traffic

[pepper]

I heard traffic on 98 is real bad during 'season'... like stories of taking 1.5 -2 hrs to get from FWB to 30-a?
I'm not from here but will be soon, and i ask:
When, exactly, is considered 'season'?
How bad IS the traffic, and how far east/west does it extend?
Do people with motorcycles get to 'cheat' the traffic in FL?

[Smiling JOe]

At the right (or is it "wrong") time of day, it can take that long to get from FWB to SoWal, but SoWal, never gets bumper to bumper on hwy 98, to the east of Sandestin. Motorcycle drivers are required to follow the rules of the road in all states. If they don't, they risk an accident and or a ticket.

[scooterbug44]

We are a little spoiled about traffic down here, so bear in mind our "traffic" would be the equivalent of answered prayers for folks dealing w/ the Dan Ryan or similar on a daily basis. Yes, it could take 1.5-2 hours to travel that distance, but it already takes more than an hour to travel that distance anyway if you are going the speed limit etc.

There are some times when there is traffic at a standstill - mainly the daily "rush hour" commutes or checkout/in days on 98 or 331 or accidents during tourist beach time - but in general our "traffic" just means you take a little longer to get there or take a shortcut to avoid the major traffic areas.

With the exception of accidents or special events, you know when there will be traffic and just avoid it, just like you would avoid a college street on a football weekend etc.

Motorcycles don't get to cheat.

[30abob]

I just recently moved to SoWal, June 1st of 2007 - I think that qualifies as "in season." After hearing horror stories about the traffic prior to moving here I was not surprised and actually thought it wasn't as bad as I expected. Having experienced many hours of driving in Atlanta (pick any season you want), traffic was heavy and inconvenient but not unbearable. I'm sure someone that only has previous traffic levels of SoWal (the good ole days) to compare to must think it's horrible.

I will say that starting around 2:30 PM, any day it rains, during the summer Hwy 98 is considered a "NO FLY ZONE!"

[Smiling JOe]

I'm not typically a speeder, but if I hit the traffic lights just right and traffic is light, I make it from Grayton to Ft Walton in 45 minutes. I have spent 2 hours in traffic going from Sandestin Resort to the west end of Destin. If it is raining in the summer, look out -- 98 will be terrible. Good news is that the strip from Sandestin to west end of Destin is on the road project list to expand from 4 to 6 lanes.

[pepper]

thanks for the responses.
i live in the Houston metro, up north. I drive north on I-45 16 miles to work, from the suburb of Spring up to The Woodlands. I typically make it to work in 15 minutes, 20-25 if there's rush hour traffic. So, spoiled that i've been, i'd like to keep the short commute if i move to Florida.

From everything i gather, it seems it would make sense for me to live east of Sandestin and not west. I really enjoyed everything up and down 30-a while i was there, i wonder how far east down 30-a i could live and still be within a 30 minute commute to Sandestin/Grand Blvd?
another thing to consider, i'm a 30 yr old single male who would like to occasionally have something to do after 9 pm, is there any neighborhood/area that seems to appeal to someone like me?

[Smiling JOe]

You could easily get to Sandestin from the east end of 30A in thirty minutes. Getting into the resort can take a while.

[scooterbug44]

another thing to consider, i'm a 30 yr old single male who would like to occasionally have something to do after 9 pm, is there any neighborhood/area that seems to appeal to someone like me?

Do you have teeth?

If you find that neighborhood/area, please let me know its location!

[Jdarg]

If you mean "cheat" by zipping in and out between slower cars, then please don't do that around my car. It is not just annoying, it is dangerous and startles me. I usually have 2 kids in my car and don't want their safety compromised, or see a "cheater" rider smeared all over the road. People that drive this way need to think of other people, not just themselves and getting their thrills.

[elgordoboy]

thanks for the responses.
i live in the Houston metro, up north. I drive north on I-45 16 miles to work, from the suburb of Spring up to The Woodlands. I typically make it to work in 15 minutes, 20-25 if there's rush hour traffic. So, spoiled that i've been, i'd like to keep the short commute if i move to Florida.

