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Orlando by car


Orlando by car

The car is omnipresent in Orlando, and it is a very easy and convenient (if not congested) way to get to your destination. Orlando is a sprawling city with most attractions lying far to the south of the CBD and into adjacent cities like Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista (this section includes those areas). The roads are all wide and easy to drive on with all major attractions well signed, but traffic jams around downtown are common in the afternoons, and around the touristy areas on Friday nights and all day Saturday. