One thing I always noticed about the Bay area was the lack of cops doing routine traffic control duties. When I lived in DC, various parts of downtown get to a gridlocked condition with DCPD on hand to stop people from blocking streets, and to help remind people to get going when the light is green or even a little before the light turns green. Here in Atlanta, I live in the Perimeter Mall area, just north of the mall. Due to the mall, and the large number of residents in Dunwoody, there are at least 7 lights within a mile diameter of the mall that from 4pm through 7pm (later during the Christmas season) have cops assisting the normal light cycle changes. This is mandatory or the area would shut down.

Now my questions are, are the local Tampa Bay police departments unaware of how they could be contributing to traffic flowing much better? Are they "underfunded" and can't afford to? Or is traffic really not that bad in the bay area?

Because the Westshore area could certainly use this type of assistance if the TPD was available.

The only traffic control I see TPD or other law enforcement doing is for private events like church services or if the lights go out.

Steve

^^
Meh too. Supposedly, they're doing traffic control for the IKEA opening.

They do that frequently in downtown, I run into it near the convention center. It's always because of a special event, but there are lots of those down here.

Normally when you get to such a huge volumn of traffic, it becomes necessary to get the cops out there to keep things flowing. I'm talking about just assisting the existing traffic light system. It really helps because if the cops see that for some reason the traffic level is lessening with the green, the cops can stop traffic in that direction and "jump" the light cycle and get the stopped traffic going. The only reason I mention this, is that several areas around the area, the Tyrone Mall area and Westshore Mall area all get a decent amount of conjestion and could use this to get things going a bit. The problems arrise with lots of people trying to get out of parking lots who can't and then try to force the issue, people who try to turn left when they shouldn't and end up blocking an intersection, people who aren't paying attention and need the extra whistle from a cop to get their head out, old folks afraid to enter an intersection because its full (but the cops know its 30 sec before the light changes and there is time and will be space available), lots of reasons to have them out there.

The worst traffic I've seen up here was about a year ago during the afternoon rush hour it rained, and it took me about 70 minutes to go one mile and there weren't any accidents or anything, just rain. This was with the cops helping the situation, I wouldn't have moved without them. When I lived in DC I took Metro everywhere, but there were many an afternoon where I got to see how much more efficient a system can work with cops around while I walked to the Metro.

Personally I think Westshore in particular could use it. DM and Kennedy is another and possibly Tyrone. But the volumn might not exist yet, I just wanted to get people's thoughts. And its something to talk about other than layoffs and failed projects.

Florida officials actually helping to relieve traffic? Ha!

^^Silly me.

I just can't see it happening, whenever there is an accident minor or major they block as many lanes as they can and I just can't think of one thing being done to relieve traffic in FL besides upgrading overdue highways and roads.