From everything i gather, it seems it would make sense for me to live east of Sandestin and not west. I really enjoyed everything up and down 30-a while i was there, i wonder how far east down 30-a i could live and still be within a 30 minute commute to Sandestin/Grand Blvd?
another thing to consider, i'm a 30 yr old single male who would like to occasionally have something to do after 9 pm, is there any neighborhood/area that seems to appeal to someone like me?

Do you have teeth?

If you find that neighborhood/area, please let me know its location!

scooterbug has it right. Have you got a preference on underarm hair?

[SGB]

From everything i gather, it seems it would make sense for me to live east of Sandestin and not west. I really enjoyed everything up and down 30-a while i was there, i wonder how far east down 30-a i could live and still be within a 30 minute commute to Sandestin/Grand Blvd?
another thing to consider, i'm a 30 yr old single male who would like to occasionally have something to do after 9 pm, is there any neighborhood/area that seems to appeal to someone like me?

Definitely live east of Sandestin. To ensure your commute is less than 30 minutes, I recommend staying west of 395. Can't help you with the single hot spots. The only thing I could recommend is to stay close to Grayton and the Red Bar.

The traffic during "season" can get bad, but nothing like the big cities. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you have to commute to FWB every day.

[scooterbug44]

scooterbug has it right. Have you got a preference on underarm hair?

OMG, that is hilarious! Is this a common complaint from the area males? Have not noticed, but I guess I am more likely to be looking somewhere besides other women's pits .

[kathydwells]

A bad day stuck in traffic in the 30-A area, is better than a good day stuck in traffic where I live.

[SWGB]

OMG, that is hilarious! Is this a common complaint from the area males? Have not noticed, but I guess I am more likely to be looking somewhere besides other women's pits .

I don't know, obviously from my name you might get that I wouldn't be staring at women's underarms either. However, some of the gulls out there have hair that just reaches out and .

[Smiling JOe]

OMG, that is hilarious! Is this a common complaint from the area males? Have not noticed, but I guess I am more likely to be looking somewhere besides other women's pits .

What's wrong with hippie chicks? I really never understood why women shave their pits. Who was the first to do that and what made them think to do it?

[scooterbug44]

I wasn't saying there was anything wrong with it, I just thought it was a funny flip side to my "got teeth" question.

Don't have a name for the first woman to use a razor or other method, but I think it might have been the ancient Egyptians who started the "bald is beautiful" trend.

[elgordoboy]

It probably had to do with the nobility separating itself from the peasantry. Maybe having leisure time to smooth legs and pits was a status symbol. The opposite was true in Mexican culture I have read. The indigenous Indians were mostly hairless (arms, legs, etc...), so the Mexican upper class women didn't shave those areas so as to differentiate.

[SWGB]

Doesn't it reduce persperation?

[Smiling JOe]

No. it doesn't reduce perspiration.

[scooterbug44]

Don't know what is worse - the fact that I just read the Wikipedia entry on hair removal to answer the perspiration (yes it can)/egyptian (for bugs) question (so many things I didn't EVER need to know on there) or that we went from traffic issues to armpits in such a sort time frame.

[pepper]

You could easily get to Sandestin from the east end of 30A in thirty minutes. Getting into the resort can take a while.

fortunately, i won't have to actually enter the 'resort', and don't plan to, ever.

[pepper]

Do you have teeth?

If you find that neighborhood/area, please let me know its location!

i don't know what's more pathetic, the fact that i'm generally considered a pretty intelligent person but i'm not understanding the meaning behind your humor.........or the fact that your 'signature' might apply to this situation but i'm still not understanding the meaning behind your humor. the only thing i can figure is most of the rural panhandle Florida types typically get all domesticated and married a little earlier than the age of 30? no offense to anyone if that's not it.....

[pepper]

If you mean "cheat" by zipping in and out between slower cars, then please don't do that around my car. It is not just annoying, it is dangerous and startles me. I usually have 2 kids in my car and don't want their safety compromised, or see a "cheater" rider smeared all over the road. People that drive this way need to think of other people, not just themselves and getting their thrills.

