Re: In Opposition to El Prado Blvd. Complete Streets & Sidewalks
Project ID: 1001931
Council District: 4

Tampa City Council Members
City of Tampa

We, the undersigned residents and property owners of Bel-Mar Units and surrounding neighborhoods, respectfully submit this petition in opposition to the Vision Zero project on El Prado that will remove two driving lanes and install bike lanes with “vertical delineators” and raised curbs according to FAQs.

The proposed changes could lead to a long list of harms. Vision Zero projects have been criticized nationwide for the increase in automotive and pedestrian accidents and deaths that followed Vision Zero initiatives. The El Prado project is planned to start April 15 but no sign has ever been posted on El Prado from bay to bay.

Statement of Opposition

El Prado was built in the 1920s as a peaceful transit for residents, not one marked by congestion and navigational obstacles. In 1926 the developer explained El Prado was studied and chosen to give “Bel-Mar residents a boulevard beautiful” and Tampa “a speedy, spacious avenue for arriving and departing.” (1)

This project has not been handled properly. In 2022, El Prado homeowners received notice from the City of Tampa about a community meeting, but no public signs were placed on El Prado. Many residents of Bel-Mar and surrounding communities were not notified. More than a few questions were ignored in 2022.

The timing of this project is poorly devised, Manhattan is currently shutdown and managing to get in and out of certain Bel-Mar Units is difficult, without access to El Prado navigation will be even worse.

Problem Statement

● U.S. cities report increased pedestrian and transportation deaths, and more traffic with Vision Zero:

Minneapolis Times reported a 79% increase in transportation-related deaths.
Bloomberg reported that “...deaths in participating cities have continued to rise.”
CBS "It's causing a lot of peak-hour gridlock. It's causing a lot of cut-through traffic…” endangering residents in smaller streets.

● City of Tampa was sued in 2023 for an accident resulting from poorly devised bike lanes.

● The city cites 18-year-old traffic data (from 2008) to support this project and calls it “current”.

● Another report from 2018 was based on data collected over 2015-2017, nearly a decade old.

● City of Tampa referenced studies for undivided roads—El Prado is a median-divided road.

● Future growth in traffic volumes 5, 10, 15 yrs out did not appear to be built into their plans.

● The city did not answer questions about expected queue length before/after project. (2022)

● The city did not answer questions about expected wait times before/after project. (2022)

● U-turns will be prohibited with medians, barriers, and lane reductions, as reported here. This will drive more traffic down residential streets and make accessing business difficult.

● Businesses nationwide reported closures​, delivery messes, loss of customers with Vision Zero. 

● The project FAQ page states: “Keeping the 4 travel lanes does not accommodate all modes of transportation” This is patently false. Our roads accommodate both drivers and bicyclists.

● The FAQ est. cost was $3.75M, the 2026 est. is now $6.45M, a 72% increase.

● Vision Zero Network plans create congestion for profit and do it intentionally: 

“This will take a carrot-and-stick approach: investing in strong public transit systems and safe, interconnected bicycling and walking networks; while disincentivizing single occupancy vehicle trips with such strategies as congestion pricing and smart parking pricing.”

Conclusion

We need our roads safe and congestion free. Removing lanes will increase congestion and frustrates drivers who speed and cut through smaller streets; this endangers children and residents. The boulevard should be “a speedy, spacious avenue for arriving and departing” to keep those traversing the peninsula on El Prado and off of smaller residential streets. 

When speeders make the boulevard unsafe for bicyclists, we need enforcement of law—more traffic cops on the road handing out tickets. We don’t need lane reductions, AI cameras, or Flock tracking our movements.

This is our community—not a globalist playground. We are Floridians, American citizens, not global citizens. Efforts to remove driving lanes could result in increased congestion, ugly barriers in the road, increased deaths and accidents, as well as a future where residents are encouraged to use public transit through negative motivations such as congestion pricing or smart parking pricing.

This petition reflects the collective position of the undersigned residents of Bel-Mar Units and the surrounding neighborhoods. We respectfully request that the City of Tampa Council Members take action to stop this Vision Zero program and specifically the project 1001931 at El Prado.

Source 1: The Tampa Tribune, page 59, November 28, 1926

For more information on how the Vision Zero project could impact residents near El Prado, please read the complete report.