ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Last year was a deadly one for pedestrians and bicyclists in Pinellas County. The number of fatalities nearly doubled over 2020. That statistic has some people wondering what can be done to make things safer for pedestrians, especially in busy downtown areas, like St. Petersburg.
It would be called "Straza," a combination of a street and a plaza.
The folks at Car-Free St. Pete know this big idea would take many years to become a reality, but they really want to get the ball rolling now.
The "Straza" would encompass a three-mile linear loop connecting all the major attractions in downtown St. Pete and everything inside would be mostly car-free. It would basically open up existing streets to people who are walking, biking, rollerblading or even scootering, giving them a safe way to be able to enjoy all that downtown St. Pete has to offer.
Nicole Roberts with Car-Free St. Pete says the plan does include areas for some cars.
"In areas where there are residential areas and areas where parking garages are already made, we're probably going to allow local traffic only so that people are still able to access those things without having to alter the physical landscape. But in other areas, we might make them completely car-free. I think it's just based on the feasibility study that we're hoping to do in the next few years," she said.
You might remember when Car-Free St. Pete organized Halloween on Central, closing down 22 blocks of that busy street to cars. Thousands of people turned out for the event and gave great feedback about being able to enjoy so many of those restaurants and businesses without having to worry about cars zooming by.
Right now, this is just an idea.
Roberts says the group is in talks with the St. Pete city council to get a feasibility study done on the project to see what would work and what wouldn't, so we are still years away from some form of this "Straza" becoming a reality.
They are looking for public input on the plan. Click here to let them know what you think.