driving in tampa
dcdaveHaving been in Tampa for about 6 months now, I’ve had my fair share of cuban sandwiches, I’ve fattened up at Alessi Bakery and I’m still in love with the ubiquitous palm trees. I am not, however, over the poor driving/total and utter lack of urban planning present in this beautiful city by the bay.
I learned how to drive in Belgium, arguably one of the most dangerous countries in which to drive in the western world. An Italian friend of mine told me that the driving in Brussels was worse than the driving in Rome. That is wow kind of bad. Italians are known for driving the wrong way down the sidewalk of a one way street, I’ve seen it done.
Being a DC kid myself, I have seen aggressive driving at it’s worst, and having lived in North Carolina I have seen oblivious driving at it’s most entertaining (along with a large amount of abandoned cars). But so far, Tampa takes the cake.
It’s not any one thing that makes the driving so dismal here. The traffic is much worse in most other major cities, the views here are fantastic, the roads aren’t in that poor a shape and the drivers are not too dangerous. What makes it bad here is the sublime intersection of every mediocre Tampa driving hallmark. Here is a list. See if you have noticed any of the following:
- There are almost never any left hand turn signals on roads with only two lanes. This causes many a tourist and Tampan to swerve violently, often without signalling, in order to harrowingly make it through the light. Have the misfortune of getting caught behind the turning car? You’re out of luck. Only one car gets through. It’s like the Highlander of driving. Unless of course you are a regular, because lights don’t mean squat in Tampa. So I guess you could just keep on keepin’ on. Which brings me to…
- Why do we even have lights in Tampa? Green is always full bore. Yellow is an invitation to speed. Red? Kind of like yellow, but with more urgency and a sense of righteousness. In my life, I have never seen so many cars squeeze through a red light, going so far as to block oncoming traffic with impunity. Which brings me to…
- The Police. Great (the band)! Local Police… eh. So I hear they like lapdances. They definitely give out oh-so-vital parking tickets in Soho and Ybor at 3am. Heck, they even pulled over my wife for having expired tags (thanks for mailing… nothing. I guess notification is for VIP’s or something. Maybe I voted wrong). On the other hand, maybe a few speeding tickets for people going 60mph in residential zones, tickets for running reds and some DUI checkpoints might actually ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING. I realize that these guys have some real crime to combat, but what’s more easily preventable than traffic related deaths? Even one or two cameras, anything…
- More turning lane madness. What’s with not marking a turning lane? We get a 10 year old faded arrow with ‘Turn Only’ painted about 5 feet before the turn. What about posting a sign at the start of the block so people know to move over, instead of forcing them to stall traffic and potentially cause wrecks?
It totally blows my mind that such a great city has managed to plan itself into a nightmare. Or not plan. I’m guessing that’s the problem. I’ve heard great things about the Mayor, and the place seems to be booming, but come on. What with the failed Ybor re-development moneypit and the lack of any public transportation, there are some seriously embarassing problems facing this town.
There’s no room for road expansion, because developers already own the land or have already built condos. Rail is almost impossible because the land is already bought, or too expensive. The roads we have are barely maintained, and a veritable freak out hell ride because no one follows any discernible rules of the road.
I’ve heard all of the excuses - tourists, new residents from out of town, etc. What about just enforcing the law? Is it a money problem? Is it a function of too much sunlight? People everywhere have driving horror stories, and I don’t think we’re in nightmare territory yet, but something has got to happen.
What gives with driving in Tampa?
Tags: law enforcement, tampa, transportation
Loading ...
December 27th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
One good solution: live in Temple Terrace. Our cops police that speed limit very, very well.
Not that it’s an excuse at all, but excessive traffic contributes to all that light running (there’s more room than you think, at least in the outlier areas like New Tampa, where they’re already taking bids on another road to I-275 from Bruce B Downs). If you sit through a light once, you’re probably calm enough to wait. Wait through three or four cycles though, and your good sense gets left behind.
As for residential speeding, people get mobilized! Say something! You’d be surprised what results you’ll find when you get some people together and make yourself heard. I know an HCSO - on several occasions his duty has been precisely to on a road where residents have complained about the speeding.
December 27th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
You got it! The problem is exactly what you say - no enforcement of the law.
The three I see as the biggest problems are
1. Obstruction of traffic - slow vehicles are supposed to stay right. This was something we definitely got ticketed for growing up and it kept things flowing.
2. Use your damn blinker - Every time, all the time. When people know what you’re doing, they can make safe, smart decisions to keep things flowing. Avoids the nobody getting through lights thing and lets people pass safely.
3. Yield does not mean stop - It means slow down and look around and then either stop or go depending on traffic. EVERY FREAKING MORNING of my life, I sit at the entrance to 275, because a bunch of morons don’t know the difference between Stop and Yield.
