I drove Cherokee Trail both directions today and while there are areas that badly need attention I didn't feel endangered by them - yet. One of them is about a foot wide but the road is fairly wide at that point. The biggest danger comes from other drivers IMO.

Then again, I was driving carefully and under the speed limit. What this area needs is speed patrols but they need to be short term, random and preferably unmarked cars. Once the cop is spotted the kids alert each other via twitter and the officer should just go patrol somewhere else. No more tickets will be written that day, at least not to the college kid crowd.

I wrote about this in the article "Trail of Tears" that appeared in the Knoxville Voice on July 12, 2007.

" ... it is likely Cherokee Trail will have to be widened and improved to accommodate the heavier vehicle traffic, and/or KAT will have to add a service to move students safely to and from campus. Either solution will impose an additional burden on taxpayers, weakening the familiar argument that economic development is a free ride."

We (City Public Service Department) have sent a supervisor to the inspect Cherokee Trail for any needed asphalt repairs. WATE along with most of the other news folks have my cell number and usually call or e-mail me about issues they report on, so I'll have to ask Bo how this story was routed (?).

Any street related concerns in the City can be reported to us via the 311 call center (215-4311). Complaints generate an inspection and ultimately a work order for Public Service to complete. In some cases the complaint is inspected and then sent to KUB or TDOT Region 1, depending on the location, type, etc. A link to Public Service is listed below:

(link...)

Thanks for your attention, Mr. Brace. Most of the problem areas are outside the city. I hope your county counterpart is as responsive.

How far up Cherokee trail is the city line? I saw a soft spot/dip in the pavement just east of the legacy parks entrance. It bothered me because it was well within the lane of traffic and would be a huge hazard if it opened up.

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