Alton Towers neighbors continue to demand road improvements for amusement park traffic

I don't know how people driving to Alton Towers actually get there, it's a complete mess. Unlike how most American parks are along interstates, Alton's out in the middle-of-nowhere countryside. From google maps it looks like it's all back roads to the main entrance.

Ever been to Knoebels? Satellite images don't look all that different, really.

The number of people going to Knoebels probably doesn't come anywhere near that of Alton.

People still get there. I didn't think bjames was commenting on attendance numbers.

Ok.

The footpaths thru Silverwood were more accommodating than the roads around Alton. We stayed at a B&B not far from the park (very nice, BTW), but decided we'd walk to a nearby pub for dinner - BIG mistake, what with one-lane two-direction traffic and no sidewalks. There are no good routes to AT, unless you land on the grounds in a helicopter.

This really is a mountain out of a molehill. I've been a season ticket holder at AT, and went about 9-10 times this year. Not once was I held up,and only once can I remember being in a trail of more than about 5-6 cars, granted the fireworks night extravaganza is a bit different. Bypass would be good though, if only so I get more time to go on Nemesis ;-)

This reminds me of Geauga Lake...errr Six Flags Ohio...err Six Flags Worlds of Adventure...It use to be a nightmare and grid lock with traffic! Locals raised hell about the traffic. Six Flags, if I remember correctly, helped pay a part of the new roads...and then all of these fancy wide roads get built....and we all know what Cedar Fair did. But hey, at least there is no traffic getting to the un-improved water park right? ;)

-RollerCoasterGod

I have two words for you. Indiana Beach. It's in the middle of nowhere, and if it wasn't for the signs leading to it, you would probably go right by it, and not even know it's there. I took a friend there a couple times, and even when we were in the parking lot, he says Are you sure this is the right place? Then, you find the IB entrance and foot bridge. I haven't been there since they added Steel Hawg, but, it's pretty amazing that you can't see the park from the road.I think Geauga Lake and Sea World were about the same. Probably one of the reasons why Worlds of Adventure didn't do well, because it wasn't easy to get to. I think if it had been off the highway like Great America in Gurnee. It would have been a lot more successful. I can't imagine what roads would be like leading to Alton Towers. But, I have heard the roads over there are pretty narrow.

How has this thread gone on so long without mentioning the drive to Kennywood. Driven there 4 times, gotten lost 4 times. Those yellow arrows are not as ubiquitous as everyone makes them to be.

That's because they keep winding up in dorm rooms in the tri state area.

One of them *almost* made the trip back to Florida on the first trip up, when we pulled into the lot well after midnight just to soak up some KW atmosphere on the way to the hotel. Ah well, I still have one of the very few cars in FL with a >-KW-> arrow window decal... :~)

When I lived in PA, I never got lost getting to Kennywood, because I always remembered how to get there from Altoona. I went there after many years in September and because I came from the other direction, I had to stop at three different gas stations to find it. Driving through Pittsburgh is hard.

Getting lost on the way to KW is part of its "charm."

It all depends upon where you're coming from. ;)

For me, getting is KW is never easy, but I've never gotten lost either. And I've never driven the same way twice, thanks to Pitt's constant state of construction.

Kennywood is practically one left turn once you're off of 376.

We went to Kennywood for a day last summer on a day trip while in PA for a wedding. Relied on our Garmin to get us there. But there was a road closing in/around Pittsburgh that was not known to the Garmin. It kept trying to take us back to that closed road. Was very frustrating at first. Later became something of a joke as to how far out of the way we would need to drive for the Garmin to find a different route. Took a while. It was pouring down rain at the time (cleared up by the time we got to the park) which added even more to the charm of it all.

Yeah, for all the confusion about getting to Kennywood, if you're coming from out of town you get off of I-376, and follow that road until you can't go any further. Turn left. It's 1/2 mile away on that street. Literally one turn.