Driving in Orlando and Miami

Driving in Orlando and Miami

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Discussion

toon10

6,140 posts

156 months

Thursday 30th June 2016
quotequote all
I drive in Florida every couple of years.

As mentioned already...

You can turn right on a red light if it's clear unless signs saying otherwise. Don't get upset when the locals toot at you for staying put on red when it's clear. I've been on autopilot and done this a couple of times. I just put my hand up to apologise and no road rage.

Roads are easy to navigate. They are all grid based North to South, East to West so as long as you know which direction you should be heading, you won't go wrong. Some roads have mile markers which are great. If you need to be somewhere and they say mile marker 8, when you're on the road you will see huge posts displaying what mile marker you're passing.

Stop signs mean stop regardless if there's anything coming or not. It's not natural to come to a stop but I'd advise sticking to the law. I've seen one or two cars get pulled for this.

I think if a school bus is displaying flashing orange lights then you are not allowed to pass. Might be worth double checking on that one though.

Be mindful that you can undertake and overtake. This stops the issue of the MLM but also introduces a new risk. If someone undertakes you in the middle and someone else overtakes, sometimes they can try to pull into the middle lane in front of you at the same time. I've seen a couple of times where two cars have tried to merge in front of me in the same lane.

The road names are suspended on wires above the road. They don't show you what road you are driving on, they show you the road that is crossing you!

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Thursday 30th June 2016
quotequote all
Allow me to chip-in with my 2c worth - I live in Orlando and my work takes me to Miami very frequently.

Most problems occur when tourists have a lapse of concentration compounded by lack of visual reference. So pulling out of parking lots on to less busy roads is often where you might find yourself on the wrong side of the road. Otherwise, I think you will find that it is very straightforward.

Things that are different:

Stopping on yellow at busy intersections - drivers behind you won't expect this - most assume that you will accelerate rather than stop. Check your mirrors for closely following traffic, before stopping on yellow.

Turning right on red - permitted unless otherwise stated. Look for 'No Turn on Red' signs, as these intersections are popular hang-outs for po-po. You must come to a complete stop before turning right on red. There are some situations where you may also turn left on red. Either way, be mindful of pedestrians, who may be in the crosswalk during your maneuver - you MUST yield to them.

Restrictions on reverse-in parking - This is a local (i.e. Orange County) ordinance and only applies to public parking lots. FL registered vehicles are not required to display a front license plate, which is why parked cars need to have the plate visible in public lots.

Pedestrians in parking lots - always have right of way (no matter how infuriating this may be) - you have to yield to them.

Stopped school busses - Info given already is broadly correct, but you are not required to stop if traveling in the opposite direction if the road has a central median wider than 20ft.

Emergency vehicles - You must yield to any vehicle displaying flashing blue/red lights. if in doubt stop, so they can get around you. FL also has a "move-over" law, which requires you to move out of the lane adjacent to the hard shoulder when approaching stopped emergency vehicles on the shoulder (either side). If you can't change lanes, you must reduce speed to 20mph below posted limit when passing stopped emergency vehicles.

Turning left at a cross roads - pass opposing vehicles doing the same maneuver on the inside (rather than driving around them, as in UK)

Bypassing intersections - it is illegal to bypass stopped traffic when making a right turn by cutting through business parking lots, gas stations etc.

Obvious routes Orlando/Miami - FL Turnpike is the fastest and simplest route - but is a toll road, so a SunPass or around $25 cash is required. It is less busy than Interstate and a more direct route - drive time is around 3 hours 30 mins. Alternative is I-95, which is free to use, less direct (despite running parallel to the Turnpike for the southern part of the route) and a lot busier - particularly south of Ft Pierce. Drive time is typically 4 hours +

Driving standards - overall are very poor, compared to Europe. In my experience, the further south you travel toward and within Miami, the more atrocious they become.

Edited by Matt Harper on Thursday 30th June 16:39

Paddymcc

929 posts

190 months

Thursday 30th June 2016
quotequote all
Bought an American sat nav for holidays in Florida last year and it was a piece of piss driving over there. I was pretty anxious about it being my first time driving on the wrong side of the road but after about 5 minutes i had adjusted.

