ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A few improvements might be coming soon to south St. Petersburg to help bike and foot traffic.
The City of St. Pete is conducting a CRA study called ‘Connecting South St. Pete’ with the goal of making transit more user-friendly throughout the community. This project would help improve areas such as the 22nd Street corridor, where local businesses thrive.
Throughout south St. Pete, there are plenty of ways to get around — especially when it comes to riding on two wheels.
“Lots of good opportunities to get out and ride,” says J. Alexander Norman, Partner & Service Advisor at The Bikery. “Everybody’s going to restaurants and bars and coffee shops, and why not ride your bike instead of driving your car?”
The staff at The Bikery know this better than most. Norman was born and raised in St. Pete and knows the city’s bike paths like the back of his hand.
“Our grid system makes cycling here so easy to get around. It’s not a big city, but we have nice, paved, flat roads everywhere,” Norman said. “Lots of cyclists travel here, and we have good weather all year round, even if it gets a little hot.”
But getting from point A to point B can still be a challenge for some. The City of St. Petersburg’s Housing, Land Use, and Transportation Committee is looking to change that with the project.
“The key messages we heard throughout the study is that, generally, there is strong and broad support for improving sidewalks and sidewalk connectivity, adding and enhancing our crosswalks for improved visibility, and then adding protected bike lanes,” said Cheryl Stacks, transportation manager for the City of St. Petersburg.
“I don’t know what it looks like, but this has got to be one of our top priorities to make St. Pete a better place to live,” said Richie Floyd, St. Petersburg City Council vice chair.
The study is looking to improve walking, biking, and transit across south St. Pete neighborhoods. Norman says it would benefit residents.
“As downtown grows more west, it’s just going to grow in all directions. So I really see it as an added benefit that we will have more opportunity for people to commute safely.”
More protected bike lanes are a safety benefit that Norman says he would like to see. Bike lanes already exist, but riding can get pretty close to traffic at times.
“At least putting a little bit of a barrier like there is on 1st Avenue South, closer to downtown as part of the Pinellas Trail there,” he said. “Just adding a little bit of protection would be wonderful to see.”
Adding protection while further connecting the city.
Norman also hopes the city prioritizes slowing down traffic and creating better access to the Pinellas Trail. Community engagement and feedback were conducted by city staff for the study. It was paid for, mostly, by the Federal Transit Administration.
The committee has unanimously approved the project, meaning it will move into the design phase.