Walking!

[Kath2003]

A bit radical, I know

We're not going to have a car in Orlando for financial reasons, and so we'll be relying on public transport and the free shuttles provided by our hotel.

We are staying at the BW Plaza on I-Drive. We're arriving on the Saturday afternoon. On the Sunday, we're booked in for Discovery Cove. Our hotel is approximately 2 miles (according to the legendary Google Maps) from Discovery Cove/Sea World. We would like to get to Sea World/DC for 8:30am. The I-Ride Trolley does not begin operation until 8am. Since it is cool at this time of the morning, and we are car-less students, used to walking anything between two and ten miles a day everyday, we'd like to walk.

Is it safe to walk down I-Drive? Does this vary with the time of day? We would also like to go to the Publix on Sand Lake Road (about a mile away) for various things, and walk to restaraunts within 2-3 miles. We'll be two 21-yr-old girls travelling alone. We will have panic alarms and we really don't have anything worth taking so we definitely won't be "flashing our bling"

Interested to see what people think.

Kath xx

 

[kaytieeldr]

There are probably sidewalks on I-Drive, so walking should be safe. Or you could see what time the Lynx buses start running - since that's public transportation, I bet it's early. www.golynx.com

 

[AllyBri]

Interested to see what people think.

Kath xx[/QUOTE]

That is an awful lot of walking and I don't think it is all that safe to be walking around that area at such "odd" hours (bling or no bling)
Could you possibly give up some of the other things you were planning and rent a car?
As a Mom, I would be very worried about the two of you.

 

[Kath2003]

Renting a car, with gas and parking fees and the young-drivers premium would cost around $300 for the week. We don't have $300 and I don't see where we could get it from.

We wouldn't be walking around at odd hours. We'd be walking around between 8am and 6pm. How are there not sidewalks? Surely not everyone in the entirety of Orlando drives everywhere?

With respect to it being a lot of walking, I live 1.5 miles from work and 1.5 miles from University. So, if on an average day I have one shift at work and two classes, that's 9 miles in round trips. Walking a few extra miles a day on top of that is no biggie.

The Lynx website is great and I know all the bus routes etc. The problem is, it doesn't list STOPS. It lists the MAIN stops. Now, there's a stop AT Sea World, but it doesn't say if there's a stop anywhere near our hotel. How would I find that out?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I have walked on I Drive near your hotel, so I know that there are sidewalks. It appears that your hotel is about 1 mile from the Covention Center - a perfectly safe place to walk. I would not hesitate to walk on this road, especially with two of you. It's not like it is a dark deserted street in a bad part of town!

I would be concerned about the hotel itself - it has gotten terrible reviews at tripadvisor.com.

Call the hotel about the bus stops. Someone there should know.

 

[Kath2003]

I have walked on I Drive near your hotel, so I know that there are sidewalks. It appears that your hotel is about 1 mile from the Covention Center - a perfectly safe place to walk. I would not hesitate to walk on this road, especially with two of you. It's not like it is a dark deserted street in a bad part of town!

I would be concerned about the hotel itself - it has gotten terrible reviews at tripadvisor.com.

Call the hotel about the bus stops. Someone there should know.

Thanks for that. Yes, we have seen the reviews on trip advisor - they have gotten worse since we booked. Unfortunately, it was about the only thing on I-Drive in our price range with free Disney shuttles. We've booked and so we'll just make the best of it - we've been slumming it in student digs for 2 years so it really can't be worse than the house I'm currently living in I assure you (and it's not that much more expensive to stay at the BW! )

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

we've been slumming it in student digs for 2 years so it really can't be worse than the house I'm currently living in I assure you

It should be fine then!

Have a good trip.

 

[AllyBri]

Renting a car, with gas and parking fees and the young-drivers premium would cost around $300 for the week. We don't have $300 and I don't see where we could get it from.


It was just a thought.

Have a great trip.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Take a cab instead of walking. You'll have some pretty busy intersections to cross. If you can afford Discovery Cove, you should be able to afford a cab.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Take a cab instead of walking. You'll have some pretty busy intersections to cross. If you can afford Discovery Cove, you should be able to afford a cab.

I agree.

Also, it's really good to get to Discovery Cove when the park first opens. You'll be scheduled for an earlier dolphin session, and you'll have more time to enjoy all that Discovery Cove offers. A small investment in cab fare could pay big dividends in a longer, fuller day at Discovery Cove.

 

[Kath2003]

Discovery Cove was a gift to us and not part of our vacation budget, so no, taking a cab to Discovery Cove is too expensive, we can't afford it, so it's either walking or a bus.

 

[Twende]

We have used the LYNX buses before. They are very nice and the drivers are helpful.

It seems to me that there are bus stops every 1/4 mile of so all along that road. If you tell the driver where you want to go they can help you know what stop to use.

Enjoy your trip. You will have a great time!

 

[Kath2003]

We have used the LYNX buses before. They are very nice and the drivers are helpful.

It seems to me that there are bus stops every 1/4 mile of so all along that road. If you tell the driver where you want to go they can help you know what stop to use.

Enjoy your trip. You will have a great time!

Thanks! I never thought that using public transportation or even wanting to WALK somewhere would be discouraged by so many people! I walk EVERYWHERE here - to the supermarket to get my groceries, to University, to the library, to town, to restaraunts, bars, clubs, the bus station even if I have to go more than four miles! I thought that people would y'know, be ENCOURAGED to use public transport and their own legs to get around Orlando with the traffic being the way it is but I guess I was wrong!