The sat nav really helped as I could just concentrate on the road rather than worrying about finding directions from signs or maps.

andy67b

Original Poster:

61 posts

115 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Thanks to you all for some great tips and ideas.

andy67b

Original Poster:

61 posts

115 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Matt Harper said:
Allow me to chip-in with my 2c worth - I live in Orlando and my work takes me to Miami very frequently.

Most problems occur when tourists have a lapse of concentration compounded by lack of visual reference. So pulling out of parking lots on to less busy roads is often where you might find yourself on the wrong side of the road. Otherwise, I think you will find that it is very straightforward.

Things that are different:

Stopping on yellow at busy intersections - drivers behind you won't expect this - most assume that you will accelerate rather than stop. Check your mirrors for closely following traffic, before stopping on yellow.

Turning right on red - permitted unless otherwise stated. Look for 'No Turn on Red' signs, as these intersections are popular hang-outs for po-po. You must come to a complete stop before turning right on red. There are some situations where you may also turn left on red. Either way, be mindful of pedestrians, who may be in the crosswalk during your maneuver - you MUST yield to them.

Restrictions on reverse-in parking - This is a local (i.e. Orange County) ordinance and only applies to public parking lots. FL registered vehicles are not required to display a front license plate, which is why parked cars need to have the plate visible in public lots.

Pedestrians in parking lots - always have right of way (no matter how infuriating this may be) - you have to yield to them.

Stopped school busses - Info given already is broadly correct, but you are not required to stop if traveling in the opposite direction if the road has a central median wider than 20ft.

Emergency vehicles - You must yield to any vehicle displaying flashing blue/red lights. if in doubt stop, so they can get around you. FL also has a "move-over" law, which requires you to move out of the lane adjacent to the hard shoulder when approaching stopped emergency vehicles on the shoulder (either side). If you can't change lanes, you must reduce speed to 20mph below posted limit when passing stopped emergency vehicles.

Turning left at a cross roads - pass opposing vehicles doing the same maneuver on the inside (rather than driving around them, as in UK)

Bypassing intersections - it is illegal to bypass stopped traffic when making a right turn by cutting through business parking lots, gas stations etc.

Obvious routes Orlando/Miami - FL Turnpike is the fastest and simplest route - but is a toll road, so a SunPass or around $25 cash is required. It is less busy than Interstate and a more direct route - drive time is around 3 hours 30 mins. Alternative is I-95, which is free to use, less direct (despite running parallel to the Turnpike for the southern part of the route) and a lot busier - particularly south of Ft Pierce. Drive time is typically 4 hours +

Driving standards - overall are very poor, compared to Europe. In my experience, the further south you travel toward and within Miami, the more atrocious they become.

Edited by Matt Harper on Thursday 30th June 16:39
Hi Matt, on the drive down to Miami, is there anywhere worth stopping of at, any tourist attractions or anything else you could recommend? Thanks once more.

Rutter

2,070 posts

205 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
andy67b said:
Hi Matt, on the drive down to Miami, is there anywhere worth stopping of at, any tourist attractions or anything else you could recommend? Thanks once more.
A few years back we drove down to fort lauderdale for a day and on the way down stopped at the Sebring raceway and watched a little racing that was going on.

Puggit

48,355 posts

247 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
swerni said:
I just use waze, works perfectly in the US.

No need to buy a Satnav
Not everyone has unlimited data in the US wink

Nimby

4,572 posts

149 months

forest07

669 posts

204 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Puggit said:
swerni said:
I just use waze, works perfectly in the US.

No need to buy a Satnav
Not everyone has unlimited data in the US wink
I use Navmii, you download the maps/app in advance at no cost. Used it in France, Belguim and Croatia. I only have 3gb allowance on my GiffGaff. USA maps are available.

mikal83

5,340 posts

251 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Am a Floridian and a Janner. Havent seen the "move over law" mentioned yet.

The Move Over Law requires you to move over a lane or slow down to 20 MPH below the speed limit. If you are on a road where the speed limit is 20 MPH or less, you are required to slow down to 5 MPH.

The purpose of the Move Over Law is to protect law enforcement and emergency vehicle workers from being hit by vehicles passing them at high speed. If you are not in the lane closest to the stopped emergency vehicle you should be prepared to allow other drivers to move over.

