If you have driven in downtown St. Pete recently, you may have noticed new signage and red pavement popping up along 1st Avenue. The city is preparing for The SunRunner, Tampa Bay’s very first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The bus will connect downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach with rides every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes in the evening. However, it may take some getting used to for drivers. Here are some tips on how to interact with the new SunRunner lanes in St. Pete.
New Lanes in St. Pete
The red pavement on 1st Ave has special requirements. Avoid getting fined by following these tips:
- Don’t drive, park, load or unload vehicles in the lane
- Vehicles are only allowed in lanes to make a turn
- Only PSTA busses and emergency vehicles can drive in the red lanes
Construction is almost done and the SunRunner will be open to the public soon! Learn these driving best practices early so you are prepared when the buses hit the road.
Related: Bus Rapid Transit Coming to St. Pete
More about the SunRunner
The SunRunner is meant to make parking and overall transportation easier in downtown St. Pete. Onboard these new buses will be:
- Free Wi-Fi
- On-board bike space
- Smooth, level boarding
- Multi-door boarding
You can prepay your bus fare with your smartphone to avoid searching for your fare while your hands are full of beach gear. Get to the beach and back fast — and comfortably.
The SunRunner also has a number of community, economic and environmental benefits. Having visitors and residents use the bus will increase community connectivity and free up parking spaces in downtown. This will lead to more foot traffic and increased amount of time riders spend in local businesses. The SunRunner will also reduce traffic congestion, carbon emissions and make biking safer with wider bike lanes and safer crosswalks in key areas.
