Florida DOT Orders Removal of St. Pete Bus Lane

A South Florida bus rapid transit system is poised to lose its dedicated lanes after a state study found that a segment along a state road in St. Petersburg has seen a 50 percent increase in crashes and increased congestion in general purpose lanes. 

According to an article by Janelle Irwin Taylor in Florida Politics, “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.”

According to Taylor, the move could jeopardize $22 million in federal grant funding that was awarded to PSTA on the condition that the route would use BRT. “[F]or 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.”

An article by WTVT Web Staff for Fox 13 Tampa Bay includes data from a Forward Pinellas study that showed a 40 percent reduction in crashes along the SunRunner corridor. That study also claims that “Re-timing of traffic signals along the corridor has saved drivers up to six minutes during morning rush hour and three minutes in afternoon traffic.”