Proposed changes to busy St. Augustine road

The City of St. Augustine wants your input on traffic, parking and bicycling lanes during a June 21 meeting.

In the meantime, the public can view the details of the options on the City of St. Augustine’s website.

The project stems from the city’s adopted vision plan, 2014 and Beyond, which identified the primary concern of the community that was expressed repeatedly: traffic and parking.

"Traffic and parking were consistently identified in every conversation with every group, thus we recommend that the first priority of the City be developing and implementing a holistic solution that encompasses parking solutions, alternative means of transport, creative uses of existing assets, and accessibility," the 2014 and Beyond report stated.

Generally, there are two options for the city to consider.

Option 1
Maintain San Marco Avenue as it is with on-street parking between West Castillo Drive and State Road 16, but reduced by 40 percent (from 125 to 75 spaces) by Florida Department of Transportation to improve sight distance at intersections. Additionally, without bicycle lanes, the entire roadway will be designated as shared lanes, or sharrows.

Option 2
Add a bicycle lane northbound, and a combination bicycle/transit vehicle lane southbound by utilizing the area currently designated as parking spaces.

In the case of Option 2, the city will introduce an improved system of side street parking and small off-street parking lots to support businesses in the area and will add a trolley/transit stop in the Uptown area to further enhance pedestrian accessibility to businesses.

The June 21 meeting will be in the Alcazar room from 6 to 7 p.m.

Cox Media Group