Max McCann's Walkable St. Pete Vision

0:00Transportation Advocate Max McCann is on a mission to make St. Petersburg way more walkable and bike-friendly. He co-founded Activate St. Pete and serves on the Pinellas Sun Coast Transit Authority Board. McCann points out the city's grid streets, waterfront parks, and lively neighborhoods as solid starting points, but says we need to amp of safety and transit options to ditch the car dependency. Considering from car-heavy spots like Memphis and Tallahassee after thriving car-free in New York and Boston, McCann got hooked on better urban living. He defines true walkability as safe, shaded sidewalks with buffers from slow traffic, plus engaging street views, not just in this parking lot. Folks in St. Pete dig the active vibe, thanks to gyms like the Grand Central District and Pinellas Trail, which doubles as transport, not just wreck, but frustrations linger. Parent zoning bans rebuilding those walkable areas due to parking rules, and many still drive short trips despite the perks.

1:00McCann's pushing hard against parking mandates in the upcoming Sunrunner Corridor zoning, calling it a transit killer. Activate St. Pete lobbied successfully before on 22nd Street South, and they're gearing up to fight again for mixed-use developments that boost walking and buses. Ditching car subsidies for traffic calming and pedestrian upgrades benefits everyone. Stay for streets, healthier communities, thriving businesses from. More foot traffic, St. Pete's got the bones, now it's time to build the body that matches. From your city, powered by AI, this is Tampa Bay News today, I'm Cory with the story.