Traffic is one of biggest complaints in Tampa during RNC

TAMPA, Fla. — The downtown area in Tampa is similar to uptown Charlotte in that the area is pretty compact, and the convention center and the arena are very close together.

And this week for the RNC, many of the roads are closed down.

The traffic there this week has been one of the biggest complaints by visitors and locals.

Eyewitness News has been driving around the area to get to the venues. At times, we've spent hours trying to go just a couple of miles, from one side of the downtown to the other.

Part of the problem is that there are many streets that are one-way only.

Also, police and the Secret Service have several checkpoints close to the arena and convention center. That's the security zone, so they're very thorough about who gets in.

Initially, it seemed like the local police department and the Secret Service weren't on the same page as far as getting people to where they needed to be and which roads were closed or open. That has gotten better from day to day.

The same kind of security will be set up in Charlotte.

People there from the Queen City for the convention worry that traffic in uptown next week for the DNC will be just as bad.

“I don't think they have ever seen the kind of law enforcement presences that's going to be there, and with the road closures and the fences, it's really going to be make it tough to navigating around Charlotte,” Wayne King said.

Eyewitness News asked Charlotte-Mecklenburg police if they've noticed the traffic concerns there. Chief Rodney Monroe has said he has, and thinks that will be the biggest challenge for people in Charlotte next week. But he said his team is working to minimize that.

WSOC