My name is Ray Atkinson. Since I have not received emails that were sent without using my full first name, I may need to start introducing myself as Raymond. I am the City of Memphis’ third Bikeway and Pedestrian Program Manager.
My two predecessors, Kyle and Nick, did a great job of expanding and connecting the biking and walking networks. I was surprised to learn when I was listening to podcast interviews with my predecessors that Memphis had almost zero miles of bike infrastructure when the Bikeway and Pedestrian Program was created in 2010. Memphis now has over 300 miles of on- and off-street bike infrastructure. I want to keep this momentum going!
Zero miles of bike infrastructure actually relates to my background because I was raised in a Kannapolis, NC home that has a Walk Score of zero. Yes, zero! What is your Walk Score?
While I preferred to walk, bike, and ride transit because driving is too stressful for me, my parents and siblings frequently had to drive me because nothing was within easy walking or biking distance of our home. Yes, I have never owned a car because driving is too stressful. The lack of freedom in many US cities to walk, bike, or ride transit easily or safely made me passionate to become an active transportation planner. My experience being in a wheelchair for a few months during middle school after a drunk driver hit my family’s van also made me passionate about Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues.
Due to the importance of analyzing transportation network maps, I got my Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I studied abroad in Denmark and the Netherlands during summer 2012 through the University of Oregon to learn how world-class multimodal cities are planned. Since I have never seen a suburban city in the US that prioritizes people over cars, I was amazed by Houten, which is a suburb of Utrecht. Utrecht is located south of Amsterdam, which is in the Netherlands.
I should clarify that I am not suggesting that Memphis should be transformed into Houten. Even if there was support in Memphis for this transformation, it would be very expensive. As the below video shows, the Netherlands did not become one of the best countries for biking in one day. It invested in biking infrastructure and improved its transportation and land use policies over decades. One of my favorite policies is Sustainable Safety, which is the Dutch version of Sweden’s Vision Zero policy. I have heard discussion in Memphis about Vision Zero. Since I have not heard Sustainable Safety discussed, have you heard of Sustainable Safety?
I returned to the South wanting to apply what I learned in Denmark and the Netherlands. I quickly learned that I needed a master’s degree to do this work, so I got my Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from Portland State University (PSU). I chose PSU because Portland is known as one of the best US cities for biking and walking. Due to how often it rains and is cloudy in Portland from October-June, I decided to move to a city without a rainy season. I realize Memphis has a very hot and humid summer, which I am trying to prepare for now. Thankfully, the rest of the year should be comfortable for walking, biking, and riding transit. I welcome your suggestions on how to prepare for the hot and humid summer.
Yes, I am new to Memphis. This is one big difference from my predecessors. Kyle and Nick were familiar with Memphis before they became the manager. I am quickly trying to learn more about Memphis and the people who spend time here by walking, biking, and riding transit throughout the sprawling city. As I work with people in Memphis, I look forward to sharing ideas from around the world that could make Memphis an easier and safer place to walk and bike. I have also learned during my first month living and working in Memphis that there are ideas that can be shared from within Memphis.
Since many people have asked me why I decided to move from the West Coast to Memphis, I felt the West Coast has enough active transportation planners. I felt that I could make a bigger impact by working on biking and walking projects in Memphis. I also wanted to bring what I learned from the West Coast to improve my birth region. As I stated earlier, I originally studied abroad in Denmark and the Netherlands and pursued a master’s degree from PSU because I wanted to bring what I learned back to improve my birth region.
I look forward to sharing more and learning more about you when we meet someday. Feel free to contact me at Raymond.Atkinson@memphistn.gov. While I prefer to be called Ray, remember to use my full first name when emailing me.
City of Memphis Bikeway and Pedestrian Program 