, with national data showing that every $1 million spent on bike infrastructure creates 11.4 local jobs.
We also urge the city to partner with organizations such as the Memphis Hightailers Bicycle Club to promote road safety through education and outreach.
Memphis has a chance to be a leader in protecting its most vulnerable road users. We ask you to act now.
Add pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to the budget—because every Memphian deserves safe streets.
247
The Decision Makers
Petition created on May 6, 2025