The city of Sarasota has experienced extreme difficulty developing its own traffic-management plan in recent years — and for decades. Some folks want the city to go on a "road diet," while others want to expand roadways and still others emphasize shuttle buses, ferries, bicycles and old-fashioned foot traffic.

It's no wonder, then, that solutions to regional traffic congestion have been elusive, especially when the challenges involve travel to and from Sarasota's mainland and the barrier islands. Similar conditions face mainland Manatee County (including the city of Bradenton) and the barrier islands of Anna Maria and Longboat Key.

Consider the lay of the land (and water). Significant amounts of traffic from Manatee County and unincorporated Sarasota County funnel into, and through, the city of Sarasota, which is connected to its Lido Key and St. Armands Circle by the Ringling Bridge (with a high span that was supposed to reduce congestion related to the former drawbridge, remember?). The city's island is connected, in turn, by a bridge to the town of Longboat Key.

Longboat Key is connected by a drawbridge to Anna Maria Island, which has three cities — Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria, each with its own character and plans for roads and parking. Anna Maria is linked to Manatee County by the Cortez Road drawbridge and to Bradenton by the Manatee Avenue drawbridge.

So, as the Florida Department of Transportation has been conducting a "Sarasota/Manatee Barrier Islands Traffic Study," it has examined the plans, needs and impacts of no less than eight local governments. That alone has affected the study so far, generating a vast array of proposals from the governments, and complicating assessments and proposals.

Furthermore, the analysis of traffic patterns and pursuit of solutions must take into account at least six significant points:

• There is an immense amount of through traffic on the barrier islands as well as the mainland; decisions can't be made in a vacuum.

• State government has severely limited the ability of local governments to prevent development when transportation infrastructure and systems are inadequate.

• Florida's transportation funds are insufficient.

• Despite increases in tourism during the summer and fall, seasonal traffic peaks during winter and spring, producing large swings in the volume to be accommodated.

• For reasons ranging from cultural to practical, residents and visitors alike have generally resisted mass transit to and from the islands.

• A perceived panacea — another bridge somewhere between the barrier islands and the mainland — has never gained traction over decades and has become increasingly problematic with the passage of time.

Some might view the statements of these points as pessimistic; we view them as realistic.

Innovative thinking is nonetheless welcome but proposals must be grounded in reality, which includes recognition that what happens in one locale affects what occurs elsewhere.

The Florida DOT will conduct a public workshop on the traffic study Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key.