Tampa: how bad is traffic?

Unless things change I'm going to Macdill. The only information I have about the area is what the internet has graced me with

How bad is traffic?

What areas should I look into if I want to ride a bicycle or 250cc scooter/motorcycle to work?

Also have a wife and 2 kids (2yr old and a 7 month) and would like to make sure we live in a decent area where they can go walking without feeling unsafe. Being near the water would be a plus since my family likes to go fishing. Would also like a place where I can go trail running on a regular basis without having to drive there. I've used this website (http://www.getactivetampa.com/cyclingtampabayinfo.html) as a guide, and the San Antonio area seems to be what I'm looking for. The only problem is the 80mile round trip everyday to work lol.

I've emailed a few real estate people, but they just want to sell me a house obviously. I have no plans on buying anything for at least a year.

 

I've never lived in Tampa, but I've been in and out of there a whole bunch of times for work. You have an uphill battle to find what you're looking for without sitting in traffic. Unless you can fly or boat to work, 80 mile commutes are gonna suck.

Tampa Traffic cams: http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/traffic/traffic-cams.html

Maps.google.com has a real-time traffic feature. Bridges define much of the traffic, as you can never have enough of them.

Check these sites out during morning and evening commutes, and at peak shopping hours on the weekends. Summer season traffic is noticeable, especially near the airport.

 

Traffic sux in Tampa. It's really bad

 

orlando sucks too. All the major cities suck. too many idiots now a days

 

I made the Dale Mabry drive from North Tampa to HCC everyday a few years ago. Dale Mabry to Hillsborough to campus was the bane of my existence. Just don't be in a rush to go anywhere and be merciful and you'll be fine.

 

I can get around orlando just fine.

 

Lived in Tampa my whole life, the traffic in the Tampa area and outlying suburbs sucks ass. Great place to live though. Check out Valrico and the Fishhawk area. Nice suburbs. Also check out North Tampa around the Lutz area.

 

I grew up in Lutz. Love the area!

 

Sorry to say OP, I don't want to "break your speed", but traffic in Tampa sucks, as others above have already mentioned. There is no easy way to get to McDill, no matter where you are coming from.
I am in Sarasota (about 1 hour south) where traffic is a breeze, but I sometimes go to Tampa for work and everytime remind myself not to do it too often.
However, that being said, traffic is bad in most cities, so other than traffic the Tampa Bay Area is the best place to be. Lots of water, beaches, attractions etc. You will really enjoy living here.

 

Went to USF and lived there for 10 years. Traffic sucked then and still does. Malfunction junction, new tampa, downtown and I-4 all suck during the times you need to be somewhere.

 

I'm a pretty patient guy, and growing up in Houston I learned to ride a bicycle everywhere. Is that town bicycle friendly (ie: has plenty of sidewalks or bicycle only lanes)?

I'll definitely look into the 3 areas mentioned above. Just doing a quick mapquest search looks like Fishhawk would be the best place to go if I want to be near the water. Basically a straight shot from there to Gibsonton.

What about the suburbs like Clearwater, Largo, Pinella Park and such? I noticed on the map that I-275 is pretty close, and mapquest says I can take Gandy Blvd N to work.

 

Yes downtown, south tampa, bayshore, the area around the base. All pretty bicycle friendly

 

What about the suburbs like Clearwater, Largo, Pinella Park and such? I noticed on the map that I-275 is pretty close, and mapquest says I can take Gandy Blvd N to work.[/QUOTE]

I live in Clearwater & work in Tampa/Ybor City. it's 21 miles to work & it takes me 30 minutes in the morning at 6 to get there & 45 min to an hr to get home at 3:30. Macdill is about 30 miles from me & it doesn't take much longer to get there I've been there a few times for the air shows.
Clearwater is like any other place it has good areas & bad areas. There are a few trails around here & we are between the gulf & bay for fishing. Pinellas park is kinda trashy IMO & Largo is so so.