Miles Kredich Connects Personal Loss to Knoxville’s Transportation Future

Not quite three years ago, 24-year-old Ben Kredich was walking along Kingston Pike on his way to meet his father for dinner at Sunspot.

It was a Monday evening tradition the two cherished.

He never made it. Ben was struck from behind and killed by an impaired driver. 

For his twin brother, Miles Kredich, the tragedy was the result of a system that narrowed Ben’s ability to move safely and independently through the city he loved. 

Speaking last Thursday at a YES! Knoxville event at Sunspot, Miles shared Ben’s story and made a passionate case for a future Knoxville that prioritizes transit, accessibility and pedestrian safety.

“My twin brother, Ben, was supposed to be right here at Sunspot, to meet my Dad for dinner, on August 21st, 2023,” Miles told attendees. “I’d like to tell you this story, discuss the many ways its tragic ends could’ve been avoided, and how we can move forward to build the community Ben and vulnerable populations deserve. The community we all deserve.” 

Today, Miles works as an Audio & Visual Designer for the Regional Transportation Authority in Chicago, but his path into transit advocacy began before he entered the profession.

Ben Kredich had autism and spent much of his life navigating systems that weren’t always designed with inclusion in mind. Miles described how his family fought to ensure Ben had the same opportunities as his siblings, from education and athletics to employment and independent living.

“Whatever my younger brother Coleman and I were able to do, Ben was going to have the same opportunity with whatever accommodations or modifications his experience required,” Miles said. 

Ben attended the University of Tennessee’s FUTURE program, worked at several Knoxville businesses, including Sunspot, Downtown Grill & Brewery and Treetop Coffee Shop, and became known for his work as a pianist at event venues and nursing homes throughout the area.

After Miles and his younger brother left for college, Ben increasingly relied on Knoxville Area Transit to travel independently.

“As any young adults can testify, relying on your parents to drive you around your community does not equal moving with dignity and independence,” Miles said. “Public transit allowed Ben to reliably access his multitude of jobs, his circle of friends, and the city he loved with dignity.” 

That independence was disrupted during the pandemic, when KAT reduced service on several routes, including Route 10, which Ben regularly used.

Ben personally spoke during public comment and warned transportation officials about the dangers of walking along Kingston Pike.

“Kingston Pike was ‘sketchy because cars drive so fast on Kingston Pike,'” Miles recalled Ben telling officials. Later, Ben told WVLT that he “didn’t want to be hit by the cars, which can be dangerous.” 

The route reduction, initially described as temporary, remained in place.

A year after the service cuts, Ben was struck and killed while walking along Kingston Pike, by a driver who had been revived with Narcan after an overdose just hours earlier and released from the hospital after refusing treatment. Tennessee later passed the Ben Kredich Act to help prevent this dangerous scenario.

But, Miles, said, “After three years of intense grief and deep thought, I can whole-heartedly say the main domino to fall was the careless elimination of his primary mode of independent transportation. The most haunting part of it all is that community leaders ignored his prophetic plea for safety and reliability.” 

Just four months before Ben’s death, Miles had begun working in public transportation in Chicago. He contrasted Knoxville’s pandemic-era service reductions with the fight underway there to prevent major transit cuts.

Last year, after years of organizing and lobbying, Illinois lawmakers approved a major increase in transit funding that prevented significant service reductions across the Chicago region.

“I believe our team learned something from Ben’s story,” Miles said. “We gathered hundreds of transit-related stories from across the region, highlighting the potential for millions of Chicagoans’ primary modes of transportation to come to a screeching and chaotic halt, and how that would drastically impact their lives.” 

While much of his speech centered on loss, Miles also pointed to signs of progress.

He noted the restoration of Ben’s bus route, expanded pedestrian improvements, the free Downtown Connector and the city’s increasing focus on walkability and multimodal transportation. Knoxville has also implemented Vision Zero, which looks at safety from all angles – engineering, walkability, signage, law enforcement, education, human behavior – with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities on City-controlled roads by 2040.

“Knoxville is beginning to see how prioritizing people, not multi-ton vehicles, is what truly leads to a strengthened sense of community and economic growth,” he said. “But as many can attest to here, we have a very long way to go.” 

Miles argued that continued growth will require Knoxville to think beyond road widening projects and invest more heavily in transportation alternatives.

“What we should spend our money on is repairing and improving our existing roads, while expanding options to move around this beautiful city,” he said. “We need to expand transit options, not lanes.” 

He also floated the possibility of future passenger rail service, citing existing rail infrastructure throughout the region and previously acquired light-rail vehicles that remain in storage in San Diego. 

“The more options there are, the more connected our community can be, and the more connected people like Ben are to opportunities for employment, socialization and reaching their fullest potential,” Miles said. 

Tragedies persist. Between the Yes! Knoxville event and our publication of this story, four fatalities were recorded near the city center (a crash at North Broadway and Cecil resulted in the deaths of the driver and two pedestrians, and an elderly man died after crashing into the Tennessee River near Calhoun’s). 

Pointing to impaired driving, Miles noted that many Knoxvillians attending football games, concerts or Smokies games have little choice but to drive, creating situations where people may find themselves weighing whether they’re safe to get behind the wheel after having a drink. By contrast, when he attends events in Chicago, reliable bus and rail options mean there’s never a need to drive.

Giving people more transportation options, Miles said, makes the roads safer for everyone.

He closed with a call for Knoxville residents to become engaged in shaping the city’s transportation future.

“If a road you frequent feels unsafe, respectfully call your representatives,” he said. “If you or someone in your community may benefit from an added bus route, reach out to our transportation leaders, and show up at public comment like Ben did. Talk to your friends and family and organize with them. Especially, get involved with local advocacy groups, like Bike Walk Knoxville, and YES! Knoxville.”

“If I’ve learned anything during my time advocating for public transit in Chicago, it’s that a community’s voice cannot be ignored,” Miles said. “Let’s continue to fight for reliable, accessible and safer transit options together, for ALL Knoxvillians.”