Pinellas Trail to downtown grand opening

I just got a note that there will be an official grand opening for the downtown extension of the Pinellas Trail after all. It's been open and operating for a while now, but the Oct. 4 ceremony will start at the trestle bridge at the northwest corner of Tropicana Field and continue to Pioneer Park at Central Avenue and Beach Drive. Activities will include bike registration, helmet fitting and safety information. The event also coincides with the opening day of Saturday Morning Market which moves to the Al Lang parking area across from Pioneer Park this year.

Comments

[Chip Haynes]

Looking forward to the Grand Opening! I've been working on the new pages for the Pinellas Trail Guidebook (the green guidebook) that will add these three new trail miles from 34th Street east to Demen's Landing for the next edition in 2009.

[Ronnie boone]

I love the new extension, although the intersection at 5th Ave and 22dn St S is a little tricky since the trail goes diagonal through the intersection. You can go with the flow of the traffic, going across with whichever road has the green light, then wait for the other road to get a green light, but a bridge would be nice there.

[Cheryl Stacks]

Ronnie,

Glad you like the newest section of the Pinellas Trail! There are push buttons on both sides of that intersection that when pushed will give a red light to all four directions of traffic from both 5th Ave S and 22nd St S. It usually takes about a minute for the signal to cycle through, but then it will give you the walk signal so that you can get across the intersection. Enjoy!

Cheryl Stacks
Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator
City of St. Petersburg

[Nameless]

That is if the cars stop! Cars have not stoped two times now by Gibbs high
school.

[John Sinibaldi]

While we're at it...

Cheryl, I'm pleased that the City patched the small pothole on the south side of the property where the Bayfront used to be.

However, the stretch of Pinellas Point road after 4th Street South heading west is truly awful - and dangerous. I think the rain over the past month has really helped wreck the pavement.

There are multiple potholes, and they're getting worse all the time. The entire stretch until one gets to the new pavement is really horrid - it's either ride in the middle of the lane (which does nothing to endear us to motorists), or take your life in your hands and ride to the right.

Can we get someone out there to throw some temporary asphalt patches down until the city repaves that section?

Thanks!

[Mel]

gee, and while we're at it, how about regular cleaning of the bike lanes in the south St. Pete area. The other day in the bike lanes, I saw, within a 45 minutes ride:

one dead possum (large in size)

One large broken booze bottle (glass shrewn over the entire width of the bike lane and extending approx. 30 ft. in length)

one shredded car tire in several pieces covering the entire width of the shoulder lane on the Bayway

2 Bud Light bottles in 4 pieces one next to the other

multiple sites where there were large areas of broken glass (too many to count)

two large oak tree limbs (not branches - LIMBS)

a piece of a car (looked like a small piece of a car bumper)

a large wrench

and

A broken broom (the kind with the metal wringer on the top)

Sorry if I sound itchy(B) but after a few yaers of seeing the same things over and over again in the bike lanes, it's gets on ones nerves a bit. Plus, cyclists are constantly being questioned as to why we won't ride in
the bike lanes. This is probably the number one reason cited when asked why...

It's not always that we "won't" but mostly because we can't due to numerous sites of debris cluttering the lanes.

[Jake Reed]

I didn't see the time this event will start?

[Chip Haynes]

No set time for this one just yet- Cheryl is still working on it.

Stay tuned!

[TechRider]

I rode the new extention last week and it was wonderful. A lot of cross streets but now a safe way to go.

Great job.

[Kimberly]

What time: 10:00 AM
Start at: the trestle bridge at the northwest corner of Tropicana Field and continue to Pioneer Park at Central Avenue and Beach Drive

I received the below e-mailed info from Cheryl Stacks:

"Save the Date -- Pinellas Trail to Downtown Grand Opening - Oct. 4

All are welcome to a Walk, Run, Bike event on Saturday, October 4 at 10 a.m to celebrate the completion of the Pinellas Trail into downtown St. Petersburg. The event will start at the trestle bridge at the northwest corner of Tropicana Field and continue to Pioneer Park at Central Avenue and Beach Drive. Activities will include bike registration, helmet fitting and safety information. The event also coincides with the opening day of Saturday Morning Market which moves to the Al Lang parking area across from Pioneer Park this year. More details to follow!"

That same day, they're having the annual Race for the Cure downtown St. Petersburg. The race will include Vinoy Park.
www.komensuncoast.org
I plan to bicycle to the Trail opening. That should take care of my parking concerns!

[Cheryl Stacks]

John,
I'll report the asphalt request to the appropriate department for you. If I'm understanding you correctly on the section that you're describing, then that section will be repaved as a part of the 4th St bike lane project so that the bike lanes will fully connect in that area. That work will be completed in the next few weeks.

Mel,
If you want to email me with specific information on where you see the debris, I can get that taken care of for you. The bike lane sections are routinely swept at least once a month, though it usually ends up being once every three weeks.

In the future, if you notice any maintenance problems with any bike lane sections in St. Petersburg, I'd recommend that you report it. You can do that in one of three places:
1) Call the Mayor's Action Line: 727-893-7111.
2) Submit an online request on the City's Better Place page. Here's the link: http://www.ebetterplace.com/MGS/servlet/eCivicTracker/CitizenMenu.jsp?ownerId=201
3) Email me and I'll forward it to the appropriate people.

Options 1 and 2 are better than Option 3. If I'm away from my desk and don't have access to emails, it may take longer to get a response.

Take care! Hope to see everyone at the Trail Opening celebration on Oct 4! Thanks!

-Cheryl Stacks
cheryl.stacks@stpete.org

[Mel]

OK, I just typed in some requests onto that site via e-mail. Hopefully they'll act on them. Basically I just mentioned that the bicycle lane on 31st st. so is in dire need of cleaning. I have to go back to that site again becasue I forgot to mention the shoulder lane on the Bayway. I don' tk now if the city can clean that, but if so, it needs it badly as well.