ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — One of the most photographed streets in St. Augustine is slated for some changes.
The goal for Magnolia Avenue is safety, but some neighbors say the city’s plan would diminish its beauty.
"We walk our dog there every day," Sandy Lenney said. "It’s just beautiful."
She lives just around the corner from Magnolia Avenue, a road that’s been called one of the most beautiful streets in the United States.
The Fountain of Youth is on the road, people drive a little slower to take it in, tour trolley drivers show it off.
As part of the city’s mobility plan to make getting around St. Augustine safer and less reliant on automobiles, the city has designs for Magnolia Avenue that include putting in a bike lane, a driving lane and designated parking spaces.
Lenney questions if all that is needed. She says over the years, the road has become busier but, "I still feel safe biking there than anywhere else in town because it’s a wide street."
Other neighbors say the road may need some help with traffic, but that painting the road would lose the charm.
"It’s beautiful," CJ Jacob said. She lives on Magnolia. "People take pictures of it all the time. Wedding pictures, graduation pictures, and to see it marked off with parking spaces like a parking lot would be a shame."
While Magnolia Avenue is definitely in the city’s mobility plan, a city spokesperson told First Coast News that ultimately the project on Magnolia may not look exactly like the renderings that traffic consultants submitted to the city.
She said there will be meetings before each road's project to get public input.
Lenny just wants the city to leave the paint in the bucket and not on the street.
"It takes away from the quaintness. Magnolia is known for quaintness," Lenney said.
"You don’t need 'left turn' and 'right turn' signage that will go there. It’s unnecessary."