NDOT designs and maintains the Music City Bikeway and an expanding network of protected and buffered bike lanes. Metro Code Title 12 enforces motorist behavior in bike lanes, including no-stopping rules, three-foot passing, and special yielding requirements at intersections.
Tennessee state law requires motorists to allow at least three feet when passing a bicyclist on the road. The Music City Bikeway is a roughly 26-mile signed and partially separated route connecting Percy Warner Park to Shelby Bottoms. Within the city, NDOT installs buffered and concrete-protected bike lanes on routes such as Demonbreun Street, Charlotte Avenue, and selected greenways. Drivers may not park or stop in marked bike lanes except for emergencies. Right-turning vehicles must yield to bicyclists in adjacent lanes. The Vision Zero Action Plan adopted in 2020 prioritizes design upgrades on the high-injury network. Bike lane closures during construction require an approved traffic-control plan from NDOT.
Stopping or parking in a marked bike lane can be ticketed at roughly 50 dollars and may incur towing. Failing to yield when right-turning across a bike lane can draw citations and civil liability after a crash.
Nashville, TN
NDOT and the Metro Urban Forester regulate planting in the public right-of-way, including parkways between sidewalk and curb. Residents must obtain a permit ...
Nashville, TN
After several years of pilot programs, Metro Council significantly tightened shared electric scooter rules under Metro Code Title 12. NDOT permits a limited ...
See how Nashville's bike lane rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.