Cape Coral develops plan to alleviate congestion at traffic lights

Changing the stop lights at intersections could soon shorten commutes for Southwest Florida drivers.

Matthew Fay, of Cape Coral, said he knows how delays can happen on parts of Cape Coral roads.

“As more and more people moved down here, the traffic pretty much stays congested all year long,” Fay said.

Fay said he speculates traffic patterns in Southwest Florida could have the potential to imitate that of larger cities like Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

“All the roads have gotten more congested over the years,” Fay said.

Others, like Cape Coral resident Dan Glancey, said he empathizes with the traffic in Southwest Florida’s largest city.

“I can understand that for the commuters going to work, sure it’s crowded,” Glancey said. “But I just avoid that time of the day.”

Experts, including city traffic engineer Bill Corbett, collected data from January to March 2017 and looked at parts of Cape Coral Parkway, Santa Barbara Boulevard, Viscaya Parkway, and Nicholas Parkway — and later adjusted timing on traffic lights.

On Cape Coral Parkway, the traffic signals have changed to 73 seconds, or just over a minute, on your morning commute heading towards the bridge.

“We were able to reduce significantly (on Cape Coral Parkway), especially during the peak hour,” Corbett said.

Morning drivers have their commutes lowered by approximately two minutes on Santa Barbara Boulevard.

Corbett added drivers will not only save time, but can also expect to save money through lowered fuel and maintenance costs.

“Every vehicle hour that is saved does equate to a dollar figure,” Corbett said.

The study saved drivers more than $18 million, Corbett said.

The study cost around $230,000 and was paid for by a Lee County grant.