The SunRunner bus rapid transit route connecting downtown St. Pete to St. Pete Beach will have to begin sharing lanes with regular vehicular traffic after a state study concluded its dedicated lane was causing traffic congestion and crashes.
The SunRunner has operated as a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) service since 2022, traveling in dedicated lanes along First Avenues North and South, which are controlled by the city of St. Petersburg.
But a portion of the route runs along Pasadena Boulevard, a state road, subjecting it to a new state law (HB 1301) passed in 2024 requiring studies on projects that remove lanes for private passenger vehicles.
The Pasadena Boulevard study, conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation, found a 50% increase in crashes — from 36 annually in 2019-2012 to 54 in 2023 and 2024, when SunRunner was operational, according to Rep. Linda Chaney, who advocated for HB 1301’s passage and was a frequent SunRunner critic.
She said the study also found increased congestion within general purpose lanes and that the dedicated bus lane created driver confusion, leaving them unsure how to access driveways through the rust-colored dedicated lane.
The study recommended the dedicated lane be turned back into a general purpose and right-turn lane to improve traffic flow, while adding transit signal priority to mitigate any resulting impact to bus efficiency.
During a press conference Tuesday, Chaney heralded the transition as a win for traffic safety and efficiency.
“After four years, we turned the concerns of local leaders, organizations, and residents into action, delivering safer, smoother roads,” Chaney said, at a ribbon cutting celebrating the lane reopening. “Today’s ribbon-cutting shows our residents that their state officials listen and take action. I appreciate the Florida Department of Transportation and everyone who worked together to improve our roadways.”
But the move could have local implications. PSTA in 2020 received a nearly $22 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant program to cover half the capital cost of building out the SunRunner route. That grant was hinged on the route being true BRT, the commonly used abbreviation for bus rapid transit.
“If we don’t have a reasonable lane that’s dedicated for buses and cars to turn, then it takes the ‘R’ out of BRT,” Darden Rice, chief planning and community affairs officer for the Pinellas transit authority, previously told the Tampa Bay Times. “There’s nothing rapid about a bus stuck in traffic.”
It’s not clear yet whether a repayment will be required or, if it is, how the funds would be repaid.
But for now, the SunRunner will operate alongside other vehicles when traveling along Pasadena Boulevard, with dedicated lanes remaining along the bulk of the route on First Avenues North and South.