On any given Friday or Saturday night, the hustle and bustle of the South Howard Avenue in Tampa is clear. SoHo, as its called, is making its mark as one of the area's primary destinations for dining, drinking and living.

"I just love it," said Chris Phillips. "I mean, there's so much to do down here. We have Bayshore, Hyde Park, all the bars and restaurants. It's just a great atmosphere. It's the place to be."

But as SoHo's popularity grows, so does its traffic troubles.

Both residents and visitors alike complain about rough roads, traffic jams, a lack of parking and pedestrian safety.

"Every time we want to go out down here, we either have to get here super early so we can get a parking space, or pay 10 bucks to park somewhere or risk being towed if we park somewhere illegal," said Elizabeth Rayohm.

People said the problems get even worse after dark.

Some businesses, like Yard of Ale, said parking for their patrons is at a premium.

Managers said they're having to come up with creative ways to find places for all the cars to go.

"We utilize a lot in the back -- it fits about 20 cars comfortably, and then there's a few businesses that are shut down during the night time that we are also able to utilize their lots," said Amy Tsang, General Manager of Yard of Ale.

After hearing complaints from residents and business owners, the city of Tampa is stepping in.

It plans to hire a consulting firm to do a study on ways to make the street less congested and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Residents already have some ideas about things they'd like to see considered.

"I was hoping they were going to build a parking garage somewhere. That would be lovely," said Sonya Herring.

"Garages would be good and also green traffic arrows," said Laura Manke.

City officials said some fixes could come quickly while other things will require more time and money.

Residents said they do have hope for a long-term solution.

"I think that small steps can make great improvements," said Manke.

The city expects the study to take about four months to complete.