Case Study: Longboat Key achieves actionable insights into peak‑season congestion with Urban SDK

Tracking historical speeds to understand peak and offseason movement trends in Longboat Key, Florida

Longboat Key, a roughly 10-mile island off Florida’s west coast whose population swells from about 8,000 to 20,000 in winter, faced chronic congestion on its single main artery (Gulf of Mexico Drive) and only two ingress/egress points. To better understand when and where delays occurred, Longboat Key engaged Urban SDK — using Urban SDK’s platform and Planning Team to conduct a Historical Speed Study.

Urban SDK analyzed historical travel-time data and delivered a speed report, dashboards and map visualizations that made patterns easy to interpret. The study found a 4% average increase in a.m. peak travel-time delay (2018–2022) versus a 1.6% decrease in p.m. peak delay, with the southern corridor up 5.6% compared to 1.5% in the north; peak congestion was typically Wednesdays and Fridays (8am–6pm) with Saturdays extending to 9pm, worst during Feb–Apr and lightest in Aug–Sep. Urban SDK’s reports gave Longboat Key officials clear, actionable insights into peak-season and event-related congestion.

Longboat Key