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DOT And Toll Booth Traffic

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 24, 2008

Friday, Nov. 14, was another extraordinary day in Florida. I was fortunate to witness the flawless launch of the space shuttle Endeavour on a gorgeous moonlit evening. What happened afterward was an inexplicable, frustrating, embarrassing and dangerous ride home.

My son and I began our drive west from Cape Canaveral to Tampa at 10:15 p.m. We averaged 20 miles per hour in stop-and-go traffic for three hours. We took State Road 528 to State Road 417 and finally connected with Interstate 4 near Orlando. Little did we know that driving north to Daytona, and adding 74 miles to the trip, would have been much safer and faster.
Toll booths were the problem, just like they were 23 years ago.

I understand why tolls are collected, and I am aware of the EZ pass option. However, the creation of a major traffic jam at 1:30 in the morning can only be attributed to a lack of planning. Drivers from mile markers 20 to 60 were enraged and driving recklessly in order to outrun their fellow drivers to the next booth. Others were frazzled and fatigued, and certainly surprised those in charge left them out there on a slow roll to fend for themselves.

At the second of three toll booths along this route, the cash lanes broke to the right, but there was only a single booth out of five operating. The Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) turned a highway into major single-file gridlock to collect a dollar, compromising safety along the way.

There has been a distinct lack of progress in addressing this problem since at least 1985. Tourists and Floridians should look forward to these unique and spectacular events and not be treated with such disregard.

JEFF CATHEY

Tampa

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