1) i don't own a motorcycle, nor have i ever, although i learned to ride them when i was young, and i happen to just like them.
2) as a former school bus driver of 4 years and a professionally trained performance driver on 'closed circuit' race tracks, i'm certainly not one to endorse or encourage recklessness on public roads or endangering anyones safety, ever.

my question was oriented towards state law, for the most part. for example, in California, it is perfectly legal and acceptable for motorcycles to safely use the dotted line marker as their own lane between lanes of 4-wheeled traffic.

[Jdarg]

1) i don't own a motorcycle, nor have i ever, although i learned to ride them when i was young, and i happen to just like them.
2) as a former school bus driver of 4 years and a professionally trained performance driver on 'closed circuit' race tracks, i'm certainly not one to endorse or encourage recklessness on public roads or endangering anyones safety, ever.

my question was oriented towards state law, for the most part. for example, in California, it is perfectly legal and acceptable for motorcycles to safely use the dotted line marker as their own lane between lanes of 4-wheeled traffic.

OMG!!!I would panic if a motorcycle came between me and the car in the other lane, riding on the dotted line! I'm thinking road pizza.....

BTW- the references to armpit hair on a thread about traffic is perfectly normal here. Multitasking.

[seaside2]

1) i don't own a motorcycle, nor have i ever, although i learned to ride them when i was young, and i happen to just like them.
2) as a former school bus driver of 4 years and a professionally trained performance driver on 'closed circuit' race tracks, i'm certainly not one to endorse or encourage recklessness on public roads or endangering anyones safety, ever.

my question was oriented towards state law, for the most part. for example, in California, it is perfectly legal and acceptable for motorcycles to safely use the dotted line marker as their own lane between lanes of 4-wheeled traffic.

If memory seves me right, they calll it "white lining", I suppose because they go so fast, the dotted white lines eperating lanes bercopmes a blur. When lil seaside lived out there and I saw this for the first time, I mearly lost it. Sacred the poop out of me!! She explained it to me and warned me to always be on the lookout for these maniacs. You spend so much time looking in the rearview mirrors that you can hardly watch the traffic ahead of you (Which is either dead stopped or going 85 mph). Those people are crazy!!!

[scooterbug44]

i don't know what's more pathetic, the fact that i'm generally considered a pretty intelligent person but i'm not understanding the meaning behind your humor.........or the fact that your 'signature' might apply to this situation but i'm still not understanding the meaning behind your humor. the only thing i can figure is most of the rural panhandle Florida types typically get all domesticated and married a little earlier than the age of 30? no offense to anyone if that's not it.....

It wasn't a commentary on you or your marital status, but the local dating pool. Unmarried, not on drugs, employed and with teeth is rarer than I'd like.

[canoehead]

OK I'm not sure why I feel the need to comment on this, but the question of perspiring more with/without shaving - I find that not shaving means that anti perspirant doesn't stick as well, so it sure feels like I'm perspiring more!

[elgordoboy]

It wasn't a commentary on you or your marital status, but the local dating pool. Unmarried, not on drugs, employed and with teeth is rarer than I'd like.

A/s/l? I'm steady on 2 of the 4..and sometimes have 3 out of the four working at the same time. I can maintain all 4 for whole days at a time!!

[scooterbug44]

A/s/l? I'm steady on 2 of the 4..and sometimes have 3 out of the four working at the same time. I can maintain all 4 for whole days at a time!!

What does A/s/l mean?

Thanks for proving my point on the criteria.

[elgordoboy]

What does A/s/l mean?

Thanks for proving my point on the criteria.

Something I used to see in my early days of gaming. A/S/L? Age/sex/location. Online gaming that was often the first thing out of someone's "mouth". It was used rather obnoxiously then.

[Hollibird]

Pepper. in season will start about march through september. There are a lot of people here for spring break, and then it gets busier from there. Tommy's Bank is bank of America in downtown Destin. It literally took me 2 hours to drive to the bank and back which was about 17 miles away. I am not sure about traffic going east. I wish you would bring Kertie with you!