Truthfully, the police down here are as bad as any other drivers. They’re complete morons.
There’s this idea that you can’t ticket people for holding things up because it’s not considered reckless. It’s selective enforcement at its worst, coppers deciding what they’re gonna ticket.
Personally, I think a lot of it is ignorance - they don’t even understand how to keep things moving anyway.
December 27th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
My first report for MNF back in May was a neighborhood meeting between the residents of Henry Ave (between Nebraska and 15th) and the city/traffic cops. The residents were asking for a stop sign or a patrol car to deter speeders cutting through their neighborhood at 45, 55 mph. One cop at the meeting said putting up a stop sign wouldn’t do any good b/c nobody obeys them anyway. (?!) The residents were told there’s not enough traffic thru the neighborhood to make it a worthwhile area to have a traffic cop.
Those folks did end up getting their stop sign, btw. Would be interesting to know if it’s helped at all.
Also, lately I’ve noticed speed traps on Sligh around the zoo - it’s about freaking time. The road is 35mph in that area, 40 elsewhere, and people drive it 60+. I drove down it today and noticed for the first time, w/o a cop in sight, people were going the limit. People can learn…maybe.
December 27th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
Rachel-
I’d take it a little easier on the cops. A lot of them might just be glorified security guards with a power trip, but some of them are honest-to-God trying to do their jobs as best they can.
Selective enforcing isn’t a problem, it’s a necessity. We all know there are a nightmarish amount of traffic violations out there - there is simply not enough manpower to stop every single person.
One thing I will absolutely grant you is the ignorance to keeping traffic flowing. I get so tired of seeing cops pulling people over in the middle of a turn lane. Even if the driver is dumb enough to stop there - and they usually are - just tell them to move ahead to a spot that’s not in the way.
December 27th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
hey thats the most negative rant ive heard from rachel. welcome to the rage club, rach!
if youre a cop, traffic duty is kind of like being a freshman. no respect. how would you like to do it?
many of tampas driving issues are related to obsolete road designs. the fix is long and costly.
id say speed is tampas worst problem, though, not outdated turn lanes. the cops put the radar guns out sometimes and it does slow people down. at least it did on bayshore for awhile.
December 27th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
A while back I noticed that if you are traveling 275 north and exit at fowler when you turn right they added a sign that says “Keep Moving” because nobody was paying attention to the sign that clearly showed that you did not have to merge there. You get your own lane so don’t stop, by and large that seems to work, I rarely have to touch the brakes when I hit that exit at all.
“slow vehicles are supposed to stay right.”
That actually isn’t a law here. http://www.lowestpricetrafficschool.com/handbooks/driver/en/3/11
This is the current handbook and it indicates this is only required on expressways. Since I grew up here I am just used to it but if I have to turn left wouldn’t I need to merge in front of faster traffic anyway?
I have been a bit lucky with traffic over the years, I can usually juggle my schedules to avoid rush hour and I moved out of the burbs.
Dave, you should have gotten your renewal notice in the mail just like all of us, maybe it is because you are a recent transplant? Not that it matters but parking enforcement writes the parking tickets, the police don’t do that here except in rare circumstances.
The stopping at a yield is annoying as shit but it is up to the driver to decide if they feel comfortable enough to go without stopping. There is no law saying you can’t stop at a yield even if nobody is coming.
For enforcement, it is no excuse but cops don’t like doing traffic very much. Some do but by and large it just pisses a lot of folks off and typically if you have a clean driving record and take it to court the judge won’t fine you anyway. If you have a traffic issue in your neighborhood somebody has to bring it to the cops’ attention. Your best bet is to call or walk into your local office or substation and tell them about it. Chances are if there is a chronic issue they will take it seriously. You might want to make sure you don’t have warrants beforehand.
Personally I had some of the most frustrating driving in Atlanta. There is saw several folks stop in the right lane of a four lane road, get out of their cars to get a paper or coffee, and then get back in their car. But that is part of the custom there just as some things are part of the custom here I suppose.
December 27th, 2006 at 9:08 pm
Dave isn’t the only one who didn’t get a notice for renewal. Luckily I happened to notice my tags were expired before I got a ticket.
I used to think DC traffic was bad until we moved here. If people in the DC metro area drove like Tampans nothing would move, ever. Red light running is worse here than anywhere I’ve driven including Seoul, Korea and Aman, Jordan.
December 27th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
my rant: people who think they have the right to go through the Sun Pass lane at 55 mph. the Signs clearly are posted that the speed limit through Sun Pass lanes is 25 mph. I am so tired of aggressive drivers and drivers giving me the finger because I slow down through the Sun Pass lane. I would like to see law enforcement enforce that speed limit.
