Why doesn't Disney extend sidewalk from RIV ro hollywood?

[dvc lover 1970]

It is not a bad walk, but all they need to do is extend the sidewalk in one section. Why doesn't disney do that?

 

[Brian Noble]

You'd need to cross Victory Way, and I can't think of anywhere on property where pedestrians are routed across surface streets. The WDW campus is otpimized for cars, not people.

 

[Wedgeout]

Think the road crossing from BLT to MK is a live surface street. It would be easy enough I think to have a cross over and follow the Skyliner route over to park. I think reason not is it would open another area needing security patrol and monitoring.

 

[Brian Noble]

Not a guest-facing one though. There is nothing guest-accessible on property north of that intersection, though it is a lesser-used escape route to the residential developments up there via Floridian/Reams.

Cast presumably understand that it is a career-limiting move to hit a Guest. I don't know about you, but I don't trust Guests driving any farther than I can throw their cars.

Yes, they could build a pedestrian overpass, but I can't see why they'd spend the money to do it. That's why the Skyliner exists.

 

[sndral]

It is not a bad walk, but all they need to do is extend the sidewalk in one section. Why doesn't disney do that?

Too soon, Riviera opened in 2019, GF opened in 1988 & they finally got around to finishing the sidewalk to/from the MK 33 years later .

 

[Mouseforward]

It would only happen as a sales tool to sell a RIV 2 , RIV 1 one is basically sold out

If they put a pedestrian bridge over BV Drive connecting by the fire station and Aruba parking ( where RIV 2 may go) plus an overpass on Epcot resorts blvd, the majority of the route has an existing walkway to Boardwalk Hotel conference center... but its not going to be a short walk.

The shortest walk would be on the cleared path under the skyliner from CBR to HS parking lot , but there is no shade and the walk would also be brutal.

 

[fla4fun]

There used to be a sidewalk on the north side of Buena Vista Drive that went from the intersection of Victory Way all the way to the pedestrian path to DHS that goes under Buena Vista Drive from the BWV. There was also a crosswalk that crossed Buena Vista Drive at the Victory Way intersection. This would have allowed the guests at CBR to walk to DHS or Epcot. The crosswalk was in an odd spot though because there were no sidewalks on the south side of Buena Vista Drive for pedestrians to use to access the crosswalk.

The crosswalk was allowed to fade away and when the road was resurfaced it was not repainted. The sidewalk was removed from the fire station to the Speedway entrance along the Skyliner route while it was under construction. I assume it was for safety reasons, so they would not have pedestrians in the way if they needed to bring in equipment to evacuate the Skyliner.

All of this is visible on Google Earth’s historic imagery view (a very useful tool for seeing all the changes at WDW through the years).

 

[DVCsloth]

I think if they were going to do this, they would build a path from RIV to the existing walkway from BWV/BCV, and you would use that to either Epcot or HS. But you might as well just use the Skyliner IMO.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

I hope they put tje sidewalk back from RIV to DHS. To me ot would make all the difference in the world for RIV

 

[ParrotBill]

A walking route along LBV Blvd would be nearly twice as long as the lightly used walk to Boardwalk. I doubt very many people would use it... and consider the cost to build it and light it, plus TWO dangerous crosswalks, Victory Way and the bus entrance to Studios. And both of those have uncontrolled lanes to keep right turn traffic moving without red lights, so that means redesigning both to add red light controls to right turn traffic with a time interval with all traffic stopped for pedestrian traffic. With low usage, maybe an on demand stoppage for pedestrians only. I just cannot see Disney spending hundreds of thousands for this.

Utilizing the skyway corridor is definitely shorter, but I would think requires the same Victory Way intersection redesign or a pedestrial overpass for Victory Way and another to get over the drive-in entrance to the bus loading area to keep everyone safe. Still a big price tag.

 

[lukemorenus]

I suggest a tunnel to the Germany Pavilion

 

[ParrotBill]

I suggest a tunnel to the Germany Pavilion

I'll drink to that. Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! or whatever it is we shout.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

A walking route along LBV Blvd would be nearly twice as long as the lightly used walk to Boardwalk. I doubt very many people would use it... and consider the cost to build it and light it, plus TWO dangerous crosswalks, Victory Way and the bus entrance to Studios. And both of those have uncontrolled lanes to keep right turn traffic moving without red lights, so that means redesigning both to add red light controls to right turn traffic with a time interval with all traffic stopped for pedestrian traffic. With low usage, maybe an on demand stoppage for pedestrians only. I just cannot see Disney spending hundreds of thousands for this.

