Parking Lot Toll Plaza Ideas

[bgw enthusiasts]

BGW Toll plaza's are insanely slow, outdated, and inefficient. With reported wait times from 30mins to 3 hours. From i-64 onramp - to - parked!
With bgw's 50th anniversary quickly approaching I think the park should try reopening the old toll plaza in overflow parking to give park goers an alternative option to pay/scan and park.
Maybe an express lane for active members, open up the exit lanes for active members entrance.
What are some things you all think bgw should do or improve on to speed up the parking situation.

 

[warfelg]

They for sure need to do something about it, especially since that exit services more than just BGW.

Maybe an express lane for active members, open up the exit lanes for active members entrance.

Issue I see here is that there's going to be a lot of daily pay that don't understand what that is and go in that line holding it up anyways.

I've given some thought to this in the past, and here's something I would go to:
1) England would no longer be VIP parking. It would be member parking with exception for the kennel. I would reconfigure Busch Gardens Boulevard by that area to have an entrance for members only, and only put in an unattended 3 gate plaza that's scan and enter. Then you keep the road for kennel payers.

2) Major change: Reroute the tram road to use the access between Germany and Italy parking lots with a turnaround back there. This gives the ability to widen the toll plaza by a few booths. Again I reroute exits to be a cross over from the lots to 64 as a bridge over the entrance area. I know this was done not too long ago, but it's needed for the more widening I would plan, but you have the space for this because of losing the tram turnaround. And instead of exiting to 60 this way, you put a direct exit from the parking lots to 60. This would give a few more booths.

3) On busier days, I would send an alert to the people that bought tickets early with a text or email - Scotland Lot is accessible via 60 by way of exit 242A, and if they park there parking would be $10 as opposed to whatever they pay at the main toll booth. This would encourage people to exit the highway sooner and park at a different spot to alleviate toll gate stress.

4) France as the VIP lot could use the opening along 60 to BGBoulevard as an entrance for pre-purchased parking in VIP via eastbound traffic only, again encouraging use of exit 242A to get to this spot. Because this would be for prepaid only, there's no need to have a booth there, you can just post up someone under a tent with a hand scanner, and have someone just stand there to direct traffic for anyone that decides to try to sneak in that way.

 

[Mushroom]

I have literally never been to another park that has as awful a parking situation as BGW. My parents waited almost 45 minutes to park when they visited yesterday. And I’ve been on days that were so uncrowded that even the France lot was still half empty, but still had to wait 10-15 minutes for the toll booth. Heck, when I visited CT a year or two ago, the toll situation was so slow that they had to postpone the first showing of Scrooge No More just because not enough of the crowd had parked and made it through the gate in time for the show.

It’s abysmal, and it puts a terrible first taste in your mouth for a day at the park.

 

[horsesboy]

Stop rotating between the lefthand right side of the booth for the attendant this seems to only slow the line down either staff both booths or only open every other line.

Link your pass picture to the POS so there is no reason to force members to pull out an ID.

 

[warfelg]

Link your pass picture to the POS so there is no reason to force members to pull out an ID.

Better yet - have passes include a photo of the pass holder or do the ole Disney thumb print thing.

 

[horsesboy]

Better yet - have passes include a photo of the pass holder or do the ole Disney thumb print thing.

photos are already linked to the passes it shouldn't be to hard to have those photos pop up when ever the pass is scanned instead of just at the front gate I mean Cedar Fair and Six Flags both have no issues doing it.

 

[warfelg]

photos are already linked to the passes it shouldn't be to hard to have those photos pop up when ever the pass is scanned instead of just at the front gate I mean Cedar Fair and Six Flags both have no issues doing it.

Good point, and they seem to have no issue integrating it at the front gate, should be easy to also put a scanner so the booth person doesn’t even need to take the membership card to begin with.

 

[Nicole]

Universal Studios in Orlando has implemented facial recognition at their turnstiles. Setting aside my discomfort with my biometrics being shared with whatever company is providing the technology (I don’t want to even consider the country of origin), it is more convenient than the fingerprint scan (since mine rarely works). That said, they still scan your pass, as well.

So, I wouldn’t overstate the reduction of latency.

In my opinion, the parking lot entry system would be much faster if people provided their ID to begin with, had their money ready, and didn’t ask a ton of questions. I’m not saying BGW couldn’t do things to speed up the process, but they can’t control the behavior of their guests either.

 

[Alf33]

When I was there last Friday each toll booth had two people working which helped. I always have my ID out and give it to the attendant with my pass. On Friday I think I was at the toll booth for a whole 30 seconds before I got my receipt and drove off. But I do agree that they can be real slow.

 

[Jonesta6]

had their money ready, and didn’t ask a ton of questions.

While I don't totally disagree with the sentiment here, I'm not sure it's fair to expect everyone to 'shut up, pay, and get the hell out'. Non regulars may not know which parking option they actually need (like if they paid extra for a better lot what does that actually mean) or have other related questions that may not be easy to find online.