My wife got done, $180 fine! She couldn't move over as there were cars in the outside lane, (DC), even tho she slowed down, the cops reckoned not by enough......ticket. OH and their lights have to be flashing.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
andy67b said:
Hi Matt, on the drive down to Miami, is there anywhere worth stopping of at, any tourist attractions or anything else you could recommend? Thanks once more.
Andy - here's a suggestion that will avoid the Turnpike and the Interstate - and will allow you to experience some real "Old Florida" that hardly any tourists get to see. This assumes you are not in a hurry though, as this suggestion will take the best part of a day.

Head south out of Orlando on S. Orange Blossom Trail at the intersection of Rt 441 in Kissimmee, head east. Go thro' St Cloud on 441 to the junction with Rt 15 and turn south on 15 and head to the delightfully named Yeehaw Junction.

At Yeehaw Junction continue south on 15 to Okeechobee, which is a small, hick town on the north shore of Lake Okeechobee - the largest body of fresh water in the southeastern US and is effectively the 'holding tank' for the FL Everglades.

Take Rt 78 counterclockwise around the lake, but be sure to stop for lunch at Lightsey's restaurant just out of town, where the Kissimmee River drains into the lake. You will not be disappointed. It's a lovely place and the food is great.

Continue on 78 around the lake to Clewiston, which is an old sugar plantation town on the south shore of the lake. Clewiston is the home of the Ah Tah Thi Ki Seminole Indian Museum - may not be of much interest to many, but I'm interested in the history of native American culture, so I enjoyed it.

From Clewiston continue south on Rt 27. This road is arrow-straight and very, very lightly used, so the temptation is to really get your boot down and blast towards the horizon through the miles and miles of sugar cane fields - but beware. A history of drug-running by avoiding the main routes from Miami north means the road is still policed vigorously by FL Highway Patrol and because the landscape is flat and featureless and the roads are straight - they can see you coming from a long way off.

As you approach the Miami-Dade metro area the road takes you through the Broward Everglades, so watch out for gators on the pavement.

This route takes you directly to Miami Int Airport, downtown and the resort areas without ever using a tollway of crowded Interstate.

Chester draws

1,412 posts

109 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Make sure you have a load of coins in the car.

We went out (to lake apopka wildlife drive) up a toll road and used up the last of our coins in a "coins only" booth.

The drive to the next was the most stressful of the whole holiday. (Luckily it was a manned booth just before our exit).

Weather was good fun too, caught a bad rainstorm and literally couldn't see more than 10 metres ahead. (Just rolled along at about 10mph till it cleared.)

shakotan

10,679 posts

195 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
HRL said:
Just remember that when you park on the street you have to be facing the same way as the traffic flows or you'll get a ticket.

I still reversed into parking bays though!
The whole 'forward/reverse' parking depends on how the car park is laid out. Mainy places, especially malls, have 'one-way' lanes and the spaces are angled towards the flow of traffic, therefore pulling in backwards would be both awkward and illogical. Those places with perpendicular spaces, you mainly see a mix of forward and reverse parking, similar to you see here (70% forward/30% reverse)

SLacKer

2,622 posts

206 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Take a look at this as Miami is a no booth area now so no opportunity to pay with cash. There is a daily charge and different rental companies have different charges and maximum charges. It does however allow you to quickly pass along the toll roads even outside Miami where there are still cash booths.

The above posts have covered pretty much everything the only thing I will add is

  • Look for flashing lights over the road these indicate that you should be ready to stop and you see them adjacent to fire stations etc. which is why you should be ready to stop of course.
  • Some exits are on the left side of the highway so check to see if yours is.
  • Mentioned earlier the sign over the road at signals is the crossing road. This can be useful if you know the road before the one you want to go left at as you can then make sure you are in the left lane. Also as mentioned earlier if you miss your turn then relax and look to do a U Turn at the next signal. U Turns are far more common in the US than over here. Also at busy signals if you want to go left and there are two lanes use the right hand of the two to avoid any potential u turners.
  • Parking spaces for the most part are scaled for big pickup trucks and any normal size car is easy to park especially with diagonal parking spaces.
  • I use copilot for nav as it requires no data and is cheap for what you get.
  • Having driven from Orlando to Miami on the toll I would say take the toll. There is less traffic than the I-95 and there are a few rest areas along the way.
  • I found that using google maps for a little prep before driving in Miami made for a much easier time even with sat nav. I didn't study every inch of the route just got a feel for the road layout at some of the intersections and anything to expect when I got back onto the surface streets,

shakotan

10,679 posts

195 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Another important one, watch when making turns at road intersections because the pedestrian crossing may be on 'WALK' allowing peds across, which you have to give way to.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
SLacKer said:
  • Look for flashing lights over the road these indicate that you should be ready to stop and you see them adjacent to fire stations etc. which is why you should be ready to stop of course.
A minor clarification that could have major ramifications.... SLacKer's advice should read, "Look for flashing amber lights over the road" - which mean proceed with caution.