 

[ptrbryant]

as you may have noted from other posts here. I'm a rare American in that I don't drive (!!!)...I had vision issues with depth perception and now, I just have to get used to driving--which is harder to do once you're an adult.

I used to live in Philadelphia and, like you, could walk just about everywhere and did. Then, we moved to Kentucky and it's much more difficult...no public transport at all and everything spread out. I've also gained 10-20 lbs. just from being so much more sedentary than I ever have been in my life!

That said, I have read awful news stories about pedestrians getting hit by cars in Orlando---not a terribly rare occurance, unfortunately. I would ONLY walk where there are sidewalks and clear pedestrian-crossing signs---even then, I'd be on the defensive because it seems FL drivers just aren't looking for pedestrians.

Good luck and have a great trip!

Karla B.

 

[Kath2003]

Isn't it illegal to cross the road other than on a designated crossing?

 

[NotUrsula]

How are there not sidewalks? Surely not everyone in the entirety of Orlando drives everywhere?

Well, yes, actually, they pretty much do. The US in general is not pedestrian-friendly, outside of a very few major cities (NYC, Boston, Chicago, Seattle come to mind).

Very few of the major roads in the tourist areas of Orlando have sidewalks, though I-Drive does have them in the area where you are staying. (If I remember correctly, the sidewalks end where the Beeline highway flyover crosses I-Drive; I don't think that there are sidewalks south of that point. That point, BTW, is just south of where one would turn off of I-Drive to go to Sea World.)

Walking *along* I-Drive you will be fine; where you will go into danger is in attempting to cross it, or any other major street (most especially Kirkman Rd., which you would have to cross to reach USIOA on foot.) In the UK you are used to having the right of way at designated cross-walks. The sort of designated cross-walks you are used to do not exist in Orlando, and drivers do not respect what crosswalks there are, which are all at traffic lights. US drivers may turn right on a red light unless there is a posted sign forbidding it, and most will do so without checking to see if there is a pedestrian crossing the road. I would tell you to look at the cars for the blinking turn signal lights near the fender before you start to cross, but they often don't use their signals, either, so that cannot be counted upon for safety.

Several of the surface roads in the northern I-Drive corridor are at least 6 lanes wide; to understand how hazardous they are to cross, I suggest you to consider the danger of crossing the M1 on foot. That is pretty much akin what you will be doing in that situation. Several times per year the local Orlando news has stories of UK tourists struck by vehicles whilst crossing streets in this area; quite often the accidents prove fatal. I'm not saying that it cannot be done, I'm just telling you that you had best have your fastest running shoes on and all your wits about you when you do it.

 

[Kath2003]

Thanks for the heads up. I do think it's extremely sad that people are not encouraged to use public transport or walking as effective, cheap methods of trasnportation. Both would benefit Orlando hugely as it would:

1. Reduce traffic levels. Clearly, public transport uses "road space" more effectively since you're all in one vehicle. Walking means a reduction in potential traffic volumes on the roads.

2. Money goes into the local economy everytime someone uses public transport. OK, so it's only $3 for a round trip, but it's $3 that isn't given to the car industry (particularly if people bring cars from elsewhere).

3. It would be MASSIVELY beneficial to the environment. If a third of all visitors used public transport or walking to get around, yes there would need to be more buses, but using buses reduces the emmissions per person by a huge volume when you compare to a car (particularly since US cars aren't exactly renowned for their fuel economy!), can you imagine a third less pollution in Orlando? It would make walking around and spending time outdoors much more enjoyable for everyone.

4. People would actually EXPERIENCE the area if they spent time on foot. Driving through an area in a car does not give you a feel for it, you don't EXPEIRENCE it, you by-pass it.

I'd encourage anyone to try and use public transport and your own two legs for getting around whilst on vacation - Orlando is the only place where people on forums have actively discouraged me from using local transportation and enjoying the area as a pedestrian.

 

[ptrbryant]

To really get the feel of a place and be a bit more healthy, I also recommend walking---if it's safe! Our family loves walking around Seattle and there's no better way to get around Manhatten. BUT, I think the reason most people are are somewhat discouraging is simply the safety issue---not in terms of crime, but in terms of reckless drivers who do not look for pedestrians. Not to strike fear in your heart, but I remember a couple of months ago, a woman was struck by a car in Orlando and then was hit again by so many more cars that there were something like 7 traffic cones set up to mark various places her body parts had landed. Granted, this was a case where a woman was trying to cross in the middle of a street--at night--but still. I may be wrong, but I believe Orlando's been rated as one of the worst cities in the U.S. for pedestrians. The safety issue outweighs the positives that one associates with walking in most cities.

Karla B.

 

[alisonbestford]

I'm also in the UK and, the first time we went to Orlando, didn't have a car

We walked up and down I Drive numerous times - DD (then 3) in a pushchair and myself on our own at times and others with DH.

I also frequently pushed DD, in her pushchair,from the I Trolley stop on I Drive to Universal Studios (about a 20 min walk) when DH was feeling too ill to come out with us

We were fine and I daresay you will be too
Just watch out when crossing the roads and, as 'Notursula' hints at, be prepared to run!
We were in Orlando again just last year and I had no hesitation in walking along I Drive alone in the daytime

Don't forget to check out whether it's still cheaper to buy Trolley tickets for several days, rather than just the one journey

 

[Kath2003]

Thanks for the encouragment! I have no intention on going anywhere alone but it's nice to know you felt safe in doing so.

Any chance you could give me very exact walking directions from the I-Ride to Universal? I may be a geographer but I have a stunning knack of getting lost wherever I go

We already intend to get a week long pass for both Lynx and I-Ride Trolley. Anyone know where I can buy a Lynx bus pass?