Denning Drive to Become a Complete Street

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Winter Park’s Denning Drive  could better serve the needs of all its users including vehicle drivers, mass transit riders, bicyclists and pedestrians, after the Winter Park Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) approved $500,000 in funding for a project to evaluate and change the road into a more complete street.  Complete Streets are streets designed for safe and active Denning dietuse by everyone.

The approval is a big win for Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF), the organization originally founded through the support and funding of the Winter Park Health Foundation. BWCF Board Members Rick Geller, Eliza Harris, Jamie Krzeminski and Lisa Portelli shared BWCFs endorsement of the pedestrian- and bike-friendly plan.  Krzeminski ‘s son Luke shared his thoughts with the CRA Board, “I want to be able to ride to get ice cream or go to the movies on a street that is safer for me. “

So what will Denning Drive look like? City staff will commission a study to assess options followed by meetings to gather community input.   Ideas include: reduction of four lanes to two, a center turning lane or a median with separated left turn lanes, and a designated bike and pedestrian pathway that would run down the side of the street or bike lanes and a pedestrian walkway on either side. The study will begin later this year.