ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — A Gulf Boulevard safety study meeting was held Thursday evening at the St. Pete Beach City Commission building as the community discusses ways the popular stretch of roadway can be made safer for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
It’s this time of year that there is the highest number of pedestrian-involved crashes, and it’s no coincidence with an influx of traffic from spring breakers and snowbirds. The portion being analyzed as a part of the study is Gulf Boulevard from the Pinellas Bayway to 75th Avenue.
"We have to make decisions about which areas we're seeing the highest crash rates in and a lot of the data was pointing towards this segment," Nousheen Rahman, the Forward Pinellas principal planner, said.
According to the city of St. Pete Beach, Gulf Boulevard is the roadway with the most vehicle accidents and pedestrian fatalities. There were at least 50 such incidents every month in 2023, except June, which saw just under 50 incidents, according to Forward Pinellas.
There were 422 crashes reported between 2017 to 2022, according to the presentation.
Changes up for consideration included adjusting signal timing to be pedestrian-focused, extending or adding medians and looking at what is working in other cities. The width of the sidewalk, wide driveways interfering with sidewalks, and bike lanes are also being examined for safety concerns.
Rahman said she hears residents voice concerns over sidewalks not being wide enough and lack of dedicated bicycle lanes. Forward Pinellas is working toward a "Vision Zero" initiative, which aims to reduce the number of crashes to zero in the county.
"Something like that seems impossible, and to that I ask what number is acceptable because I don't think any one of us wants to imagine someone we know being a statistic in those fatalities and serious injuries," Rahman said.
The study is being completed following an increase in car crashes within St. Pete Beach. It's a partnership between the city, Forward Pinellas and the Florida Department of Transportation.
Last month, St. Pete Beach city commissioners voted to approve two new hotels to be built on the Sirata Beach Resort property.
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That vote had many St. Pete Beach residents worried traffic and pedestrian concerns would only worsen, including James Baillie.
Baillie said he's lived in the area since the early 90s but explosions in traffic and development have raised serious safety concerns, especially after experiencing rear-end crashes himself and coming upon a fatal crash.
"It's just something that you have to put up with on a daily basis," Baillie said. "I hear a lot of people are wanting to move out just because of it."
Baillie said he'd like to see more lighting, along with ways to ensure bicyclists are consistently going in the same direction. He believes it's important to keep pedestrians and bicyclists off Gulf Boulevard where it's possible, and route traffic in other directions, to improve safety.
"There's got to be a better way," he said.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.