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I drive from 6 miles west of exit 64 (off 192) to downtown Orlando for work Mon-Fri on I-4...usually takes me 30-45 minutes to get there coming or going (and I work 9-5)...is there the occasional accident...yes...but what large city doesn't have that?
I've been in and out of the Orlando area and Florida for my whole life. That's true, it wasn't like this 20 years ago. It wasn't even like this 3 years ago. We are all part of the problem. That is true about the roads, I think they are among the best in the country and THAT is part of the problem. They are wide, flat, and straight for the most part and that encourages people to drive aggressively. Why is it that you can't get something off your chest or say something on your mind without being torn apart? Are we only allowed to say what is perfect about Orlando? Even Miami is better equipped to carry their traffic load. If they can improve their infrastructure why can't we? I don't care how many people come down here if we had the roads to support all the traffic but we just don't. There just seems to be a whole lot more accidents and jack knifed tractor trailers than ever before. I was just saying that to get to my house over those 6 miles there are 3 other ways to get here that were totally log jammed with cops jutting in and out as if they could do something. There are no other ways, and I think I know my immediate area well enough to know all the different ways around. It was just as frustrating as it was in DC, Boston, or NY. From my work it is not possible to see I-4 until you are there. Telling me to move or get another job is just stupid and doesn't make people look like the friendly native Floridians of the old school. So please, just let us have our say.
Orlando was planning way ahead. Where were you when 436 was a two lane road that ended
at Curry Ford Road? Where were you when they were building the 408, 417, 429, 414.
How about the continuing widening of I-4. Kirkman Road was widened to facilitate the
traffic? SR 50 is being widened at the west end and coming East. What else would you like to
see built to satisfy all the folks who have come to Orlando in the late 90s and earlier this century?
Orlando is one of the busiest cities in the country. What would anyone expect besides living
the urban nightmare that is city life in general?
There is nothing wrong with stating what is wrong with _____ (fill in the blank).
However, stating that the roads needed to support all the traffic hasnt happened. It did. More people came! Balance is the key. Making wild statments like the city hasnt done anything to keep up with the influx. They've been working on the problem for over 20 years.
I know that BrightHouse Channel 13 carries traffic reports as do other local news stations
so there is no excuse to not know that a truck turned over on its way to Orlando and traffic is going to be a mess. There are so many ways to get to different places in Orlando, but it seems if its not a road where you can drive at excessive speed they dont want to use it. They are on the air and on the web.
Sure there are more accidents. More people trying to use the roads at the same moment.
What got me about your post is that you feel that Orlando has failed somehow when it hasnt.
Orlando was planning way ahead. Where were you when 436 was a two lane road that ended
at Curry Ford Road? Where were you when they were building the 408, 417, 429, 414.
How about the continuing widening of I-4. Kirkman Road was widened to facilitate the
traffic? SR 50 is being widened at the west end and coming East. What else would you like to
see built to satisfy all the folks who have come to Orlando in the late 90s and earlier this century?
Orlando is one of the busiest cities in the country. What would anyone expect besides living
the urban nightmare that is city life in general?
There is nothing wrong with stating what is wrong with _____ (fill in the blank).
However, stating that the roads needed to support all the traffic hasnt happened. It did. More people came! Balance is the key. Making wild statments like the city hasnt done anything to keep up with the influx. They've been working on the problem for over 20 years.
I know that BrightHouse Channel 13 carries traffic reports as do other local news stations
so there is no excuse to not know that a truck turned over on its way to Orlando and traffic is going to be a mess. There are so many ways to get to different places in Orlando, but it seems if its not a road where you can drive at excessive speed they dont want to use it. They are on the air and on the web.
Sure there are more accidents. More people trying to use the roads at the same moment.
What got me about your post is that you feel that Orlando has failed somehow when it hasnt.
While I do agree that Orlando has NOT failed, I do think it has been slow to act. A lot of these widening projects should have been done years ago IMO, the good thing is quite a few of them are finished but there is still a lot of work to be done. East Colonial between 417 and Bithlo comes to mind. That should have been made 6 lanes a long time ago. If they have enough room, I think it should be widened to 8 lanes. Unfortunately other roads cannot be widened without the city/county purchasing and then bulldozing millions in property to widen such roads (East Colonial between Bumby and I-4, or Sand Lake between I-4 and Dr Phillips Blvd)
One major problem with traffic in this town, and its not a solvable one is that there is a severe lack of west to east mobility there are really only 3 roads that can take you from west to east. Colonial Drive, the 408 and the 528. There are a few others that will partially get you there, but you need to connect to other roads before continuing on to your east side destination The good side to our economy and population growth flat lining is that this is a great opportunity for Orlando to catch up and once it does, a majority of our roads will be able to bear the load when growth kicks off again.
Here in far south Orlando traffic isn't too bad, there's never any congestion unless there's a MAJOR accident and there's plenty of both North-South and East-West accessibility around here. We have John Young Pkwy, Orange Blossom Trail, and Orange Ave to get us north and south, the 528, 417, and Osceola Pkwy to get us west to east. I-4 is just 10 minutes away, and the 528/Turnpike interchange is convenient as well
Back in 2005/6 they were doing a huge widening project on South OBT between Taft Vineland and the Orange/Osceola line and traffic was pretty crappy for a good while but now thats been done for a while traffic anywhere in far south Orlando always moves at a good speed, even during rush hour
So yeah, you're definitely right. Orlando has not failed at all. At least not here in the far south
20 years ago you could stand on SR 50 around Bithlo and not get hit.
