The City of Orlando is finishing a study aimed at improving the Virginia Drive corridor so that it can become a better place to walk, ride a bike and catch a train. The study is featured in the Orlando Sentinel discusses how the study aims to improve the accessibility and safety along the corridor.
The corridor is part of a quaint part of Orlando, north of downtown known for its bungalows and eclectic art. However, the corridor lacks basic amenities such as crosswalks to help keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe. The long term vision for the corridor is for residents to be able to live comfortably in the neighborhood without a car.
As the plan's lead consultant, Renaissance is assisting the City in developing the plan and has also helped integrate the community’s input for the plans through a series of public meetings. Renaissance, with the help of a team of consultants, is working closely with the City to develop the transportation infrastructure and land use plan to provide the city with short, mid-term and longer term goals for improvements. Some of the improvements include adding new crossings and making those that already exist easier for drivers to spot, wider sidewalks, better lighting and more shade trees and urban trails. The study also recommends curb extensions and adding on-street parking to help slow down traffic and avoiding parking on the narrow side streets.
The city's planning board is expected to review the study's recommendations next month.