Comments to the "Transit Open House" in St. Pete Beach

 I'm Alan Petrillo, I live in the Euclid-St. Paul neighborhood of St. Petersburg, and I occasionally take the bus.  

I'm a Florida native, a lifelong resident of Pinellas County, and I've been driving in Pinellas County since 1982.  

I have a side job as an Uber driver.  I drive the First Avenue Corridor a lot.  I drive Central Avenue a lot.  I drive Pasadena a lot.  The traffic on First Avenue is flowing better than I've ever seen it.  I consistently see speed limit drives from downtown all the way to the beaches even in the heart of rush hour.  I've never seen that before, since 1982.  The BAT lanes are great because they get turning traffic out of the flow of through traffic.  You don't have to tell me about the traffic on First Avenue because I'm out there driving it professionally.  

<host interrupts> 

Thank you.  

What I would have liked to say if I'd had more than 90 seconds to comment: 

If the proposed changes to 34th St, Alt-19, and the other places will have the same effects on traffic as the changes on First Avenue then DO IT!  

People have the illusion that the BAT lanes are somehow lost to car traffic.  They aren't.  Turning traffic can still use those lanes.  In fact, the BAT lanes improve the flow of traffic because they get turning traffic out of the flow of through traffic.  This means that turning traffic slowing down to turn will not interfere with through traffic.  Further, it means that drivers in through traffic will not tailgate turning drivers.  This means increased safety for both through traffic and turning traffic.  I know the theory behind the BAT lanes, but I'm not talking theory.  I've seen this in the real world, from the perspectives of both through traffic and turning traffic.  

My experience driving here this afternoon 5:15 PM on a Monday, which is typical for driving First Avenue during rush hour, is that I turned onto First Ave N at 16th St, I had a speed limit drive to 31st St, I stopped for the light at 31st St, then I had to wait through 1 cycle of the light at 34th St.  Continuing on from 34th St, I had a speed limit drive all the way to 66th St, at which point I switched over to Central Ave to make the left turn onto Pasadena, on which I had a nearly speed limit drive all the way here to the Community Center.  This is a typical drive along 1st Av during rush hour.  I overheard one gentleman here complaining he had to wait through two cycles of the light at 34th St.  Prior to the changes to 1st Av he would have waited a lot more than that.  Prior to the changes he would have waited at least 3 cycles of the light at 34th St, and at least 2 more at the light at 31st St.  In fact, prior to the changes it was not unusual for traffic on 1st Av N to back up from 34th St all the way to 16th St.  Today that never happens.  Traffic simply flows better than I've ever seen it.  There has been a similar effect on 1st Av S, which used to regularly back up all the way to 49th St, and now never does.  The changes on the First Avenue Corridor are nothing but win.  

The arguments against the changes on First Avenue are all arguments I've seen before.  Prior to the changes in the late 1990s, to add bicycle lanes to the First Avenue Corridor, there were 4 travel lanes in each direction, plus on-street parallel parking on both sides.  In the mid-1990s I dated a woman who lived in that area.  Using those on-street parking spots was a scary experience because they were so narrow that the driver's door opened into traffic.  Installing the bicycle lanes, and widening the parking lanes, involved reducing the travel lanes from 4 to 3.  And people screamed about it and predicted carmageddon in traffic.  It didn't happen.  Traffic flowed as well, or as badly, as before, and the crash rate, and the body count went down.  The same thing is happening this time, only this time the timing of the stoplights has been addressed to insure good flow of through traffic.  Two through lanes are plenty on the First Avenue Corridor.  Again, I'm not talking theory, I've seen it in real life.  

With respect to the on-street parking in the neighborhoods adjacent to the First Avenue Corridor, I've heard complaints about both the loss of the subsidized parking along First Avenue, and traffic backup particularly in Historic Kenwood. Prior to buying our house, back in 2012, my spouse and I looked at houses all over the city, notably in Historic Kenwood.  We spent quite some time investigating the neighborhood.  The biggest traffic tie-up we saw was consistently associated with drop-off and pick-up times at the high school.  Those residents of Historic Kenwood who are blaming the congestion on First Avenue are looking in the wrong direction.  As for the loss of subsidized on-street parking, the neighborhoods along the First Avenue Corridor all have alley access and perfectly good driveways on the alley side of their properties.  Use them.  

The point has been brought up that PSTA gets 97% of its funding from subsidies.  You know what else gets 97% of its funding from subsidies?  Roads.  Florida is doing pretty well on highway funding, because only 50% of our highway funding comes from subsidy.  Once you get away from the interstate the fraction of subsidy goes up to unity.  Arterial roads get about 90% of their funding from subsidy.  By the time you get down to residential streets, they get nearly all of their funding from property taxes.  Think about that before you complain that PSTA gets 97% of its funding from subsidy.  In fact, because PSTA gets so much funding from subsidy, PSTA management might look into going all the way to 100%, and make PSTA free for users.