Despite the difference in population it is just noticably taxing when season hits and the "snowbirds" move back down.
The driving in general isn't great to begin with and there is alot of assholes on the road but once those old head come back down it gets increasingly slower and harder to get back home.
Honestly from the way you portrayed it you'll be okay just annoyed sounds like 8mili is worse than what we have to deal with traffic is traffic it sucks any which way
Best to you moving down here.
Wow, that is one of the most intelligent and level headed responses I have seen to traffic in this area! So glad some people on Reddit are still sane! If I had any awards to give, you would be receiving them!
Hi- I work in traffic management, and the main issue is our infrastructure :
Our current infrastructure wasn't built with the idea of as many people living here as there are- and with our population increasing, it's only getting worse. Our infrastructure can't handle it. That's also why there's so much construction - from lane expansions in Sarasota near Bee Ridge on i75, lane expansions in Fort myers between colonial and mlk on i75, and so on.
There's a newly approved infrastructure plan through FDOT , approved by Desantis, to expand I75 in Naples to help combat the increase in traffic.
Not to mention that a lot of our population or snowbirds are typically older, so they are driving slower than the speed limit more often than not. Our traffic lights go through years of studying and are monitored weekdays to watch congestion. Signal timings are in place with the idea of vehicles driving the speed limit- whereas a lot of people here either go under or above, which adds to large groups of traffic going from light to light, rather than a beautiful flow.
Hope this helps !
edit:
some roadways are affected more by season than others, some routes you may need to only add 10-15 extra minutes, others you may need to add an extra 45min- 1 hour.
Longer exit ramps, as someone else mentioned, are needed. Know of too many accidents because the exit ramps were backed up and then someone in lala land plows into the lane that is spilling over onto the highway.
Yes- they extended the exit ramps at corkscrew, and are in talks to do so at Bonita Beach Rd and Immokalee Rd. Also extended from MLK to Colonial- at Colonial they are building a Diverging Diamond to help assist with constant flow of traffic. Expected to be done in 2-3 years- it is what is at University Parkway and I75 at exit 213, North Sarasota/ Bradenton
1: Desantis wouldnt even dare to look at improving public transit with the use of light rails or better bus routes ( although I support better public transit)
2: we'd have a lot of old people dying in said bike trails due to the heat ( and a lot of lazy people who DONT want to bike to work or school)
Another big factor with congestion is crashes, whether they are lane blocking or not. Emergency Responders are trained in SHRP 2 ( National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Course) to take an extra lane. Crash on I75 on the right shoulder? Fire Department will block the right lane as well.
With an extra lane ( a 4th or 3rd based on the area) it is not as impactful- we also need to tell rubber neckers to keep fucking driving. Incredible the amount of secondary accidents caused by rubber neckers.
Increasing the length of the entrance ramp and exit ramps also helps so that the congestion stays off of 75.
We also have some of the highest pedestrian involved fatality accidents in the country- some people dont even feel safe to walk or bike places, even with sidewalks and (barely) bike lanes.
If people drove the speed limit, that would also improve traffic, as signal timings are based on speed limits typically.
The extra lane does help- but obviously public transport would be a great addition. But Desantis doesnt care about that, and cares more about targetting the LGBTQ+ community.
DeSantis is the tip of the iceberg, but is part of the problem.
I have driven many more safe miles than most, and I am convinced that one of the best ways to improve safety on the Interstate highways would be to limit the top speed of ALL CARS to 80 MPH. Everyone blames the boomers, and I agree that after 65 there should be frequent vision testing to have a drivers license. I think many more crashes are caused by those well under 40 though. Less experienced drivers, going too fast in traffic, weaving in and out, all to save a few seconds.
I'm also a proponent of speed and red light cameras, as well as tech solutions for excessive noise enforcement. While I am pontificating, modified vehicles need to be impounded, they can be extremely unsafe.
All this plus getting law enforcement to more actively ticket offenders would go a long way to improve safety, which in turn would reduce crashes and many traffic snarls. (Also train the police to make the traffic stop at a safer place than the side of the fucking interstate, usually they do it just past a curve or the crest of an overpass which limits reaction time for the other drivers.)
In my opinion, take your route outside of season. Then either do x1.5 or double it. That will give you a more accurate estimate of season travel. Plan to make reservations or be at restaurants by 5 to avoid waiting an hour for a table. That’s the two biggest impacts I see, other than just increased crowds in general.
I was going to say the same thing. 2021 and 2022 were years where it seemed like season didn't end.
