HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Traffic surrounding the Tampa Trader Joe’s is creating issues for people living and working in the area, with traffic often backing up around the corner as people try to pull in and park at the grocery store.
Neighbors told ABC Action News they often get stuck at home because they can't pull out of their driveways.
“We have a front gate that we are supposed to go in and out of normally, but it's right at the end of the Trader Joe's parking lot,” Tom Poole said.
Poole lives right next door to Trader Joe's. He said he has to use his back gate to avoid the traffic.
He's also the HOA president in the area and said the traffic issues are a common topic of conversation amongst neighbors.
Emma Westphall works at South Beach Tanning Company right next to Trader Joe’s. She said she has a front-row seat to the road congestion that surrounds the parking lot, and she has witnessed a few car accidents.
“A lot of times, it gets really backed up on the corner, like when people are trying to turn and always causing traffic,” Westphall said.
Daniel Ringhoff works about a mile away from Trade Joe’s. He buys his lunch there during his break and used to drive to pick it up.
"It got to the point where it was impossible to get in on time to actually have a lunch, so I switched to walking here," Ringhoff said.
Walking a mile there and back is faster than driving for Ringhoff because of the traffic.
Many people in the area told ABC Action News that they want to see change. We reached out to Trader Joe’s, but they declined to comment.
The City of Tampa said they are aware of the situation and are working to find solutions. They reached out to Trader Joe’s and will discuss the issue next month during the city council meeting.
