NDOT staff presented a preliminary traffic-calming plan for Milner Drive on a neighborhood call, recommending three sets of speed cushions spaced along the roughly one-third-mile segment to reduce vehicle speeds.

The agency said the proposal is part of a formal process: NDOT will finalize a detailed design, post it online, and then mail ballots to property owners abutting the section. "Two thirds of the people who vote, not two thirds of the people who live here, two thirds of the people who vote, have to be in favor of it, and we will move it forward," NDOT staff member Jeff said, describing the required approval threshold and a six-week voting period.

Jeff described vehicle and design data underlying the preliminary plan: the street segment is about 1,650 feet long, the 80th-percentile speed is about 35 mph (meaning roughly 15% of vehicles exceed that), and daily volume is about 236 cars. Based on NDOT experience, he said speed-cushion installations typically produce a 7–9 mph reduction in speeds, though outcomes depend on initial speeds and exact cushion configurations.

The recommended treatment for Milner is three sets of manufactured speed cushions (6 feet wide, varying lengths to balance aggressiveness and emergency-vehicle needs) spaced roughly 400–600 feet apart. Jeff said the cushions are designed to allow larger wheelbases (fire trucks, ambulances) to be less impacted and to minimize opportunities for motorists to drive around them. He also described alternative or supplementary tools — radar feedback signs, visual narrowing (pavement markings/edge lines), and, in other contexts, bulb-outs or chicanes — when cushions are infeasible.

Neighbors asked practical questions. "Of those 236 cars a day, 225 of them are people just cutting through our street," resident Tom Kirmer said, pressing for controls on through traffic; Jeff replied that signs such as "no through traffic" could be fabricated but are unlikely to change behavior and have limited enforceability. Several residents said they dislike speed cushions but favored them to protect children who play on the street. One longtime resident said, "I've lived on Milner for 21 years," and urged consideration of nearby Overcrest; NDOT staff noted Overcrest has not been applied for and that steep hills limit cushion placement but that radar signs or other tools could be pursued if an application is submitted.

Jeff clarified who gets to vote: property owners whose parcels abut the segment are eligible; condominium units without direct access to Milner usually are excluded from balloting, and landlords receive a single ballot even if they own multiple affected properties. He also cautioned that, because of NDOT's project backlog, residents should expect about eight to ten months from ballot approval to construction.

NDOT asked residents to use the Engage Nashville page and the department's traffic-calming web resources for questions and to review designs when posted. The meeting closed with staff offering contact by NDOT's generic email and the project page for follow-up.