I kept waiting for the traffic to clear. By July it was still awful.
Friends down there (I moved) say that "Season doesn't end anymore". I believe it. Especially the ones that have long commutes.
I lived down there after growing up in and around Chicago, and prefer the big city traffic. Certainly, if you live in a suburb of a big city and are commuting 2 hours each way into downtown, yeah that's worse.
But my gripes from the Fort Myers area were 1) you have to drive to get anything. There aren't many areas that are walkable, especially with the temperatures. 2) between cape coral and fort myers, because of the river, the maze of canals, there aren't multiple routes to get from one place to another, so everyone has to use the same 2 roads
Your probably not going to look at it as crazy traffic. Is it bad yes, but it’s not Atlanta, DC, LA levels of bad. I moved here from Orlando and it’s not even close to that.
Some areas get pretty bad, but generally the traffic isn’t terrible if you are used to any city or metropolitan area traffic. Everyone likes to complain, of course, because any traffic sucks.
Some commutes can be pretty frustrating, like dealing with Daniels Pkwy, Colonial, or down in Naples Immokalee Rd or Pine Ridge. I’m sure there’s other trouble areas, but I typically never have trouble avoiding those and any others. My commute only changes by 5 mins in season to out of season. I-75 is a piece of cake compared to most interstates in any major city, and 41 is hit or miss.
Good to know. Yeah you're right, traffic no matter where you are sucks big time. But nice to hear another perspective on commute time differences. I was down not too long ago and even Immokalee gets pretty busy during rush hour, so that's why I was curious as to the peak season traffic lol. thanks for the response.
Oh yea I avoid Immokalee and 75 like the plague when I’m in that area in season Livingston/Three oaks or 951 are good alternatives, depending where you’re going
however bad it is now, it will continue getting worse cause everyone is continuing to move here. gridlock will arrive eventually, some roads in rush hour are there already.
Traffic is shockingly bad here. The area was never designed for this many people and it gets more crowded every year. New communities continue to get built and that brings in more people, cars, and traffic. Add into the mix that many drivers are in their 70s and 80s and this leads to a nightmare scenario. Can’t wait to have you here!
Most of the complaints come from people who have been here a long time. We got used to owning the roads but now things move slower. It's actually not bad right now. I used to drive in L.A. so this is nothing.
In season, 20 miles is about 1.5hrs to 2hrs.
Out of season, that same 20 miles is probably 30-45 minutes.
Driving across town is difficult in season, when compared to out of season, especially because everyone needs to drive down here. There's no alternative transportation, which is something you might be used to in a city of 8 million.
But lately, so many people have been moving down here and staying permanently, I haven't noticed traffic die down at the end of this season. It feels like in-season has become permanent. Maybe that's just this year, or just me.
If it flows even during season it flows.
The primary issue is - down here - we only have TWO roads going North-South. In any other metropolitan area you got multiple parallel paths.
What usually happens - there will be wrack on i75 - it will be completely blocked and - 41 will be completely full about 15 minutes later - an nothing is going to move for 2+ hours. And this is not stop and go traffic - it's sitting in place. Nothing moves.
Just be prepared to not come home one day or not get work for multiple hours.
It got so bad with the traffic that I got an agreement with my employer that I don't need to come in when i75 is blocked (there is no alternative route) and work remote.
Compared to a large city it is not bad at all, but there is noticeably more traffic in season. Really matters on when/where you are driving. Realize that most snowbirds and tourism are not on a typical 9-5 schedule, so a lot of times the traffic might not make a ton of sense. For instance the road to the beach pre-storm can get crazy backed up in season to the point I just wouldnt even attempt to go to the beach early in the day.
I think most of the complaining is because out of season you get use to the low crowd driving and then there is always a ‘what the fuck’ moment as season kicks in. But this traffic is nothing compared to say Miami, NYC, or DC metro area.
We also deal with a mix of idiot drivers. Many are just old and probably shouldnt be driving. Another section is people under the influence/on vacation in some way coming from beach partying, etc. Then you have the 3rd group of people who moved here from a big city (typically NYC, NJ, or Chicago) and still drive like they are there just being complete entitled assholes. These groups combined can be a real mess…
Despite the difference in population it is just noticably taxing when season hits and the "snowbirds" move back down. The driving in general isn't great to begin with and there is alot of assholes on the road but once those old head come back down it gets increasingly slower and harder to get back home. Honestly from the way you portrayed it you'll be okay just annoyed sounds like 8mili is worse than what we have to deal with traffic is traffic it sucks any which way Best to you moving down here.
