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Megachurch's opening creates traffic surprise

There are more vehicles on the road around Idlewild Baptist in Lutz, but Sundays remain a light day for traffic.

By BILL COATS
Published December 11, 2005

LUTZ - Idlewild Baptist Church's move to Lutz in October significantly increased Sunday traffic on area roads, a study commissioned by Hillsborough County shows.

Although total Sunday traffic increased in Idlewild's vicinity as much as 350 percent, Sunday remained the most quiet day of the week on most roads.

The greatest changes have occurred on once-sleepy Crystal Lake Road, which became the key conduit to Idlewild from the northeast.

"It's like on Dale Mabry at five o'clock in the afternoon," said Emma Mosteller, a retired school administrator who has lived on Crystal Lake for 40 years.

The most consistent finding at every location around Idlewild was slightly lower speeds in mid November, compared with late August, the two periods when consultants logged traffic.

Cheryl N. Stacks, manager of the county's traffic calming program, attributed that change to a variety of changes the county approved in October.

Officials imposed a 25 mph speed limit on Crystal Lake, where the limits previously were 30 or 35. They installed a new stop sign where eastbound drivers reach Simmons Road. New median reflectors are being installed on all the roads. And workers painted double yellow stripes on Crenshaw Lake Road, banning passing where it previously was legal.

Stacks also acknowledged that more traffic on the narrow, curving roads may increase the chance of a lead-foot driver getting stuck behind a slower car - "the pace car effect."

But the county regards none of the roads as crowded. Engineers generally consider a two-lane road capable of carrying 15,000 vehicle trips a day. The busiest two lanes near Idlewild are on Van Dyke Road, which peaked at 11,592 trips on a Wednesday.

"These roads aren't anywhere near capacity," Stacks said. "They aren't gridlocked. There's free flow."

Stacks was at a loss to explain two surprises in the numbers.

First, Sunday traffic on Van Dyke was two-tenths of a percent lower after Idlewild opened. Idlewild hires deputies to manage the Van Dyke traffic on Sunday mornings.

Second, traffic increased significantly on Saturdays in November. It was 150 percent higher on Crystal Lake, 13 percent higher on Crenshaw Lake, and 8 percent higher on Van Dyke.

The 9,200-member Idlewild conducts a robust Saturday recreation program, but launched it years before the church buildings opened. The August "before" traffic counts should have accounted for it.

Stacks ventured that some locals may be taking Saturday trips instead of Sunday ones to dodge Idlewild traffic.

"I'm kind of scratching my head about why Saturday jumped up so much," Stacks said.

On Idlewild's first Sunday, traffic snarled in the parking lots and backed onto Dale Mabry. But the church corrected that in later weeks.

"We're thrilled with how everything has gone," said Ken Smith, the church's minister for administration.

Traffic was escalating in the area before Idlewild arrived. The roads in question, particularly Van Dyke and Crenshaw Lake, serve east-west commuters across northern Hillsborough.

"It used to be in the morning and the evening," said Ida Winn, who lives on Crenshaw Lake. "Now, it's all day."

- Bill Coats can be reached at 813 269-5309 or coats@sptimes.com

A workshop to discuss traffic-slowing measures on several Lutz roads will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lutz Elementary School, 202 Fifth Ave. SE off U.S. 41.

[Last modified December 10, 2005, 10:13:05]