By Kaitlyn Nieman and Dana Santos
As Pinellas County’s transportation planning agency, Forward Pinellas works to help its local governments identify and complete projects that improve safety, traffic flow, and multimodal transportation options. One well-known example of this is the SunRunner, which officially began operation on October 21, 2022.
The SunRunner is Tampa Bay’s first of its kind rapid bus transit system. It is operated by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA). The SunRunner’s route is a 10-mile, 16-stop line from St. Pete Beach to downtown St. Petersburg. See the full route map here. Prior to its debut, Forward Pinellas partnered with PSTA and the City of St. Petersburg on the SunRunner Rising Transit Oriented Development Study which set the stage for development of the SunRunner.
Prior to construction of the SunRunner, 1st Ave N and 1st Ave S were three lanes in each direction, serving one-way traffic. Now, the corridors have two general-purpose lanes in each direction and a dedicated lane, called a “bus and turn” lane, for SunRunner buses that may also be used by vehicles making left-hand turns.
To determine if projects have the positive impacts that are anticipated, Forward Pinellas gathers traffic and crash data before and after project completion to identify changes in safety and traffic flow. The data presented in this article was collected from the City of St. Petersburg and Forward Pinellas’ internal databases.
According to our data, the SunRunner has not only allowed for more multimodal transportation options, but also improved safety and traffic flow in the corridor.
Crash Reductions
There has been an overall decrease in crashes along the SunRunner corridor and a nearly 40% reduction in crashes resulting in a death or serious injury along sections of the corridor where lanes were repurposed.
Travel Time Savings
The City of St. Petersburg re-timed the traffic signals along the SunRunner corridor in March 2024, resulting in a travel time savings of more than six minutes during the morning rush hour and more than three minutes during the afternoon rush hour.
Traffic Pattern Changes
Traffic patterns in the area have naturally shifted. The number of vehicles traveling on western sections of 1st Ave N and 1st Ave S declined by 1,000-2,000 on an average day while the number of vehicles on 5th Ave N and 9th Ave N increased by 2,000-3,000. Despite this shift in traffic from the 1st Ave N and 1st Ave S to 5th Ave N and 9th Ave N, both streets continue to carry fewer daily vehicles than they are designed to accommodate.
The data demonstrates success of the SunRunner project in expanding travel options, reducing congestion, and improving safety for all users. Forward Pinellas continues to regularly monitor the impacts of new projects on our transportation network and evaluate their effects on the ability to travel safely and efficiently throughout the county.
To learn more about the SunRunner, visit: https://psta.net/services/sunrunner/
For questions, please contact Kaitlyn Nieman at knieman@forwardpinellas.org.
