Tampa Bay Traffic Trends Monday Through Friday
What’s are the Tampa Bay traffic trends as we make our way through the work week?
A couple of things will happen soon that should make Tampa Bay area traffic improve. First, the snowbirds are on their way out. They generally leave Florida around late April and early May. This should clear the roadways somewhat as we see less tourist drivers heading out for early bird specials and enjoying attractions and leisure activities around the bay area. The second turning point will happen at the end of May once school is out. We won’t see school bus stops and carline overflow onto the road and the general traffic business that comes at school drop-off and pick up times.
The Tampa Bay area with more people moving to the beautiful Sunshine State. We’ll get a little reprieve during the summer months. But I observe some general traffic trends that happen Monday through Friday as far as commuter traffic goes. What trends do you see?
These are very touchy-feel observations, but I chat with our Traffic reporter, Pat George, and he sees some of these trends, as well.
Tampa Bay Traffic Trends During the Work Week
Is it just another Manic Monday for drivers around Tampa Bay? Not exactly. It’s not a Monday-Rush-Back-To-Work crowd on the highways. I find that traffic is lighter earlier and gets heavier as the day goes along. Maybe people are a little tired after the weekend and just starting a tick later and a little sluggish on Mondays. On Tuesdays, drivers are in a productive mindset. They hit the roads a little earlier and hit the ground running. Wednesday traffic is somewhere in between Monday and Tuesday. Thursdays are a completely different story. Drivers seem to be in a hurry. And it feels like the most congested day of the week. While some people might take a Monday or a Friday off, Thursday appears to be the day that no one is off work. At least around the Tampa Bay area, Thursday is the day where more accidents happen.
Weekend, here we come. Are drivers speeding into the weekend? Yes and no. I notice that traffic is usually light on Friday. More commuters work from home on Friday or take it off completely. But there’s a problem. It’s a mix of drivers. You’ve got your Friday lollygaggers and your speed demon crazies. It’s a dangerous driving day because these two groups don’t play nice. You’ve got crazies passing the lollygaggers in the right lane.
Bottom line, whatever day of the week you drive, be careful. And though traffic around the Tampa Bay area feels crazy, it could be worse. Ever drive on a highway in South Florida? It’s like the Autobahn. What Tampa Bay traffic trends have you observed.
