I don’t have a picture but when I was there yesterday, I did notice there was like a fence along the tram pathway. One side big enough for trams and the other side for like a walking path. Guess this is true
Tram Road Walking Path Addition
- Thread starter bgw enthusiasts
- Start date
I don't completely get this addition - this is not a new "option" as you can kind of cut through the existing parking lot already. This would definitely be a way to make it more "official" and I'm sure many people would be down for a 5 min walk without waiting for the tram. If this really is a thing, I hope they'll be able to light it for Christmas Town because what we don't need is more soulless concrete in what should be a theme park.
It gets rid of the need for the crosswalk across the entry road. The crosswalk is both dangerous, and stops the traffic entering the park - which is a very bad thing when traffic is backing up to the highway.
The cross walks are ridiculously dangerous-- people just walking in front of cars. It makes sense to add the walkway for days when they don't have trams or just don't have enough trams. It's like parking at any theme park-- trams are nice but not absolutely necessary (unless it's off-site parking like the Scotland and Bavaria parking lots).
Wow, they really spared every expense with this project, huh? That fence looks atrocious. Couldn't even spring for a curb, planter, or actual sidewalk?
Oh my goodness…. This is sooo horrible.
First, if you are on the pedestrian side, it doesn’t even look wide enough for more than two people. Most people in groups walk 3 or 4 wide. How are you going to get around them if they are walking slow. Not to mention if someone has a stroller or wagon of kids.
Second, it isn’t wide enough for two trams. That is going to suck on a busy weekend night.
Third, it is freaking ugly.
I am very disappointed to see something like this added in “The worlds most beautiful theme park”
First, if you are on the pedestrian side, it doesn’t even look wide enough for more than two people. Most people in groups walk 3 or 4 wide. How are you going to get around them if they are walking slow. Not to mention if someone has a stroller or wagon of kids.
Second, it isn’t wide enough for two trams. That is going to suck on a busy weekend night.
Third, it is freaking ugly.
I am very disappointed to see something like this added in “The worlds most beautiful theme park”
And if it can't fit two trams, what's the point of making the walkway so darn thin?
I had the same thought, but maybe they need to keep a "ride envelope" clear for the tram? If a kid reached out and put an arm through the fence or something while on the tram, that would be... Not good.
Lets start calling it the "cheese grater", because that's what it looks like.
I can't verify but at least one employee has told me it can physically fit two but that when they tested it the space between both Trams is to tight for safety and that the space between the tram and the fence was to tight for safety. This might have been a looks good on paper but is a bad idea in reality idea.
They've inadvertently made it even more of a hassle to get to the gate via tram than it was before, while still not providing adequate room for foot traffic. So what exactly was the point here? They clearly have not improved anything, and parking operations will probably suffer.
Was that gravel path in the picture originally for walking from the parking lots? Because it would've been a much simpler addition to just make better crossings there.
No it's just a gravel barrier on the curve it was completely fenced off with no guest access
Wow, this is horrific. I can't find anything good to say here. I'd be willing to bet this "investment" will also mean less days with tram operations despite charging more and more to park. Not to mention it will delay tram operations on days when trams are operating.
May I also add, that 1st impressions MATTER. Clearly, this half baked plan doesn't leave guests with the best first impressions when arriving into the park.
You know what would have been a better investment? REPAVING some of the parking lots instead!
May I also add, that 1st impressions MATTER. Clearly, this half baked plan doesn't leave guests with the best first impressions when arriving into the park.
You know what would have been a better investment? REPAVING some of the parking lots instead!
Considering that they had already fenced the bridge to allow the whole path to be used walking I would say that this was an attempt to increase tram days even when they can't run a large number. Do I expect the end result to mean more backup on days when teams operate yes I do. But let's face some facts as well. Trams require a CDL to operate we no that NATIONWIDE the numbers of CDL drivers are down. Two BGW also expanded their employee bus fleet drastically which again requires a CDL and was a move they desperately needed to make to accommodate the ever increasing number of Internationals they employ between the two parks who usually have no other form of transportation available to them. Three like it or not CDL drivers being in high demand mean that many places are offering far more then what BGW can reasonably afford to pay them meaning that their pool is even more diminished for possible hires. Then you have the fact that CDL operators are limited in hours they can work each day or week and required break periods. These factors add up to a far more complex problem then let's just have more trams. I think that the new walking path should be praised as a poor attempt but still an attempt to help with the guests complaints about long waits to get to the main gate. Hopefully moving forward there will be ways to fix the situation.
Agreed. I generally also hated waiting for the tram. I used to go to the park as a single, so I was often awkwardly pushed into a row with someone else and it was uncomfortable when it was a family or something. I would have killed for a walking path like this back when I went often. Yes the execution is poor, but the concept is something that should have always existed. In fact, I would praise Hershey's as the best of this execution. The tram goes through the middle of the lots, it's generally one way except for where it stops, and there's a sidewalk on either side for if you want to walk.
I wonder if they could level the curb next to the walkway, and then pave the whole space over with cement as a much larger walkway?
Using the photo @bgw enthusiasts posts, I’m proposing that they level everything scribbled in red, and make it flat with the asphalt walkway. If that whole space from the wooden fence on the left to the new metal fence on the right were paved as a walkway, it would roughly double the walking space and would allow larger groups to more easily pass in both directions. Plus, it would just look better and more intentional.
This wouldn’t solve the problem of now making it basically impossible for trams to travel down the tram road in both directions — come on, BGW — but at least the walking path would look and function better.
Using the photo @bgw enthusiasts posts, I’m proposing that they level everything scribbled in red, and make it flat with the asphalt walkway. If that whole space from the wooden fence on the left to the new metal fence on the right were paved as a walkway, it would roughly double the walking space and would allow larger groups to more easily pass in both directions. Plus, it would just look better and more intentional.
This wouldn’t solve the problem of now making it basically impossible for trams to travel down the tram road in both directions — come on, BGW — but at least the walking path would look and function better.
I looked at the drawing you did before reading your comment, and I was wondering why you'd want to light the gutter on fire...
Why was this necessary anyways? The crosswalk has worked on high capacity days for decades.
This addition is so ugly and half-assed. At least the efforts put into it could be easily reversed in the future
This addition is so ugly and half-assed. At least the efforts put into it could be easily reversed in the future