If you're wondering how Pinellas Trail regulations will be enforced, read this news story. Municipal police and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputies from what's called the Pinellas Trail Security Task Force are planning an “education and enforcement” blitz in the near future.
The targeted enforcement day was originally scheduled for Saturday, but Forward Pinellas officials decided to change the date due to rain in the forecast.
The task force meets quarterly at the Pinellas County Department of Public Safety at the Sheriff's Office Headquarters. And at the most recent meeting in October, attendees decided some kind of public safety signage might be needed, said Kyle Simpson, a transportation planner with Forward Pinellas.
“At various intersections along the trail, there are a number of concerns, including people concerned about (transportation) such as scooters and e-bikes, as well as general safety concerns such as drivers not yielding properly. We're seeing an increase in the number of cases,” Simpson said.
So, at the latest task force meeting, participants said they were implementing “targeted days to be visible to trail users and drivers at intersections to reinforce good behavior.” Officials said they have decided to do so.
For trail users, that means adhering to the posted trail speed limit of 20 miles per hour.
“This is considered the maximum safe operating speed,” Simpson said. “But you may need to go slower than that when passing people.”
The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is a 107-mile route that runs from downtown St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs and will eventually extend to 125 miles. They are used by cyclists, e-bikes, pedestrians, and joggers for recreational exercise, and are also a convenient means of transportation for many commuters.
Forward Pinellas is responsible for county planning issues related to transportation and land use and reports to the County Commission.
“Although most users have a good experience on the trails, we are seeing an increase in the number of complaints regarding trail user and driver behavior,” Forward Pinellas said in an announcement of the targeted safety drive. Stated.
Officials said there was no single factor that led the task force to plan the day-long educational activity, but rather a combination of concerns, including a significant increase in trail traffic even before the pandemic. The estimated 1.5 million users in 2019 jumped more than 50% in the first year of the pandemic, and as more cabin-fever residents took to the trails, Forward Pinellas said annual user traffic has since increased to 2 million. He said that the number of cases has remained above 10,000.
Police officers from Bellaire, Clearwater, Largo, St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs departments will be participating in the educational bombing along with sheriff's deputies.
Officials said law enforcement officers “will be stationed on the trail and at major road intersections to ensure motorists and trail users comply with traffic laws.”
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Representatives from Forward Pinellas, Friends of the Pinellas Trail, and the Urban Transportation Research Center will also be on hand in downtown Dunedin and downtown St. Petersburg, long-time hotspots for trail traffic accidents, to provide safety materials and supplies. We plan to distribute the following. device. ”
Items to be distributed include bike lights, bike bells, and trail maps.
“This effort is in conjunction with Pinellas County’s ongoing Trail Civility Campaign, which reminds people how to share the trails in a respectful and safe manner,” Forward-Pinellas said.
Previous civility campaigns have primarily involved the installation of temporary trail markers and the occasional distribution of flyers by Friends of Pinellas volunteers and others to encourage courteous behavior and compliance with rules and regulations. Meanwhile, even the most basic trail protocols, such as directional traffic flow, have been a source of confusion in recent months.
The situation came to a head last summer when Forward Pinellas erected signs directing both pedestrians and bicycle riders to use the same right lane heading north and south along the trail. The long-standing practice of most trail users has been to separate the two groups and keep pedestrians within lanes designated for walking and jogging. This lane was quietly discontinued a few years ago, but remains largely intact.
Mr Simpson said the 'Stay Right' campaign would also be promoted as part of the one-day education blitz.
Learn more about the Pinellas Trail Security Task Force here.
