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Letter to the editor

Toll booths not to blame

Dr. Delay Navigating South Pinellas

By Dr. Delay
Published March 2, 2008

Some motorists have been noticing increasing traffic jams at the toll booths connected to the Pinellas Bayway. It has become common on weekends for westbound traffic to back up to the Interstate 275 exit. Most of this can be attributed to the time of year and the influx of seasonal beach-dwellers.

But some readers say that volume aside, bridge openings and slow movement through the toll booths exacerbate the congestion. One reader contacted us with a question about the SunPass-dedicated lanes, which he views as part of the problem.

Bob Wilder wrote: "Having moved from Tampa to what I thought was less traffic, I have been amazed at how poorly traffic is managed on Tierra Verde, especially on weekends. The main problem area seems to be that the toll booth is the only one with a dedicated Sun Pass lane which opens when you slow to the posted 25 mph. However, it is practically worthless because only a few cars can fit into the lane. The other two toll booths have no dedicated SunPass lane and make SunPass owners stop like everyone else."

We contacted the folks at Florida's Turnpike Enterprise and passed along Wilder's comments. We heard back from Christa Deason, who told us that all the lanes on the Pinellas Bayway are equipped to handle SunPasses and the SunPass-only lanes process about 1,500 vehicles an hour. The speed of the opening and closing of the gates at the toll booths is set to discourage tollbooth-runners and to provide for the safety of the tollbooth workers by slowing the traffic moving through the plazas.

According to Deason, traffic on the Bayway system is split pretty much 50-50 between SunPass and cash customers on weekdays, but with the influx of weekend sun-seekers, more customers pay cash on the weekends, so the lanes that take cash are important. Bottom line: There isn't enough consistent SunPass traffic to warrant an additional SunPass-only lane. Deason also said that there's not enough space to add an extra SunPass lane because to do so would require a lot more room for vehicles exiting the toll plaza to merge back into traffic lanes.

Tierra Verde

A SunPass traffic perk

Another interesting point from the SunPass folks is that the transponders are issued to beach residents at a reduced rate and they were never intended to deter congestion for the locals, although at times it does.

St. Petersburg

Parking meters coming

St. Petersburg's City Council has approved the purchase of 400 new parking meters that will be installed along Beach and Bayshore Drives downtown between First Avenue S and Fifth Avenue N. The meters will also be installed on the Pier approach and Fifth Avenue N by the Renaissance Vinoy Resort.

The new meters will allow motorists to pay for two or three hours of parking - a nice change from the current 90-minute limits on the spaces, albeit one we have to pay for. Joe Kubicki, the city's director of transportation and parking, says the meters will help with turnover for the retail businesses in the area.

"Right now, people tend to stay a lot longer in those spaces, so adding the meters will likely help out the businesses along those corridors, Kubicki said.

City workers will begin to install the meters in the next few months, and Kubicki said signs will be posted to alert motorists in advance of the meters going live.

St. Petersburg

Click here for city plans

If you're wondering whether speed humps or roundabouts are in the offing for your neighborhood, you can check out the city's traffic plans online www.stpete.org/trafficplans.htm to view a color-coded map of your neighborhood illustrated with proposed or planned traffic-calming measures.

Until next week, happy and safe motoring!

Please e-mail Dr. Delay at docdelay@yahoo.com to share your traffic concerns, comments and questions.

[Last modified March 3, 2008, 06:33:20]