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Letters to the EditorsKeep beach trolley on right course© St. Petersburg Times published March 19, 2003 Re: Beach trolley may have to rejigger route, March 1. I read with dismay that the Suncoast Beach Trolley might have to reroute because of congestion at its final stop at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort. The beach trolley provides a marvelous service for residents and tourists alike and also ensures fewer cars on Clearwater Beach. I use the service almost daily (also the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority's No. 80 route) and as I don't drive, I find it invaluable. It is well-run, efficient, punctual and a good value. Please reconsider any actions that might discourage anyone from visiting the beaches because of poor public transportation.
Parking options enhanced Grand Prix After every major downtown St. Petersburg event, the Neighborhood Times receives letters about the terrible parking and traffic jam. I've waited and heard nothing after the Grand Prix. Several years ago, citizens began doing the math and realized you can only park so many cars downtown and cram only so many cars on the roads. So, people living close by started leaving their cars at home and walking, bicycling or riding the bus to downtown events. People living farther away began driving part of the way and bicycling, riding the bus or walking the rest of the way. At the event's end, you'd see car after car lined up, motor running, waiting for the car ahead to move. But pedestrians and cyclists easily exited downtown. What made the Grand Prix parking and road situation the best I've seen is that the PSTA and the city of St. Petersburg provided more options. I heard that the city sectioned off a portion for motorcycle parking. Since you can park two or three motorcycles in the space of one SUV and two people often ride one motorcycle, that reduced the parking problem. A city employee e-mailed us bicyclists that the city was installing three temporary bike racks at each race entrance. We forwarded it on to every bicyclist and bicycle club in Pinellas to let them know the city welcomed their bicycles. The traffic and parking change was impressive. Many people probably didn't notice because they were busy doing their jobs or enjoying the event. But I noticed. I often stand on the sidewalk at major events and distribute the current major Florida state bicycle laws and safety information. It helps us all get on the same page because, in the 1960s and before, many of us were taught to ride facing traffic. That's now against the law and 30 years of bicycle studies show that you improve your safety by cycling in the same direction as the cars. Between fliers, I got to see what was happening on the roads. On that Saturday, cyclists were everywhere you looked. The following day, there were even more cyclists. Bicycles were locked up on road signs, the city's temporary bike racks, permanent bike racks, and other places. Bicyclists and motorists were calmly interacting and looking out for each other on the roads. I didn't see any motorists doing anything negative to any bicyclists, or see any bicyclists, except for a few people riding facing traffic, doing anything negative to motorists. Everyone was calmly getting where he/she wanted without the traffic jams of past events. In all, I thank the city employees who came up with the bicycle and motorcycle parking, PSTA for helping with their buses, and the St. Petersburg Times for printing the information for both workers and attendees. I'm sure the newspaper will include the downtown trolley route, bicycle parking and motorcycle parking in the future. Increased transportation options made the Grand Prix event more enjoyable.
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