There was nothing there.
20 years ago they were very busy building major highways. They did a nice job, its a beltway around the Orlando Metro area. Yes, true, right of way can get expensive. But do look at all
that did happen over the past 20 years and it certainly shows that they on the ball all the way.
They knew the real big growth was coming.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavieJ89
While I do agree that Orlando has NOT failed, I do think it has been slow to act. A lot of these widening projects should have been done years ago IMO, the good thing is quite a few of them are finished but there is still a lot of work to be done. East Colonial between 417 and Bithlo comes to mind. That should have been made 6 lanes a long time ago. If they have enough room, I think it should be widened to 8 lanes. Unfortunately other roads cannot be widened without the city/county purchasing and then bulldozing millions in property to widen such roads (East Colonial between Bumby and I-4, or Sand Lake between I-4 and Dr Phillips Blvd)
One major problem with traffic in this town, and its not a solvable one is that there is a severe lack of west to east mobility there are really only 3 roads that can take you from west to east. Colonial Drive, the 408 and the 528. There are a few others that will partially get you there, but you need to connect to other roads before continuing on to your east side destination The good side to our economy and population growth flat lining is that this is a great opportunity for Orlando to catch up and once it does, a majority of our roads will be able to bear the load when growth kicks off again.
Here in far south Orlando traffic isn't too bad, there's never any congestion unless there's a MAJOR accident and there's plenty of both North-South and East-West accessibility around here. We have John Young Pkwy, Orange Blossom Trail, and Orange Ave to get us north and south, the 528, 417, and Osceola Pkwy to get us west to east. I-4 is just 10 minutes away, and the 528/Turnpike interchange is convenient as well
Back in 2005/6 they were doing a huge widening project on South OBT between Taft Vineland and the Orange/Osceola line and traffic was pretty crappy for a good while but now thats been done for a while traffic anywhere in far south Orlando always moves at a good speed, even during rush hour
So yeah, you're definitely right. Orlando has not failed at all. At least not here in the far south
The reality is you just can't pave your way out of congestion. I4 will start a widening project soon and even after its completed its only expected to alleviate some congestion but will be far from a solution. You have to use a comprehensive transportation plan that includes roads, trains, buses, bikes ,sidewalks and car pooling to put any significant dent in the traffic problems. In the end I fear traffic and congestion is just a new fact of life.
It was just an opinion in the heat of the day after sitting unmoving in my car for over an hour. Traffic was backed up from OBT to the Longwood rest area. That's a long way especially several hours after it happened. I did not check the history of fixing the roadways to support what I said, it just doesn't seem like much has been done in the last 10 years. I am sorry if I offended anyone. I am not perfect and it is not possible for me to leave this area yet so I have to try to make the best of it. But you don't need to draw and quarter me either. What difference does it make what I think anyway? People come down here thinking the traffic is a breeze and it just isn't anymore. It used to always at least move, but now it doesn't. It is a fact that there is a real aggression problem here on the roads and I don't see where anything has changed there. On my job we cannot just get onto the "web" and we cannot listen to the news and I do not have a smartphone, so unless someone texts me I have no idea what is going on outside. I am glad to hear that something will be done about the Fairbanks turn. I live on the north side of Orlando and up here the traffic gets tight going both ways on I-4 and the rush hour extends to about 7pm. Perhaps the work centers around here could help alleviate the problem if they staggered the leaving times but when everyone leaves at 5pm it is awful. That's a real easy thing to do. When I worked in that same area 20 years ago, there weren't as many people working there. I'm working in that area again and don't see where they have done much about the traffic lights or the roads. For example they could make the left turn lanes a little longer and they could fix and sync the bad lights. They could also stop hiring hundreds of people until they have the parking room for them. And no, I'm not going to move or change jobs. It doesn't matter if I moved here last year or if I was born here, I have as much right here as anyone and longevity in a place does not make one supreme over any other. Some of us didn't move here by choice, so it's easy to get frustrated.
Even Miami is better equipped to carry their traffic load. If they can improve their infrastructure why can't we? I don't care how many people come down here if we had the roads to support all the traffic but we just don't. There just seems to be a whole lot more accidents and jack knifed tractor trailers than ever before. I was just saying that to get to my house over those 6 miles there are 3 other ways to get here that were totally log jammed with cops jutting in and out as if they could do something. There are no other ways, and I think I know my immediate area well enough to know all the different ways around. It was just as frustrating as it was in DC, Boston, or NY. From my work it is not possible to see I-4 until you are there. Telling me to move or get another job is just stupid and doesn't make people look like the friendly native Floridians of the old school. So please, just let us have our say.
Really? Is there a good backup for I-95 and US1? I don't think so. Seriously, I was in Miami last month for weekend trip and the traffic on a SUNDAY was equivalent or worse than the bad stuff we see in Orlando on friday. Orlando traffic can get bad but it's small potatoes compared to the crap and road rage/aggression that happens in Miami
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