http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1406/930887901_619ba2bdfb_o.jpg

Marion Street seems like a Corridor that has some potential for vibrancy. I notice that it has nicely shaded sidewalks, which IMO is vital for pedestrians in Florida. I notice people-drawing establishments like government buildings and churches. It seems like if you add residential and retail/cafes along the way you'd have an attractive strip. Problem though is the restriction on traffic during the day. I'm clueless about ridership on the short route, but does anyone have an opinion about opening it up to regular traffic and encouraging new projects there?

Oh gosh.....

Once upon a time, I don't know when, Marion was open to normal vehicular traffic. Then in the early 1980s, HART wanted Marion to become a bus-only thoroughfare. After some drawbacks, HART got its way and thus Marion became a transit parkway. Today, Marion remains just that...though it is open to other traffic on non-peak hours and on weekends, just as it was first proposed to be.

Frankly, I don't think an idea like that would fly with HART. The agency went through years of trouble just to get the parkway built and I'm sure they're not going to give it up just like that either.

BTW, there are several articles about Marion St's evolution (since 1987) in the St. Pete Times archives:

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/results.html?start=0&id=2

My opinion is that it should become a rail line road for N/S traffic.
they could really put trees like that on any street they want, and they really should put them on Maddison and Franklin

Overall, I don't think this is a bad idea. I just think getting the city to do so will only erupt a heated battle between the city and HART. Again, I don't think HART will be willing to give up the transitway status that easily.

Well this would be a really good street if they had rail, and there is deffintly enough room to add in a rail line down the center.
The center median is 3.25 - 2.5 meters wide, a single rail line is 2.5 meters.
This could be a comprimise.

^^

Perhaps. My thinking is that HART may not be so figity about a a rail line down the middle of the street.

(Why didn't I think of that?)