 

[Thriller]

One of the things that holds up the toll plaza is the fact that you have to show your ID with your season pass. Because of their antiquated systems, they don’t keep your picture like Cedar Fair. Most people forget they have to show their ID and don’t have it ready.

This is the only company that I have to show an ID with a season pass. Every other one takes a picture when you get the pass.

Then there’s the stupid part where they have to hand a receipt to season pass holders AND a colored ticket to those with preferred parking.

 

[nick]

Each of my family member’s photos shows up at the park entrance gate. I’m not sure why that’s not a reliable way to do things at the parking gate.

Have you ever seen their “color code” system that determines what procedure they are following that day? It’s actually a bit complicated and I wonder if simplifying the process to make the rules the same EVERY time might help.*

Having worked at Chick-fil-A long ago…our frustration was giving the total at the drive-thru order box, being fast at getting food ready, and then the customer at the window deciding to start looking for their card, change, or writing a check (I might be old all the sudden). No number of signs, reminders, or anything keeps humans from being human.

(Meanwhile, you’ll notice Chick-fil-A has solved this issue in one way by moving payment to when you place your order. Imagine at BGW a world of phones/iPads with QR/ticket scanners where the booth is home base but there are employees going down the line to check in others while the people at the booth ask their questions.)

* My ID has been requested maybe ONCE in the past 12 months. If this WAS a standard rule, I could have it ready every single time. The on and off nature of it has me keep it in my wallet until it’s requested.

A prepaid parking line would be nice, too, if at least some parts were scan and go.

 

[Fenrihr]

Problem with prepaid parking line is that people who didn't pre-pay would see that line moving and jump into it, ignoring the pre-pay part of the line, nullifying the benefits of a pre-pay line.

Because people.

 

[Nicole]

One of the things that holds up the toll plaza is the fact that you have to show your ID with your season pass. Because of their antiquated systems, they don’t keep your picture like Cedar Fair. Most people forget they have to show their ID and don’t have it ready.

This is the only company that I have to show an ID with a season pass. Every other one takes a picture when you get the pass.

Then there’s the stupid part where they have to hand a receipt to season pass holders AND a colored ticket to those with preferred parking.

At Universal Studios Orlando, I have to show my ID with my pass at the toll plaza,

At both Disney and Universal, I get a colored piece of paper and a receipt.

So, I would suggest both are industry standard.

While I don't totally disagree with the sentiment here, I'm not sure it's fair to expect everyone to 'shut up, pay, and get the hell out'. Non regulars may not know which parking option they actually need (like if they paid extra for a better lot what does that actually mean) or have other related questions that may not be easy to find online.

With all of the many parks and venues I’ve been to around the country, I’ve never found myself having an extended conversation with the people at the toll booths. That includes Idylwild, which provided a massive contract with entry, which appeared to have required that I agreed not to sue them for any injury suffered on their property, including decapitation.

 

[Jonesta6]

With all of the many parks and venues I’ve been to around the country, I’ve never found myself having an extended conversation with the people at the toll booths. That includes Idylwild, which provided a massive contract with entry, which appeared to have required that I agreed not to sue them for any injury suffered on their property, including decapitation.

With all due respect, you're a thoosie and thus are fairly prepared when going to any park.

Though many other people also have a similar mindset, for others they either have a parking related question they can't look up, or (frustratingly) didn't bother to try looking up.

Other parks may have better systems in place to deal with this, seems the issue here is whatever systems that are in place are inadequate (also includes the ID thing).

 

[Jwanger93]

With all due respect, you're a thoosie and thus are fairly prepared when going to any park.

I don’t know if I have laughed so hard reading along with a thread? I reckon you can call people what ever you want as long as you say with all due respect first.

 

[Celticdog]

I find the biggest problem is way too many people don't have their pass ready. Be it on the phone or in hand. I've watched way too many fumbling trying to get the pass readable.

 

[Jonesta6]

I don’t know if I have laughed so hard reading along with a thread? I reckon you can call people what ever you want as long as you say with all due respect first.

I hope it wasn't interpreted as derogatory, but to pretty much everyone here including myself, we all generally know what to do/expect when going to a park; not everyone else does though.

 

[Nicole]

With all due respect, you're a thoosie and thus are fairly prepared when going to any park.

Though many other people also have a similar mindset, for others they either have a parking related question they can't look up, or (frustratingly) didn't bother to try looking up.

Other parks may have better systems in place to deal with this, seems the issue here is whatever systems that are in place are inadequate (also includes the ID thing).

Fun fact: I am not actually a thoosie. I am just a planner and try to be prepared where ever I go, especially if my stopping to ask a ton of questions will inevitably inconvenience others.

And you made my point:

or (frustratingly) didn't bother to try looking up