December 27th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
Solution:
The creation of a traffic enforcement division.
Cops out there writing tickets all day, an easy task finding the infractions. One day of writing tickets pays for the cop. The next few days pay for the cop car. The next few days pay for the admin. The next few pay for the extra traffic courts. That leaves at least two weeks out of every month of revenue for fixing /adding roads, left turn lanes, signals, more traffic cops, automated cameras for catching speeders and light runners, and most importantly a public awareness campaign to tell people the rules of the road. The news generated by this as well as the sheer amount of tickets written would put the public on alert.
Lets face it, people will do what they want unless there is someone over their shoulder and there are consequences. Which leads to my last suggestion, higher $ penalties. The pocketbook speaks louder than the sword. Maybe even an income graduated penalty, so that rich folks are penalized on a graduated scale. Poor man, $200 for speeding. Rich man, $2000.
This is life and death stuff and needs to be addressed by or leaders (Pam!). What other situation are you in on a daily basis where people are allowed to cavalierly take your life within a hair of their hands with no consequences? There is quite a different State reaction to pointing a loaded gun in someones face and “almost” pulling the trigger. I believe the minimum is 10 years.
More enforcement.
Enforcement.
Enforcement.
Enforcement.
December 28th, 2006 at 1:16 am
I didn’t mean to sound like I was ragging on cops in general, it just seems that from an administrative standpoint, this part of city government has been grossly overlooked. It’s not perfect anywhere, but we could stand for a major improvement, be it tougher enforcement, more sensible planning or public transit. Tampa is a bright spot, but the shine is diminished by shenanigans like these.
December 28th, 2006 at 7:14 am
I have heard that some police don’t write tickets because of the amount. A ticket should hurt but shouldn’t mean you don’t get groceries that week. I can’t really imagine an income based solution that wouldn’t be complicated and expensive.
I am so guilty of blowing those sunpass lane speed limits though! Note that there is no sign after the toll booth to tell you the speed has increased so if the police were to enforce them the 25mph speed limit zone would actually stretch from the booth on down the road to the next sign. I think that the expressway authority posted the signs themselves. I miss Miami, with Miami drivers they seem to have realized nobody was going to slow down and the sunpass lanes are all full speed with wide lanes and no confining booths. I never mind those that do slow down to the 25mph but the folks that stop and back up when they realize that they can’t pay a toll there are the ones that get me.
I do like the new raised lanes though, you know you can hit 105mph if there is no traffic up there?
December 28th, 2006 at 8:55 am
My pisser-offer is when you need to make a lane change. You signal. The vehicles in the desired lane actually SPEED UP to block you. Like it’s an affront to let someone in–a sign of weakness or something. Gads! This happens all the time. No wonder no one signals.
December 28th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Let’s see here. The police decide who to stop or let fly through, right? That’s judicial.
And some cops also think the fine is too high, huh? Isn’t that a legislative issue?
Dear police, you are neither judge nor lawmaker. Do your job.
December 28th, 2006 at 11:28 am
I don’t agree with any of the solutions.
Having lived in New York, So Cal, and Europe — the 1 problem with driving in Tampa is everyone drives different speeds. That’s it. Fast drivers HAVE to move into the right hand lanes because stubborn people hog the left lanes. In California they drive SOO much faster — but its safer because slower drivers get out of the way BEFORE the faster drivers have to slam on their breaks. New York drivers drive more offensive but guess what…it works because people there understand the concept of getting out of the way.
If the cops should ticket ANYONE it should be those idiots who drive too slow in the right hand lane.
Have I said it clearly? Accidents happen because of varying speeds….
December 28th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
The “slow drivers in the left hand lane” issue is one I’ve never encountered until moving here.
Your genius governor decided to veto the very bill that would have outlawed it. 113-4, it passed in the house, but Jeb vetoed it. The reason why everyone so happily deep throats Jeb is beyond me; he did nothing for this state.
Anyway, cops are happy to write tickets, and inconvenience as many people as possible while doing it. I received a ticket for a non-traffic violation in the unloading zone at TPA. He could have waited until I dropped my brother out and got back out on the highway, but instead he stopped me at the front of the unloading bay and inconvenienced dozens if not hundreds of people for the half hour he blocked off the unloading zone.
They don’t care, or aren’t smart enough to think the consequences of their actions through. It’s not their fault for being stupid; it’s our fault for not paying them well enough so the job attracts intelligent, critically-thinking human beings.
December 28th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Yes, the fallacy of “slow means safe.” I do believe a couple of comments mentioned it already though.
Because of its everyday nature, driving isn’t really taken all that seriously (and I wholeheartedly include myself in that mistake). And as long as that cell phone conversation is more important than the cars around you - which it always is - driving alertly is just that much less a priority.
