Traffic light changes causing tailbacks along Hotel Plaza Blvd around Downtown Disney

[ptaylor]

It looks as though the traffic light timings have been changed on the intersection of Hotel Plaza Blvd and S Apopka Vineland Rd 535. This is the road that runs from Downtown Disney to Crossroads. Basically it now seems that traffic going along 535 now has a much bigger time slice of the green light, and traffic coming from Downtown Disney area only has about 6 or 7 cars of green light time. This is causing tailbacks all the way to Downtown Disney's Hess Gas station.

I'm sure the increased Easter traffic has not helped, but there has definitely been a timing change on the lights. If you are planning on using this road, allow extra time.

 

[71jason]

Not a total shock. Back-ups on 535 have a tendency to wreak havoc even on I-4.

 

[PlaneJane]

Kinda makes you wish they had implemented the monorail/peoplemover plan for that area

 

[maxairmike]

I thought the timing seemed awfully different the last several days, and for the worse. Hopefully they change it back to how it used to be, or at least add a bit more time to the signal for Hotel Blvd. traffic.

 

[Master Yoda]

Not a total shock. Back-ups on 535 have a tendency to wreak havoc even on I-4.

This^^^^^

I can not tell you how many times we have gotten off I-4 to find the turn lane traffic backed up past the I-4 overpass. If you have to choose one or the other I would take the backup on HPB.

 

[Murphketeer]

Kinda makes you wish they had implemented the monorail/peoplemover plan for that area

Agree 100%

 

[Master Yoda]

Any idea when the traffic light timing changed? We were at WDW a week ago (April 1) and stayed at a DTD hotel for the first time. Stop-and-go traffic from DTD all the way back to our hotel. I promised myself I'd never stay at a DTD hotel again but perhaps this is only temporary?

That can occur anytime. While we rarely stay on HPB, we use to leave that way on our way home. Over the last couple of years backups as far back as Bonnett Creek Pkwy have become commonplace. We started taking Epcot Center Dr back to I-4 via unless we were at DTD.

 

[wdwmagic]

Any idea when the traffic light timing changed? We were at WDW a week ago (April 1) and stayed at a DTD hotel for the first time. Stop-and-go traffic from DTD all the way back to our hotel. I promised myself I'd never stay at a DTD hotel again but perhaps this is only temporary?

I believe it has been a fairly recent change, in the last couple of weeks. The green light time for traffic coming from Disney has been cut in half.

 

[Slipknot]

Change or not, that intersection has had horrible traffic for years.

 

[Rob562]

Hmmm... Might have to figure out a new way to get from on-property to the "local" route up to Universal...

-Rob

 

[maxairmike]

Only way that I can think of that would be "easy" and "local" would be to go to Reams Rd. and take CR535 to the 535/Apopka Vineland/Palm Pkwy. intersection, where you would just go straight. But unless you're already at the MK, this is a very, very out of the way route (and takes you backstage, although no one cares unless you pull into a backstage parking lot and poke around).

 

[TP2000]

I just want to say that I LOVE that we are using the phrase "tailback" to describe this traffic jam.

Tailback is a phrase rarely heard west of the Mississippi, and I'm reminded fondly of the years I lived in New England and this phrase was used quite a bit to describe a traffic jam or road congestion, especially by the older generation. :wave:

 

[Slipknot]

Only way that I can think of that would be "easy" and "local" would be to go to Reams Rd. and take CR535 to the 535/Apopka Vineland/Palm Pkwy. intersection, where you would just go straight. But unless you're already at the MK, this is a very, very out of the way route (and takes you backstage, although no one cares unless you pull into a backstage parking lot and poke around).

Or you could just turn right after DTD and before Hotel Plaza Blvd. Take a right on CR 535. Take that to SR 535 and the road you are on will become Palm Parkway/Turkey Lake. Take that all the way to Hollywood way and you are there.

Or you could take a left instead of a right on CR 535. Take that to Chase Rd. and turn right. Follow that past all gated communities until you are at Main Street and turn left. Follow that until you reach a roundabout and turn right at E. 6th Ave/Conroy Windermere. Take that until Turkey lake and turn right. Follow that until you reach Hollywood Way and turn left.

 

[TimeTrip]

Or you could turn left just after DTD and before Hotel Plaza Blvd. Take a right on CR 535. Take that to SR 535 and the road you are on will become Palm Parkway/Turkey Lake. Take that all the way to Hollywood way and you are there.

Tweaked to avoid confusion... I think

 

[peachykeen]

Downtown Disney traffic light timing in general is the bane of my existence.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

535 is a nightmare! I avoid it at all costs.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

Change or not, that intersection has had horrible traffic for years.

Mostly because of all the foreign tourists relying on their GPS' route calculation of 'fastest time' taking them off I-4 at that exit and using HPB. With all the stop lights, HPB is certainly NOT the fastest route to anything on property.

 

[c-one]

Only way that I can think of that would be "easy" and "local" would be to go to Reams Rd. and take CR535 to the 535/Apopka Vineland/Palm Pkwy. intersection, where you would just go straight. But unless you're already at the MK, this is a very, very out of the way route (and takes you backstage, although no one cares unless you pull into a backstage parking lot and poke around).

Depending where you are at WDW, Bonnet Creek Parkway to Vista Blvd is a good route -- gets you a bit of a backstage view there, too. Looks out of the way on the map but the lack of traffic and stoplights makes up for it.

 

[Monsterfan99]

I got stuck trying to leave WDW to go to the Crossroads last night and it was a nightmare. 17 minutes to go around 1 mile.

 

[disnyfan89]

Traffic in general around Disney has been horrible lately. Will be very happy for the Easter and spring break crowds to disappear.