Flashing red lights mean stop then proceed if it's safe to do so.

Some intersections that have flashing amber at certain times of the day may have flashing red at others.

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Matt is the lower part of the touristy area around Orange Blossom Trail still a bit dodgy ? I've never heard/seen any issues but I seem to remember you mentioning it can be a bit iffy ?

I've driven more in DFW area and California but I don't recall anything too bad in Florida, it was a bit less hectic (i.e. less tourists not knowing where they are going) out on to the west.

OP - if you are going to the parks make a careful reference (or take a picture) of where you park, seems easy when you get there but the car parks are huge and its easy to get lost and not find the car. there are usually references painted at the end of the rows or on lamposts.

As others have said either have a bunch of quarters for the toll roads or buy the sunpass thing, even from Orlando Airport or Sanford to International Drive there are tolls.

When you pick a car up make sure the air con works well, the last thing you want after trudging around a park all day is to sit in a boiling hot car that won't cool down.


Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Friday 1st July 2016
quotequote all
Crafty_ said:
Matt is the lower part of the touristy area around Orange Blossom Trail still a bit dodgy ? I've never heard/seen any issues but I seem to remember you mentioning it can be a bit iffy ?

I've driven more in DFW area and California but I don't recall anything too bad in Florida, it was a bit less hectic (i.e. less tourists not knowing where they are going) out on to the west.

OP - if you are going to the parks make a careful reference (or take a picture) of where you park, seems easy when you get there but the car parks are huge and its easy to get lost and not find the car. there are usually references painted at the end of the rows or on lamposts.

As others have said either have a bunch of quarters for the toll roads or buy the sunpass thing, even from Orlando Airport or Sanford to International Drive there are tolls.

When you pick a car up make sure the air con works well, the last thing you want after trudging around a park all day is to sit in a boiling hot car that won't cool down.
OBT or "The Trail" is a major arterial north/south route through central FL that kind of bisects the city of Orlando. South OBT - that is to say the section south of SR 50 (Colonial Drive) to its intersection with 528/FL Turnpike (about a mile south of the Florida Mall) is the proper dodgy bit. It runs through the particularly dangerous downtown neighborhood of Parramore and all of the numbered cross streets between downtown and Michigan Ave are not safe at night. There is a lot of street crime and potential for crimes against the person.
If I find myself driving in the area, I always try to leave myself an escape route - i.e. avoid getting boxed-in at intersections - and leave myself enough room to drive over the sidewalk/median if the need ever arose. My daughter policed that sector for a couple of years and it's not safe for tourists. If visiting and wanting to patronize Reigs gun-range, which is in this area, do not leave anything of value in your car.

All rental cars in this area now have SunPass, which is automatically activated as soon as you pass through a tollway - the tolls are just added to your car rental bill. Increasingly toll booths are not manned, so carry lots of quarters if you don't use the SunPass.

You can actually drive from Sanford Airport to I-Drive by using Interstate 4, so avoiding tolls, rather than 417 Greenway.

Great tip regarding photographing where you parked your car - it's also REALLY easy to lose your car at Millenia and Florida Malls, because all the parking lots look the same. It helps to memorize which door you enter the mall by, so you can exit the same way as you came in.

Dave Brand

928 posts

267 months

Saturday 2nd July 2016
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When approaching a junction make sure you're in the correct lane before the solid white line marking the lanes.

Speed limits are not well-signed & there are no national standard limits - for each state's limits see:

http://www.speed-limits.com/

Signposting in the US relies on road numbers & direction rather than place names & a road can often have multiple numbers; no problem once you get used to it. It can sometimes be a little bit confusing, as odd-numbered roads generally run north to south, even numbers east to west, so occasionally you'll be travelling, for example, northwards on a road signed "I-xx west"!