ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Crews in St. Petersburg are placing new protective street dividers along major traffic corridors to keep cars out of bike lanes and increase rider safety.
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St. Petersburg traffic safety
What we know:
Crews are placing rubber traffic dividers, nicknamed “zippers,” between vehicle lanes and bike paths to increase bicyclist comfort and prevent cars from drifting out of their lanes.
Transportation Manager Cheryl Stacks said the $100,000 pilot project covers First Avenue North from 20th Street to 28th Street.
Courtesy: City of St. Petersburg
Critical route
What they’re saying:
“This is a pretty critical bike lane in the city,” Stacks said. “We were able to make some improvements to the bike lane back in 2022 and create a buffer and, so, this allows us to enhance it and give it just a little bit of extra oomph for the bicyclists there.”
She explained they wanted to make sure they were providing emphasis on the areas that are used most frequently.
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Courtesy: City of St. Petersburg
Future barrier expansion
What we don’t know:
City officials have not specified an exact end date for the pilot project or a precise timeline for expanding the barriers.
Next city steps
What’s next:
Work on the critical corridor, which connects directly to the SunRunner transit line, is expected to finish this week.
Crews could install the zipper dividers along First Avenue South or MLK Street next.
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