TAMPA, Fla. — The area in front of the Tampa Convention Center can get busy.
“We all know there’s going to be more people in this area,” said Michael Gratz, who lives on Harbour Island and is the president of Harbor Island Community Service Association.
Nearby Harbour Island residents are aware that this neighborhood has grown in popularity over the years. But with that growth though comes some issues, specifically traffic congestion and pedestrian concerns.
“We all just want to work together for the best solution,” said Gratz.
The City of Tampa’s Mobility Department had been working on a plan to install additional traffic lights in front of the Convention Center on Franklin Street.
Officials told ABC Action News that the goal was to improve traffic flow and pedestrian management in an area that sees lots of visitors. However, people who live on Harbour Island had their concerns.
“We approached them saying that we felt that this was a bad solution and hadn’t been fully explored,” said Gratz.
So the city decided to put the project on hold.
Gratz said he’s worried the additional traffic lights wouldn’t be that useful for pedestrians and would cause increased congestion for people getting in and out of Harbour Island.
“We just want to make sure that this bridge can still be utilized. For a lot of Harbour Island residents that work downtown, this is a much faster way to get to work,” said Gratz.
Gratz believes a better solution would be pushing pedestrians to utilize the elevated crossway attached to the Embassy Suites or other nearby intersections instead of using the crosswalk in front of the Greco Plaza Transportation Center.
“It’s really a pedestrian issue moving people safely to the convention auditorium. And one of the areas that hasn’t been explored at all is the crosswalk by the Embassy Suites,” said Gratz.
“I think that there’s a better design to move pedestrians to the corners which are more safe for crossing areas, specifically the corner of Channelside and Franklin,” he added.
City leaders are meeting with community members Tuesday to get more input on this project as it continues to be on hold.
Officials said they want to be proactive in managing traffic and improving safety as the area continues to grow.
They hope to find a way to move forward and residents said they’re looking for a better fix.
“I would like them to sort of expand upon the solutions. Let’s make a great solution. Let’s just not do a bandaid on this by throwing up some lights,” said Gratz.
The meeting is Tuesday, March 26 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Tampa Convention Center.
