Vicki Stinnett, affectionately known as “Airstream,” is a familiar sight on the MLK Jr. Memorial Bridge, whether she’s walking, biking, or rallying the North Nashville community. This bridge, for Airstream, is more than just a connection between North Nashville and the Bordeaux neighborhood — it’s a call for compassion and decisive action to make this crossing less terrifying and dangerous for those on foot or two wheels.
As a lifelong Nashvillian, Airstream is aware of the challenges the bridge presents. Beyond the broken sidewalks and speedy traffic barreling downhill from Hwys 12 and 41 lies a deeper issue: residents navigating this bridge, like those who are elderly and often have mobility and accessibility challenges, feel ignored in the city’s development projects.
“If I get hit by a car on that bridge, I want to document the lack of safety in as many places as possible,” she says.
While Airstream owns a car, she chooses to walk, catch the bus, or rent an e-bike, finding more peace and less anxiety in these options over driving through congested city roads.
The bridge touches two council districts and requires oversight and coordination with both state and local transportation authorities. But Airstream’s micro-level advocacy attempts to cut through bureaucratic red tape. Her focus is hyperlocal, advocating for the accessibility and safety that her neighbors who live around and use the bridge deserve.
“We need to build the city that we love, rather than the one we are promoting for money,” she says.
One of Airstream’s goals for the bridge is to add bike lanes that are separated and protected by concrete barriers — legitimate infrastructure that protects cyclists and pedestrians alike and is designed and implemented with care and respect for community needs. Goals like these are shared by organizations such as Walk Bike Nashville and grassroots groups committed to pedestrian and bike safety.
In a city like Nashville, where tourism often gets more attention than the concerns of resident life, her sentiment is a reminder of the importance of habitability, not just hospitality in community development and planning.