A Knoxville Area Transit bus stop right by the entrance to the Kroger at 2217 N. Broadway St. has been removed, at the supermarket's request.
The change means passengers traveling to and from the grocery store by public transportation must now cross either Woodland Avenue or North Broadway in an area prone to pedestrian crashes.
Kroger requested the removal of the bus stop, which had been in the parking lot right in front of the store's entry. KAT had to comply because Kroger owns the property where the stop had been. The change went into effect Oct. 1 and alters Route 24: Lincoln Park/Inskip.
Knox News sent questions to Kroger but did not hear back.
Dylana Kent, marketing and communications manager for KAT, told Knox News the solution to losing
the stop was to add stops previously serviced by Route 22 to Route 24. Those are at Broadway before McCroskey and Broadway at McCroskey, which are more or less across Broadway from each other. She said shoppers also could access Kroger via the two bus stops on Woodland.
The change will bring additional foot traffic to these streets, increasing pedestrian crossings on the busy roads.
Broadway in particular is sadly known for crashes involving pedestrians. Last year, there were 21, according to data from Knoxville Police Department spokesperson Scott Erland.
Knoxville City Councilmember Matthew Debardelaben, who represents the area, said the removal of the bus stop right in front of Kroger concerns him.
"Even top people of the city didn't know this was in the works," he told Knox News. Right now, there are crosswalks near the bus stops on Broadway and Woodland, but there is no traffic light to accompany the one on Woodland.
That Kroger is the closest major chain grocery store for residents of the Broadway Towers Apartments and Guy B. Love Towers, both of which are home to seniors and folks with mobility challenges. Debardelaben said he sees these populations in particular as ones who might experience challenges as a result of having to travel further from the bus stop to the store. He plans to meet with Knoxville Vision Zero coordinator Cody Gentry, whose work focuses on pedestrian safety.
Although completion is a ways off, the city is planning other safety improvements for Broadway, which it oversees alongside the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Those improvements include the Broadway Streetscape Project, which will widen the sidewalk and create a greenway-style space between Cecil Avenue and Woodland Avenue on the west side near the Kroger shopping center. Construction is expected to start in September 2027.
Hayden Dunbar Evans is the storyteller reporter. Email: hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com. Instagram: @knoxstoryteller.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why did the 'Fellini Kroger' bus stop get removed, and what’s next?
