Bus lane on Pasadena Avenue in South Pasadena reopens to all traffic

South Pasadena SunRunner lane open to all traffic

FOX 13's Kailey Tracy has the latest on the bus lane as it is now open for all traffic.

SOUTH PASADENA, Fla. - On Tuesday, workers took down and hauled away signs signaling bus-only lanes along Pasadena Ave. in South Pasadena.

"The congestion and safety concerns of this road have been tied up by the Bus Rapid Transit Lane, BRT, created real challenges for our local commuters, families just trying to get to work, parents trying to get their kids where they need to go and emergency responders trying to navigate these streets face delays and risks," Representative Linda Chaney (R-St. Pete Beach) said in a press conference Tuesday.

It became a bus only lane in 2022 when the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s SunRunner launched. 

House Bill 1301 passed last year, and it asked the Florida Department of Transportation to study the impacts of projects that would repurpose one or more traffic lanes.

"I was instrumental in getting that legislation passed, and as a result, I asked FDOT to study South Pasadena, and what they found is a 50 percent increase in crashes annually, jumping from 36 to 54 annual crashes, increased congestion, driver confusion and lack of access to businesses," Representative Chaney said. "This data showed what we all know as we sat in traffic looking at an empty lane just to our right as a bus flew by us with nearly no passengers on it. That's not the kind of transportation system that we want," she said.

Chaney said residents and business owners voiced their frustrations about the lane. Tuesday, they celebrated its reopening to all traffic.

What they're saying:

"Barrier islands have very few access roads, and because of that, it makes traffic bottleneck, so it'll be wonderful to have that third lane back, relieve all the backup," said Claudine Reece, a St. Pete Beach resident.

"We do want those people who want to take, or the tourists, or whoever chooses to take a bus. That's fantastic, the elderly, it's very important, but to take a whole lane just isn't reasonable," Reece said. 

According to PSTA, a 2023 FDOT study evaluated traffic along Pasadena Avenue before and after the lane change and found a minimal difference in vehicle operating speeds and travel time.

By the numbers:

PSTA says data from FDOT’s Crash Data Management System on Pasadena Ave. from 2017 through July 2025 shows a decrease in total crashes.

PSTA celebrated the SunRunner’s third birthday on Tuesday, and said the SunRunner averages about 70,883 passenger trips per month. As of August, PSTA had close to 10 million trips total in fiscal year 2025.

"Recent data clearly shows SunRunner is delivering on its goals of enhancing safety with both a reduction of overall crashes as well as a decrease in the number of severe accidents," PSTA said in a press release about the SunRunner’s birthday.

Kris Carson, a Public Information Officer for FDOT, said Friday that since completion, the stretch in South Pasadena has experienced a higher number of crashes and ongoing operational challenges.

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"Data shows an increase in crashes following construction," Carson said. "Prior to construction, there were 36 crashes in 2020 and 37 crashes in 2021. Post-construction, the number of crashes increased to 55 in 2023 and 54 in 2024."

Carson said Friday that FDOT routinely performs post-construction reviews of lane repurposing projects across the state to assess whether they are achieving their intended outcomes. The reviews look at driver behavior and evaluate if additional features are needed, like signage, additional pavement markings and more. 

FDOT is converting the BAT lane to a standard right-turn/general-purpose lane to improve safety and traffic operations. It’s also working on transit signal priority installations at intersections along Pasadena Avenue South to make sure there’s not much impact to bus operations, Carson said.

Representative Chaney said FDOT is repainting the lanes in South Pasadena in a week or two.

Similar lanes in St. Pete are city streets, not state roads, so they’ll stay bus-only lanes. 

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