Luck of the light: Cars not only reason why driving in Vero Beach, Sebastian takes longer

Surprise, surprise?

If you think if takes longer to travel Indian River County roads than it did in 1999, you are correct.

At least based on comparable test runs at posted speed limits Press Journal and TCPalm journalists took 25 years apart.

I spent two weeks in mid-January trying to replicate James Kirley’s 1999 work timing trips on U.S. 1 between Brevard and St. Lucie counties, Indian River Boulevard and State Road 60 (from State Road A1A to Interstate 95).

These were the most traveled roads in 1999. Sections of them remained the busiest in 2022, according to county traffic records .

Kirley and I took four round trips, two each 10 a.m. to noon, then 4:30-6 p.m.

Driving this year could be monotonous. It wasn’t easy like when I moved here in 1985 or in 2000, when I raced from my south county home up U.S. 1 to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne with my wife in labor.

Before reading further, take the poll: Is Indian River County traffic as smooth as it was in 1999? What do you think?

How much did study show travel times increase?

More road work: Giddy over I-95-Oslo work south of Vero Beach? Don't be: Jobs, industry, growth big issues

County Road 510: Vero Beach-Sebastian: Neighbors demand change; westbound cars backed up 3 miles to A1A

Part I, Perspective: To many, Vero Beach, Sebastian traffic seems worse; or is it just a matter of perspective?

But what can you expect when a county’s population nearly doubles in 25 years from 99,000 to 174,000?

Sure, there have been road improvements, such as widening U.S. 1 from four to six lanes south of Fourth Street and 66 ^th Avenue being paved or widened from Oslo Road to the central part of the county.

Data shows my calculated increase in overall travel time ― about 16.3% — probably is as good as could be expected.

At least based on projections Chris Mora, then the county’s traffic engineer, offered Kirley in 1999. Kirley reported travel times barely changed since he did a comparable study in 1996.

“I’m a little bit surprised,” Mora said at the time. “Normally, we get a 3% to 4% increase in traffic annually on our county’s roads.”

It’s clear, based on 1998 numbers Mora provided, drivers today often are using alternate routes.

For example, Kirley and I found some of the worst traffic congestion on State Road 60 between 43 ^rd and 58 ^th Avenues, near Sam’s and Walmart.

Back then, that stretch of road saw an average of 31,940 vehicles per day. It was up to 32,398 in 2022, an increase of just 1.4% (and the seventh-busiest segment in the county). The traffic is slightly higher between 58 ^th and 66 ^th avenues.

The busiest segment on the county’s traffic volume reports in 1998 and 2022 is U.S. 1, from Oslo Road to Fourth Street. Still, average daily trips declined 12.2% over that time even though the road got an extra lane each way in 2015.

Smooth traveling about luck of the light

Perhaps in part because that stretch is so wide open, Doug MacKenzie, a traffic sergeant with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, said he clocks vehicles driving 70 to 80 mph there.

Catching speeders is “like shooting fish in a barrel,” he said.

His officers also see frequent speeding on Oslo Road, particularly out west, even before it’s been widened to four lanes toward an Interstate 95 interchange expected to open in summer 2027 .

“That’s going to be huge,” MacKenzie said. “That’s going to funnel a lot of this traffic off (of local roads).”

History shows alternative routes work, which is why construction of Indian River Boulevard in the 1980s and 1990s was huge. But it's getting busy.

Afternoon trips along the boulevard from 4th to 53 ^rd streets increased the most of any segment we traveled, by 27.6% to an average of almost 15 minutes. That’s what happens when you get stuck at more than half of traffic signals on multiple trips.

And just like Kirley, I found the number of traffic signals you hit make or break a trip. About 20 traffic signals have been added on the three routes over the past 25 years.

The greatest disparity in a single route I took was more than 9 minutes. Westbound SR 60 took 18 minutes, 28 seconds one late morning, vs. 27 minutes, 45 seconds one late afternoon.

In that longest SR 60 trip, I had to stop at 14 of 22 traffic signals, including 27 ^th Avenue, which took two cycles to get through because of traffic volume. In the shortest, I hit just four red lights.

My longest trip was more than 42 minutes, a southbound afternoon trip on U.S. 1. While the speed limit on some portions of the road is 55 mph, I averaged only 31 mph thanks to the volume of traffic and stop signals. My fastest U.S. 1 trip was six minutes quicker.

Here's a summary of what I found:

U.S. 1, 22 miles

Average travel time :

Late morning: 38 minutes, 42 seconds.

Late afternoon : 38 minutes, 22 seconds.

Both were more than 5 minutes, 16.4% and 17%, longer than in 1999.

Traffic signals : 29, six more than in 1999, just before Barber Street got a signal.

Most, least frequent red lights : Oslo Road (stopped seven of eight times). No stops at 15 ^th Place, 20 ^th Street, 38 ^th Lane or Sebastian Boulevard. I sat through two red light signals once each at Main Street and Aviation Boulevard. Roseland Road was the most frequent red light in 1999.

Other : At certain times, it was difficult to reach speed limits because of traffic volume between 17 ^th Street and 38 ^th Place, and between Sebastian Boulevard and Roseland Road

Sometimes Apple Maps recommended I take I-95; other times Indian River Boulevard.

State Road 60, 10.8 miles

Average travel time :

Late morning : 22 minutes, 29 seconds.

Late afternoon : 24 minutes, 17 seconds.

Morning was about a minute (4.7%), afternoon less than 4 minutes (18.4%) longer than in 1999.

Traffic signals : 22, about 4 more than than in 1999.

Most, least frequent red lights : 27 ^th Avenue (stopped seven of eight times, including once for two cycles). No stops at Hedden Place/Indian River Mall and 53 ^rd Avenue. I also sat through two red light signals at SR A1A. U.S. 1 was the most frequent red light in 1999.

Other : It was tough to reach speed limits at various times because of traffic volume between 14th and 58th avenues. Traffic waiting to make a left onto Indian River Boulevard backed up once to the crest of Barber Bridge.

Indian River Boulevard, 6.4 miles

Average travel time :

Late morning : 13 minutes, 26 seconds.

Late afternoon : 14 minutes, 42 seconds.

Morning was almost 2 minutes (13.8%), afternoon more than 3 minutes (27.6%) longer than in 1999.

Traffic signals : 16 southbound, 15 northbound, about double that in 1999.

Most, least frequent red lights : 17 ^th Street (stopped six of eight times). One stop each at 41 ^st and 53 ^rd Streets. 17 ^th Street was the most stopped at intersection in 1999.

Other : It was difficult to reach speed limits at various times because of traffic volume between 8 ^th and 21 ^st streets; Alma Lee Loy Bridge construction slowed southbound travel. There was relatively little traffic north of 37 ^th Street.

This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223, Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman .

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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Luck of the light: Cars not only reason why driving in Vero Beach, Sebastian takes longer