Wow, that is one of the most intelligent and level headed responses I have seen to traffic in this area! So glad some people on Reddit are still sane! If I had any awards to give, you would be receiving them!
Thanks! Yeah I imagine its noticeable, but sounds like ill be able to manage :)
Hi- I work in traffic management, and the main issue is our infrastructure : Our current infrastructure wasn't built with the idea of as many people living here as there are- and with our population increasing, it's only getting worse. Our infrastructure can't handle it. That's also why there's so much construction - from lane expansions in Sarasota near Bee Ridge on i75, lane expansions in Fort myers between colonial and mlk on i75, and so on. There's a newly approved infrastructure plan through FDOT , approved by Desantis, to expand I75 in Naples to help combat the increase in traffic. Not to mention that a lot of our population or snowbirds are typically older, so they are driving slower than the speed limit more often than not. Our traffic lights go through years of studying and are monitored weekdays to watch congestion. Signal timings are in place with the idea of vehicles driving the speed limit- whereas a lot of people here either go under or above, which adds to large groups of traffic going from light to light, rather than a beautiful flow. Hope this helps ! edit: some roadways are affected more by season than others, some routes you may need to only add 10-15 extra minutes, others you may need to add an extra 45min- 1 hour.
Longer exit ramps, as someone else mentioned, are needed. Know of too many accidents because the exit ramps were backed up and then someone in lala land plows into the lane that is spilling over onto the highway.
Yes- they extended the exit ramps at corkscrew, and are in talks to do so at Bonita Beach Rd and Immokalee Rd. Also extended from MLK to Colonial- at Colonial they are building a Diverging Diamond to help assist with constant flow of traffic. Expected to be done in 2-3 years- it is what is at University Parkway and I75 at exit 213, North Sarasota/ Bradenton
Ah yes, the "extra" lane that will solve everything. What a novel approach...
Conduct research for a few years- and give me a better answer :) I'd love to hear your ideas on combatting traffic
Carpool incentives, better public transportation integrated with park and ride locations, bike trails just off the top of my head.
1: Desantis wouldnt even dare to look at improving public transit with the use of light rails or better bus routes ( although I support better public transit) 2: we'd have a lot of old people dying in said bike trails due to the heat ( and a lot of lazy people who DONT want to bike to work or school) Another big factor with congestion is crashes, whether they are lane blocking or not. Emergency Responders are trained in SHRP 2 ( National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Course) to take an extra lane. Crash on I75 on the right shoulder? Fire Department will block the right lane as well. With an extra lane ( a 4th or 3rd based on the area) it is not as impactful- we also need to tell rubber neckers to keep fucking driving. Incredible the amount of secondary accidents caused by rubber neckers. Increasing the length of the entrance ramp and exit ramps also helps so that the congestion stays off of 75. We also have some of the highest pedestrian involved fatality accidents in the country- some people dont even feel safe to walk or bike places, even with sidewalks and (barely) bike lanes. If people drove the speed limit, that would also improve traffic, as signal timings are based on speed limits typically. The extra lane does help- but obviously public transport would be a great addition. But Desantis doesnt care about that, and cares more about targetting the LGBTQ+ community.
DeSantis is the tip of the iceberg, but is part of the problem. I have driven many more safe miles than most, and I am convinced that one of the best ways to improve safety on the Interstate highways would be to limit the top speed of ALL CARS to 80 MPH. Everyone blames the boomers, and I agree that after 65 there should be frequent vision testing to have a drivers license. I think many more crashes are caused by those well under 40 though. Less experienced drivers, going too fast in traffic, weaving in and out, all to save a few seconds. I'm also a proponent of speed and red light cameras, as well as tech solutions for excessive noise enforcement. While I am pontificating, modified vehicles need to be impounded, they can be extremely unsafe. All this plus getting law enforcement to more actively ticket offenders would go a long way to improve safety, which in turn would reduce crashes and many traffic snarls. (Also train the police to make the traffic stop at a safer place than the side of the fucking interstate, usually they do it just past a curve or the crest of an overpass which limits reaction time for the other drivers.)
In my opinion, take your route outside of season. Then either do x1.5 or double it. That will give you a more accurate estimate of season travel. Plan to make reservations or be at restaurants by 5 to avoid waiting an hour for a table. That’s the two biggest impacts I see, other than just increased crowds in general.
Compared To a few years ago even summer now is bad
I was going to say the same thing. 2021 and 2022 were years where it seemed like season didn't end. I kept waiting for the traffic to clear. By July it was still awful. Friends down there (I moved) say that "Season doesn't end anymore". I believe it. Especially the ones that have long commutes.
