Local

Kissimmee considers shrinking Broadway to 2 lanes

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Leaders in Kissimmee are considering shrinking a half-mile stretch of Broadway between Neptune and Emmett Street from four lanes to two.

Channel 9's Racquel Asa found the plan also calls for a different kind of parking pattern that will take some time getting used to.

"I am very much against two-laning the road," said Lanier's Antique business owner Tom Lanier.

"On the flip side again, you could attract people to your downtown," said Lanier's son, Jeremy Lanier.

The city's approach is that if traffic slows down, drivers will be more apt to stop, said Asa.

Also, with fewer cars passing through, it'll make it safer for people walking and crossing because pedestrians won't have so many cars traveling by at 30 mph.

But Tom Lanier doesn't see eye to eye with his son.

"If we cut off the roads and have people go elsewhere, we are going to be forgotten," he said.

The plans also call for getting rid of the parallel parking spots. The city wants to replace them with what's called "back in-diagonal" parking.

It's the only aspect of the plan the Laniers agree makes no sense at all, because they said trying to park now is  difficult with two lanes of traffic trying to get  by.

The Laniers hope their business can weather the drastic changes if the city chooses to move forward with the plan.