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Referendum supporters have counter-arguments to most of those. The signalization plan would reduce commute times by 10 percent, Briggs said, and could not be rolled out quickly without the new funding. Bus ridership is increasing, and new cross-town routes enabled by developing transit centers around the county would help people commute without transferring downtown. Additionally, supporters emphasize that establishing dedicated funding for transit will help the city bring more than $1 billion in federal funding back to Nashville, and the zoning reform elements of those applications are not specific demands and account for a small portion of only some of the programs.

The conversation broke into a debate at the District 26 meeting when Marcia Masulla, a representative of the independent campaign supporting the referendum, used the Q&A time to ask Evans what her alternative plan was.

“We all admit and recognize that Nashville has made a lot of mistakes,” Masulla said. “Are you suggesting an alternative plan, or are you saying just stick our head in the ground and wait another eight to 10 years? Traffic is not going to get better. Things are not going to get better if we do nothing. We’ve learned that.”

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