Utilizing the skyway corridor is definitely shorter, but I would think requires the same Victory Way intersection redesign or a pedestrial overpass for Victory Way and another to get over the drive-in entrance to the bus loading area to keep everyone safe. Still a big price tag.

They do not need to spend hundreds of thousands, they simply need to connect the sidewalk to enter by the path from the boardwalk. walking from boardwalk to HS there is a bridge overpass (using as landmark) if you walk up the grass from there it brings you to the main street - it is a pretty quick walk to RIV from there it is about a half mile maybe a mile. I ran it with my husband last year from BWV- but stopped when the walkway ended. We were very puzzled why it ended. So you enter the same pathway that BW uses starting from the overpass area

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

They do not need to spend hundreds of thousands, they simply need to connect the sidewalk to enter by the path from the boardwalk. walking from boardwalk to HS there is a bridge overpass (using as landmark) if you walk up the grass from there it brings you to the main street - it is a pretty quick walk to RIV from there it is about a half mile maybe a mile. I ran it with my husband last year from BWV- but stopped when the walkway ended. We were very puzzled why it ended. So you enter the same pathway that BW uses starting from the overpass area

I’ve run this path too and had similar thoughts - seems relatively easy?

 

[sethschroeder]

You'd need to cross Victory Way, and I can't think of anywhere on property where pedestrians are routed across surface streets. The WDW campus is otpimized for cars, not people.

You go under the road from Epcot to HS walking path. You go over the water way from GF to MK. People at CBR need to cross a street to get to the Skyliner. To get to fantasia mini golf you need to walk across the road there.

There are a number of places.

In the end I would expect a gentle incline bridge starting at the Skyliner station or just to the north of it with a more direct route to Riviera crossing Victory Way.

Getting the mini golf is most like it though.

 

[Brian Noble]

There are a number of places.

I was not including sub-grade or elevated walkways. Of course those exist, the busiest being the ones across Buena Vista Drive at Disney Springs. However, I don't think Disney puts a surface-street crosswalk across Victory Way---particularly because the turn from Westbound Buena Vista onto Victory has no traffic control; it's a straight merge. And while they could build a pedestrian overpass, I think doing so is exceptionally unlikely because---again---that's why the Skyliner exists, to be a pathway over high-traffic roads.

 

[Brian Noble]

Fantasia is probably the most similar to what would be needed here, but even so: Victory probably carries more traffic than that spur of Epcot Resorts, and there would certainly be more pedestrians walking to Studios than walking to mini-golf. I'm not a civil engineer who specializes in traffic/pedestrian safety, so I could be way off base, but those two situations (RIV+CBR <-Victory-> Studios; BC/YC/BW/Swolphin <-Epcot Resorts-> Fantasia) don't seem all that comparable.

 

[DVCsloth]

Personally, I don't see a walking path from Riviera. The Skyliner does an awesome job 90% of the time. I think it would take at least 30 minutes to get to HS or Epcot from Riviera. I think most of the time, it is around 20 minutes from Riv to HS and it's a nice relaxing ride. Even when it's busy, the line keeps moving.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

But not everyone likes the skyline. My son will not ride in it. When we stay there he drives to the parks. All other deluxe resorts have a walk option to somewhere all except RIV. VGF prior to the walkway always had the boat or monorail option - two options RIV only has the option of the skyline - there are no buses to epcot or hollywood unless skyline goes down.

 

[DVCsloth]

But not everyone likes the skyline. My son will not ride in it. When we stay there he drives to the parks. All other deluxe resorts have a walk option to somewhere all except RIV. VGF prior to the walkway always had the boat or monorail option - two options RIV only has the option of the skyline - there are no buses to epcot or hollywood unless skyline goes down.

I get it, I would love to see a walking path as well. Although I do enjoy the Skyliner, it would be great to have another option.