A big reason why traffic seems to bad and congestion (Miami: rental car, for sale)

[MOforthewin]

What everyone also usually fails to mention when it comes to traffic, congestion and crowds in Florida is that it's a tourist region.

So you have the residents, locals or snowbirds who live here BUT on top of that you have hundreds and thousands of visitors here on vacation as well that also makes the traffic and such even worse.

Like the Tampa metro area and Orlando for example seem a lot more crowded and worse traffic than other cities I've visited or lived in of similar size population. You have the people that live there but also thousands of tourist at any given time also on the roads.

Miami is a great example too. Not only is it a very large metro area but you have THOUSANDS of visitors also packing the roads.

That's why traffic seems worse versus other major cities like a Raleigh, or a Memphis for example. Most areas of FL you have the residents but also thousands on vacation clogging up the roads.

The traffic in Orlando for example is much worse I think compared to other similar sized metros. We all know the reason for that.

Disney owned parks in Orlando combined average about 161k visitors a DAY. That also doesn't include their competitor Universal Studios.

https://pixiedustandpassports.com/ho...-disney-world/

Around me it's easy to spot tourists. The rental car places at my local airport have a large number of Texas rental cars on the lot.

[beach43ofus]

137,600,000 visitors/yr (& growing) tend to clog things up. I love this time of year...off-season, & how the visitors pay our taxes.

FLA has 22,245,000 residents, so we have ~6:1 visitor-to-resident ratio. Most of them stay for months, not days or weeks too.

There's still a few places in FLA that are not overrun 6 months/yr w/ visitors, but the most desireable spots have become overcrowded during the season. There's no stopping it, so when it gets to be too much, it's best to move elsewhere...if you can.

We live several miles inland in a community that doesn't allow short-term rentals, which creates some space & sanity for us. We get snowbirds who own 2 homes, but very few tourists out here in feral hog habitat...the tourists stay near the beaches.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

137,600,000 visitors/yr (& growing) tend to clog things up. I love this time of year...off-season, & how the visitors pay our taxes.

FLA has 22,245,000 residents, so we have ~6:1 visitor-to-resident ratio. Most of them stay for months, not days or weeks too.

There's still a few places in FLA that are not overrun 6 months/yr w/ visitors, but the most desireable spots have become overcrowded during the season. There's no stopping it, so when it gets to be too much, it's best to move elsewhere...if you can.

We live several miles inland in a community that doesn't allow short-term rentals, which creates some space & sanity for us. We get snowbirds who own 2 homes, but very few tourists out here in feral hog habitat...the tourists stay near the beaches.

Further down the coast here in charlotte collier and lee counties short term rentals galore. Granted right now not many cause of Ian damaged many. Overall short term all over here. We also have a lot who rent for just 2 months during the coldest time of the winter. Cape coral and Naples seem to have a ton of air bnbs.

Do you think wokeness will catch up to the giant rat?? Did you see that video yesterday of that guy playing Cinderella that shop? Yet people still go there. In that same video they showed costume dresses for $450!!! The employee looked like a pedo too.someone posted a video from memorial day showing it slow at disney.

[MattMN]

Only so many things you can do with the volume of people and cars. But in the Sarasota area especially, I'm surprised how many little dead-end streets there are. There's really a lack of alternate connecting roads in a lot of places, which continually forces more cars onto 41 or the Clark/BeeRidge/Fruitville/University roads.

I also see that pattern somewhat in the Venice/North Port areas, but not as much, as there does seem to be more road alternatives in those areas.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by MattMN

Only so many things you can do with the volume of people and cars. But in the Sarasota area especially, I'm surprised how many little dead-end streets there are. There's really a lack of alternate connecting roads in a lot of places, which continually forces more cars onto 41 or the Clark/BeeRidge/Fruitville/University roads.

I also see that pattern somewhat in the Venice/North Port areas, but not as much, as there does seem to be more road alternatives in those areas.

A few years ago, there was an article in the local newspaper that listed the alternative routes used by local police to get around with less traffic.

Most of them were street that ran parallel to busier streets.

[1rainman]

I lived in a major city Cincinnati. Not much traffic unless there's a baseball game or something downtown or two rush hours like 7-8 am and 3-4 pm. Most poor people don't have cars. You can take a bus about anywhere. Some people with cars ride the bus. And the city is 150 years old so it's split into pedestrian friendly neighborhoods where you can walk to the store. People don't go out a lot or if they do they ride a bus and walk. Just congestion when people get on and off work.