I simply don’t think you can chalk this one up only or even mostly to enforcement. Unless we can have one cop for every driver following them around, that’s not going to fix it.
Then again there’s very little anyone can do to fix lack of personal responsibility, so it’s depressing to suggest that as the central problem.
December 28th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
“Let’s see here. The police decide who to stop or let fly through, right? That’s judicial.”
By and large traffic and misdemeanor citations are the purview of the officer. They have the authority to enforce or not as they see fit. Nobody ever complains when the cop lets them go with a warning you’ll note. Frankly, although it is infuriating at times, you don’t get to tell cops how to do their job (nor can they tell you how to do yours). You can complain about a traffic issue in your community and demand some response but ultimately it is up to the officers as to HOW they should respond.
December 28th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
BTW, cute post here that is somewhat on topic.
http://www.leoaffairs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=504
“If a neighborhood association asks for police to start ticketing in their neighborhood, one of the first five ticketed is on the board. “
December 28th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Lee’s got a great point with speeds. Let me use Pinellas as an example (instead of Tampa for a minute). US 19 is both a commuter road and a shopping boulevard to people. Some try to go 15 miles for work while others are just going to the grocery store. The road doing double-duty causes problems… Different speeds, more risky driving, etc.
I still believe, however, better enforcement is necessary. In Pinellas, cops are just as likely to speed as others… There is no enforcement and that’s part of the problem — if people learn they can get away with it, they’ll keep doing things they can get away with (be it running lights, running stop signs, driving wrecklessly, driving drunk, etc).
I once mused with Tommy that the solution to having people runs top signs was to use more traffic circles… but with how careless local drivers are, that’s just an invitation to more problems…
December 28th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
I go through the circle at Channelside and you really are taking your life into your hands there. Mostly I guess due to unfamiliarity with it folks just assume they don’t have to look to the left when entering the circle.
December 28th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
I think the issue of better pay is a pertinent one, but a real issue is the lack of driver training. Getting a U.S. driver’s license in almost any state is a ridiculous joke. A short multiple choice exam with easy questions and a ride around the block. Almost enough to make you GET OF YOUR PHONE. Maybe if you actually had to qualify in order to drive, and some cellphone/driving laws were enacted we would see the ridiculous behavior curbed. I know in NY and DC it’s now $100 if you get caught driving and chatting. But I think the crux of the matter can be found somewhere in the middle. Solution: Increased Police salaries,better urban planning (ok, whatever urban “planning” Tampa can come up with) and an impossibly hard driving exam. I got my first license in Belgium, and to do so I was required to attend 22 hours of theory classes and log 32 hours of instructor supervised driving. My final exam took an hour. Driving safely and well is much harder than just getting behind the wheel like a bozo.
December 28th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
As a native, I’ve been hearing complaints about Tampa driving all my life. With all respect to the writer of this piece, who makes some very good points, these complaints often come from newcomers who act as if they are imparting some great wisdom the rest of us haven’t heard before.
Has anyone considered that these very newcomers also contribute to the problem? Instead of there being one “style” of driving in the area, there are several going on at the same time, from mid-western courtesy to big city aggressiveness. No wonder there is such chaos on the road.
Having said that, I agree that the roads, traffic patterns, etc. leave a lot to be desired. We need more left turn lanes, fewer pot holes (which seem worse than ever), and is it asking too much to have street signs at every intersection? Maybe we should take care of these things and then worry about river walks and what to do with the armory.
December 28th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
No offense Glenn, but I’m not pretending to impart any great wisdom on the rest of you. I’m simply pointing out what sucks about driving here and suggesting that something could easily be done about it. I take issue with your driving “style” theory. Breaking the law and acting like a dick on the road isn’t a style, it’s a problem. Tampa is a very ordinary city when it comes to a mix of transplants with different driving backgrounds, so in that respect, the hodge-podge is expected. I have yet to experience the courtesy of which you speak. I’ll be on the lookout.
January 2nd, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I’m not really sure why people drive so slow in the left hand lanes, but it’s something that worries me. It’s horrible that I have to weave in and out of traffic and sometimes pass in the right lane just so I can do the speed limit on the Howard Frankland. That is a dangerous bridge, primarily because of the slow drivers in the left lanes.
I also wonder if people pay attention to dangerous areas. Have you noticed that every day there are at least one or two wrecks on 275, going North, right at the Kennedy exit? Every day! Why on earth does the HF have to back up so far EVERY DAY? I now take the Courtney Campbell instead.
-Kevin
January 12th, 2007 at 10:17 am
[...] I’ve had it with the red light problem. I see at least 5 people a day running red lights. I see zero people pulled over. Hellooooo? What’s going on? Are traffic laws optional in Tampa? [...]