Winter traffic on 19 (Tampa, Clearwater, Holiday: how much, tax, living)

[deb18]

Hi. I am moving to NPR in the not to distant future. Although I will not be living near 19 I know I will be traveling on it sometimes. In the winter how much does the traffic increase (does it double)? It was fairly busy now without the snowbirds.

[algia]

19 is always busy, and it only gets busier. Its a major artery so its never going to have easy traffic.

[LKJ1988]

It's bad all the time. And US19 is worst around NPR, and cops everywhere ready to bust ya.

[Gatornation]

Like others have said it's horrible all the time.

[MortonR]

I lived in Holiday at my inlaws from August to December a few years ago, and I found the traffic wasn't that bad on 19 for the most part.

Yes, it's heavy, but it seems to move at a good clip, and it's rare when there is an accident bad enough to stop traffic altogether.

I commuted to the Town and Country area at the time, and usually left Holiday around 6:30, which put me in T&C a little after 7:00. The return trip wasn't bad, but my hours were such that I was able to leave before the 5:00 pm rush hour, avoiding a lot of the traffic.

In that five month period there was only one time that I recall where an accident goofed things up on 19 badly enough to affect traffic. In that case I heard about it on the radio and went up through Westlake to avoid the jam.

As for the "seasonal" folks in that area, I don't recall seeing many of them until after Thanksgiving, and even then, you didn't see them during the morning rush hour. In the afternoon you would, since they were out to get the "early bird specials", but it wasn't so bad they were noticeable.

RM

[tinytrump]

RT 19 is bad in certain areas, mostly in NPR and Clearwater and Rt 60, For the life of me I do not understand some of the thinking of Pinellas traffic plans. I must travel on Nursery to 19 to go north. there is no light on Nursery so you must jam yourself on Bellair or Harn and now Harn avenue has a zillion bumps and flower gardens to keep you from driving in there at all -and I watch its own residents speeding lol... so---- you have to drive out of your way and into deeper traffic (Belcher) to get anywhere at all! Then crossing the intercostal to Tampa- has been horrible lately, we need 3 lanes but they are expanding the sideisles for runners and bicycles??? We need a 6 lane intercoastal... not more running space! Driving to Clearwater beach is ridiculous, it freezes all of RT60 for hours on any given special occasion. Have some foresight... specially spending our tax dollars.