Overview
- The city installed 11 rainbow-colored bike racks along Central Ave and 25th Street, announced in a December 12 Instagram post by Mayor Ken Welch.
- Officials said the racks were paid for through St. Petersburg’s long-standing public bike rack program.
- Welch’s chief of staff, Jordan Doyle Walsh, told council members the installation is a symbolic step and that additional actions are planned.
- The move follows directives from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and a Florida law enforced by FDOT to eliminate non-standard crosswalks on safety and uniformity grounds.
- Florida’s enforcement included painting over Miami Beach’s Pride crossing and the Pulse memorial in Orlando, and protests have featured chalk recolorings and arrests, as advocates cite research finding decorated crosswalks correlate with fewer crashes.