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St. Pete City Council supports lane repurposing plan
Efforts to increase pedestrian safety along one of the most dangerous roads in St. Petersburg are moving forward with the City Council’s support.
St. Petersburg’s 49th Street South corridor is part of a “High Injury Network” that accounts for 40% of Pinellas County’s serious and fatal vehicular crashes while comprising just 3% of area roadways. “It’s not a list you want to be on,” said Evan Mory, transportation director.
City officials and community stakeholders believe a series of changes – including lane repurposing to moderate speeds and establishing bus bays – will reduce accidents, promote walkability and benefit area businesses. The council Thursday unanimously supported a Safe Street study’s recommendations, including widening sidewalks and adding crosswalks.
“I don’t care if you live off of 9th, 49th or 4th Street – you should be able to cross anywhere and feel safe,” said Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz. “I commend Evan (Mory), his team and administration for taking safety seriously.”
Forward Pinellas led the study, primarily funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation grant. St. Petersburg and Gulfport each provided $12,000, as 49th Street bifurcates the two cities.
A graphic highlighting the changes favored by the community stakeholders and city officials. Screengrab.
The goal was to identify potential safety improvements along 49th Street from 1st Avenue North to 25th Avenue South. That section of arterial roadway consists of four undivided lanes with eight signalized intersections – about four per mile.
The speed limit drops from 35 to 30 mph south of 22nd Avenue, and roughly 15,000 vehicles traverse the area daily. Minority residents are disproportionately affected by the hazardous corridor, mirroring a national trend.
At a committee meeting in May, Mory noted that 72% of people who live on the St. Pete side of 49th Street are minorities. In addition, 10% lack vehicles.
The burgeoning Fusion 49th Street District Association facilitated community outreach efforts with the two municipalities. Those included three guided walk audits, including one in the evening, a virtual crowd-sourced map with 135 geo-located comments, an in-person workshop and an online survey with over 600 responses.
Multiple Fusion 49th representatives attended Thursday’s meeting and spoke in support of an “overdue” initiative. Councilmember John Muhammad helped establish the district and credited the association’s leadership for reaching this point within a year.
“It was kind of like the stars aligned when we began organizing on 49th Street,” Muhammad said. “Everybody in the district really rallied around it, and then … it was like, ‘what are we going to do?’ Then the administration was like, ‘Hey, we got something you can do.’”
City Councilmember John Muhammad helped establish the Fusion 49th Street District. The goal is to foster economic development and walkability along the South St. Petersburg corridor. Photo: Forward Pinellas.
Pedestrian safety overwhelmingly topped the list of community concerns. The study offered two recommendations to mitigate accidents.
City officials chose the first, which will convert the thoroughfare’s four lanes into three with a dedicated center turn lane and bus bays. The plan will moderate speed without implementing raised crosswalks, which the city’s comprehensive plan prohibits.
The recommended initiative will minimize crossing distances and vehicular exposure. It would also provide opportunities for medians to enhance crosswalks and feature landscaping. Relocated curbs would facilitate additional green space.
Mory noted that the plan comes at a higher cost, may increase vehicular delays at intersections and construction will create traffic impacts. However, he said the alternative would necessitate comprehensive plan changes and “likely would not be as effective in improving safety.”
Hanewicz called the frequency of local pedestrian deaths “heartbreaking because these are people … just trying to go to work or whatever they’re doing, maybe go walk their dog or take their kid out, and it ends up in some fatality or serious death.”
Mory said the corridor’s daily vehicle count falls below the three-lane threshold. Stakeholders believe the traffic calming measures and increased walkability will benefit area businesses.
A graphic highlighting the project area and surrounding demographics. The minority population significantly increases on the St. Pete side of the corridor. Screengrab.
Gulfport Vice Mayor Ian O’Hara, who helped establish the Fusion District with Muhammad, previously said his city is “100% behind” the initiative. The neighboring municipality’s council formalized its support June 18.
Mory said lane repurposing will require additional studies and funding. “But there’s some lower-hanging fruit we could do sooner rather than later,” he added.
City officials could immediately add leading pedestrian intervals. Those provide a three-second head start when vehicular traffic lights turn green. “It’s low-cost, pretty fast. And we’re going to do that,” Mory said.
He noted that lighting is an issue and converting streetlamps to LED bulbs is another low-cost improvement. Raising existing stamped medians would provide “refuge for crosswalks,” and some of those “lower-hanging fruit” projects fall within the South St. Pete Community Redevelopment Area.
“We’re looking at adding some funds into next year’s budget so we can hit the ground running and make some good changes soon,” Mory said.