Most places I go the bus system doesn't go far if they even have one. Not many places you can walk to. And bad traffic. Florida is worse due to lack of alternative routes. People here instead of working in a warehouse or factory they paint or cut grass or whatever and drive around all day. People just drive because they have nothing else to do or can't walk or take a bus anywhere.

Cincinnati most neighborhoods have a couple restaurants, bars, library in walking distance. You might pay more attention a local corner store or maybe only two restaurants in walking distance but I really liked the small neighborhoods.

All the newer places are sprawled out and you need a car to go anywhere. Unless you get lucky like living right next to 41.

They are starting to build apartments next to strip malls and stuff now though slightly better than before. It doesn't seem well thought out. Old buildings are much cooler better built too other than lacking insulation.

Cincinnati has become a ghetto but there's a few 100 year old neighborhoods they fixed up and are expensive to live in. Which are beautiful compared to modern buildings and people like being able to walk to bars and stuff.

They could make the historic district of punta Gorda or fishmens village like that if they put more stuff in walking distance like library and small grocery store. People who have nice cars and money are willing to pay a lot for neighborhoods like that as long as there's not a lot of crime or rift raft.

[1rainman]

Where I lived Elmwood place in Cincinnati its one square mile about the size of punta Gordas historic district. It was working class hillbillies working at factories they could walk to or shops.

It had on the main road bars, stores, pizza place, bowling alley. On the other side of the town a public swimming pool. A small grocery store that's been there for over 50 years. Its own police station, fire department, and library. Once a year they close off the street and have a fair. It was hillbilly heaven.
That was the 80s when I was a kid.

Train tracks are loud and pollution from factories bad but Walmart killed the local shops. Factory jobs most went to China only a few left. And every year normal people moved out, property values went down and just welfare people left. After 2000 went way down. Then it turned into Mexicans in the next neighborhood over and black people primarily in Elmwood. The fair cancelled years ago. Bowling alley, restaurants closed. Crime went way up. Trains run non stop now they used to only run a couple times a day. Neighborhoods like that are mostly dying. People move to new development that is sprawled out and requires a car.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by 1rainman

I lived in a major city Cincinnati. Not much traffic unless there's a baseball game or something downtown or two rush hours like 7-8 am and 3-4 pm. Most poor people don't have cars. You can take a bus about anywhere. Some people with cars ride the bus. And the city is 150 years old so it's split into pedestrian friendly neighborhoods where you can walk to the store. People don't go out a lot or if they do they ride a bus and walk. Just congestion when people get on and off work.

Most places I go the bus system doesn't go far if they even have one. Not many places you can walk to. And bad traffic. Florida is worse due to lack of alternative routes. People here instead of working in a warehouse or factory they paint or cut grass or whatever and drive around all day. People just drive because they have nothing else to do or can't walk or take a bus anywhere.

Cincinnati most neighborhoods have a couple restaurants, bars, library in walking distance. You might pay more attention a local corner store or maybe only two restaurants in walking distance but I really liked the small neighborhoods.

All the newer places are sprawled out and you need a car to go anywhere. Unless you get lucky like living right next to 41.

They are starting to build apartments next to strip malls and stuff now though slightly better than before. It doesn't seem well thought out. Old buildings are much cooler better built too other than lacking insulation.

Cincinnati has become a ghetto but there's a few 100 year old neighborhoods they fixed up and are expensive to live in. Which are beautiful compared to modern buildings and people like being able to walk to bars and stuff.

They could make the historic district of punta Gorda or fishmens village like that if they put more stuff in walking distance like library and small grocery store. People who have nice cars and money are willing to pay a lot for neighborhoods like that as long as there's not a lot of crime or rift raft.

Cinci also doesn't have the tourists that places like Tampa or Orlando have. Even if it's a similar size city.

Fisherman's Village I dunno what will become of it. The current owner is selling the place. He's from Arizona and owns proprties all over the country. He's getting sued by investors now apparently for selling it. Village Fishmarket just left, and Harpoon Harry's is leaving too which will leave a HUGE void there.

Even if the Sunseeker resort rooms end up not selling well in the long run, you will still have all those new shops and restaurants right across the bridge that will be more popular.

Makes me wonder if Fisherman's Village sells they'll just end up putting in condos or a hotel there and keep the dock.

When the current owner didn't get approved for the massive remodel he put the place up for sale.