Temporary Fix Planned For Dangerous Pinellas Trail Crossing

DUNEDIN, FL — Florida Department of Transportation District 7 Secretary David Gwynn presented recommendations to the Dunedin City Commission for a short-term plan addressing safety concerns at the intersection of Skinner Boulevard and the Pinellas Trail at the Dec. 14 work session.

Gwynn cited an increase in vehicle collisions with bicyclists and pedestrians at the Pinellas Trail/Skinner Boulevard crossing during the past couple of years. There were seven accidents in 2020 and five so far in 2021, including a pedestrian fatality in November.

The short-term solution proposed by FDOT includes the installation of a mid-block pedestrian signal at the intersection of Skinner Boulevard and the Pinellas Trail.

"There has been a lot of work looking at this crossing," said Gwynn."We have a Complete Streets project, which includes two roundabouts and traffic-calming elements as the long-term recommendation, which will take two to three years to complete."

Pinellas County, FDOT and Forward Pinellas are working together on a Complete Streets Plan beginning in 2024 that includes adding roundabouts at Skinner/Douglas and Skinner/Highland, reducing traffic lanes from four to two lanes, widening bike lanes, adding on-street parking and reducing the speed limit.

In the meantime, the intersection of the Pinellas Trail and Skinner Boulevard has become too dangerous to ignore, Gwynn said. After thorough study, the FDOT believes the best temporary solution is the installation of a traffic signal which requires cyclists to stop. Drivers will face a red traffic signal while trail users will activate the signal with a push-button.

"One of the challenges we will see is that cyclists will have to wait for the walk signal to come up, which is part of the green, red, yellow sequence," said Gwynn.

He said the FDOT is also planning to put up warning devices for pedestrians and bicyclists on the trail and will continue public safety education and outreach efforts with Pinellas County, Forward Pinellas and the city of Dunedin.

Construction will be completed by Pinellas County in the next three to four months.

Commission Adopts Pinellas Safe Streets Plan

The Dunedin City Commission also adopted the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan committing to a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries in Pinellas County by 2045.

"This action plan is an important step to change how we approach safety and planning in our city," said Dunedin Mayor Julie Ward Bujalski. "No one should be killed on our roadways. No loss of life is acceptable regardless of how people travel. Now is the time for each of us to do our part to guarantee that everyone can travel safely"

Dunedin is working with Forward Pinellas to develop a safety strategy through collision assessment, identifying a high-injury network where crashes occur repeatedly, and deploying countermeasures to make the roadways safer.

Bujalski said the Dunedin City Commission is committed to adopting a goal of zero deaths on roadways by 2045; supporting the implementation of Safe Streets Pinellas initiative; incorporating the Safe Streets plan into its plans and policies; and participating in the Safe Streets Pinellas Working Group to coordinate safety improvements.

The Forward Pinellas board adopted the Safe Streets Action Plan in March and is actively seeking support from other agencies on committing to the global Vision Zero initiative — zero deaths and serious injuries by 2045.

Forward Pinellas will also form the Safe Streets Pinellas Working Group later this year to provide guidance from a range of community partners.

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• Pinellas Residents Urged To Take Vision Zero Pledge
• St Pete Beach 1st To Sign On To Pinellas Safe Streets Plan