Lakeland officials go with three lanes for South Florida Ave ‘road diet’

LAKELAND ― Lakeland officials are requesting South Florida Avenue be formally made into a three-lane road, making the ‘road diet’ permanent despite resident complaints.

The city commission voted 4-1 in favor of recommending to Florida Department of Transportation the corridor be left as three lanes, one travel lane each direction with a central turning lane and extended sidewalks measuring 11 to 12 feet on each side. Commissioner Sam Simmons cast the sole vote against, with Commissioners Mike Musick and Bill Read absent from the meeting.

Previously:Lakeland officials to decide S. Florida Avenue’s future design Monday

Also:Amazon scales back Lakeland Linder expansion plans, seeks city’s approval Monday

“I am glad about the road diet, I think it’s a behavior change that we all have to wrap our heads around,” Commissioner Sara Roberts McCarley said. “We are no longer an agricultural society with big swaths of land in between us that we have to drive independently to get from point A to point B. We have to start thinking about how do we get there without getting in our cars or get there safely as a pedestrian.”

The city’s decision will kick off a design phase where Lakeland and the state will work to create plans for the final look and feel of the one-mile stretch of South Florida Avenue, from Lime Street south to Ariana Street. It’s expected to take 12 to 18 months. During this design phase, city officials have asked FDOT to make several considerations.

For pedestrian safety,…