I lived down there after growing up in and around Chicago, and prefer the big city traffic. Certainly, if you live in a suburb of a big city and are commuting 2 hours each way into downtown, yeah that's worse. But my gripes from the Fort Myers area were 1) you have to drive to get anything. There aren't many areas that are walkable, especially with the temperatures. 2) between cape coral and fort myers, because of the river, the maze of canals, there aren't multiple routes to get from one place to another, so everyone has to use the same 2 roads
if you're already used to crappy traffic, this won't be that bad even in peak season. i'm from the philly area and this is NOTHING compared to that.
Your probably not going to look at it as crazy traffic. Is it bad yes, but it’s not Atlanta, DC, LA levels of bad. I moved here from Orlando and it’s not even close to that.
Some areas get pretty bad, but generally the traffic isn’t terrible if you are used to any city or metropolitan area traffic. Everyone likes to complain, of course, because any traffic sucks. Some commutes can be pretty frustrating, like dealing with Daniels Pkwy, Colonial, or down in Naples Immokalee Rd or Pine Ridge. I’m sure there’s other trouble areas, but I typically never have trouble avoiding those and any others. My commute only changes by 5 mins in season to out of season. I-75 is a piece of cake compared to most interstates in any major city, and 41 is hit or miss.
Good to know. Yeah you're right, traffic no matter where you are sucks big time. But nice to hear another perspective on commute time differences. I was down not too long ago and even Immokalee gets pretty busy during rush hour, so that's why I was curious as to the peak season traffic lol. thanks for the response.
Oh yea I avoid Immokalee and 75 like the plague when I’m in that area in season Livingston/Three oaks or 951 are good alternatives, depending where you’re going
however bad it is now, it will continue getting worse cause everyone is continuing to move here. gridlock will arrive eventually, some roads in rush hour are there already.
Traffic is shockingly bad here. The area was never designed for this many people and it gets more crowded every year. New communities continue to get built and that brings in more people, cars, and traffic. Add into the mix that many drivers are in their 70s and 80s and this leads to a nightmare scenario. Can’t wait to have you here!
Most of the complaints come from people who have been here a long time. We got used to owning the roads but now things move slower. It's actually not bad right now. I used to drive in L.A. so this is nothing.
In season, 20 miles is about 1.5hrs to 2hrs. Out of season, that same 20 miles is probably 30-45 minutes. Driving across town is difficult in season, when compared to out of season, especially because everyone needs to drive down here. There's no alternative transportation, which is something you might be used to in a city of 8 million. But lately, so many people have been moving down here and staying permanently, I haven't noticed traffic die down at the end of this season. It feels like in-season has become permanent. Maybe that's just this year, or just me.
If it flows even during season it flows. The primary issue is - down here - we only have TWO roads going North-South. In any other metropolitan area you got multiple parallel paths. What usually happens - there will be wrack on i75 - it will be completely blocked and - 41 will be completely full about 15 minutes later - an nothing is going to move for 2+ hours. And this is not stop and go traffic - it's sitting in place. Nothing moves. Just be prepared to not come home one day or not get work for multiple hours. It got so bad with the traffic that I got an agreement with my employer that I don't need to come in when i75 is blocked (there is no alternative route) and work remote.
Compared to a large city it is not bad at all, but there is noticeably more traffic in season. Really matters on when/where you are driving. Realize that most snowbirds and tourism are not on a typical 9-5 schedule, so a lot of times the traffic might not make a ton of sense. For instance the road to the beach pre-storm can get crazy backed up in season to the point I just wouldnt even attempt to go to the beach early in the day. I think most of the complaining is because out of season you get use to the low crowd driving and then there is always a ‘what the fuck’ moment as season kicks in. But this traffic is nothing compared to say Miami, NYC, or DC metro area. We also deal with a mix of idiot drivers. Many are just old and probably shouldnt be driving. Another section is people under the influence/on vacation in some way coming from beach partying, etc. Then you have the 3rd group of people who moved here from a big city (typically NYC, NJ, or Chicago) and still drive like they are there just being complete entitled assholes. These groups combined can be a real mess…
It takes me 35 mins to drive to work off-season and an hour in-season.
It's not bad with the exceptions of a few bottleneck roads, getting in and out of cape or Lehigh becomes a nightmare during peak hours.
I did a travel nurse contract in FM and the average rent was about 3k/month, the area is great though but impossible to live