ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Throughout Tampa Bay, the Complete Streets Program tries to make roads easier and safer to use.

In St. Petersburg, a recent Complete Streets project changed the look of Martin Luther King Jr. Street, but some residents aren't thrilled with the outcome.

James McNeely, a lifetime resident of St. Petersburg, is one of those even though he is proud of the city's growth.

"It's fabulous to see the city so vibrant today," McNeely said. "I mean, I grew up in the days of green benches, and to see the city now, alive, it's fabulous. Congrats to the mayor and the people who are putting this all together."

There is one thing he'd like to see changed — the traffic patterns on MLK.

There are two northbound lanes but only one on the southbound side.

"It's a beautiful road," McNeely said. "But it's not quite functioning quite the way I think they planned it.  And I hope they revisit it and take a look again and see if they can't do something. Because when you can't get out on the road in those communities, we're bound to have a lot more accidents."

The southbound traffic does move slower as a result, and it's not unusual to see brake lights stack up, especially into the signal at 22nd Avenue north.

That section of road is part of the city's Complete Streets Program.

And according to St. Pete's transportation director, so far the numbers look good. Crashes are down, as are overall speeds. The wider bike lanes help separate traffic from the sidewalks also.

"Bike lanes provide buffers for sidewalks in many cases," said Evan Mory, the city's transportation and parking director. "MLK is a good example with the sidewalk being narrow and right next to the road in many cases."

"Now we have moved the travel lane eight feet from the sidewalk. That's safer and more comfortable for pedestrians, bikes, wheelchair users, etc."

The Complete Streets Program had three goals:

  • To allow for an easier flow of traffic
  • To make the drive, walk or bike safer
  • And to give everyone who uses the roads and sidewalks the access they need to get where they're going.

The city is collecting new data on the road and will continue to evaluate its progress.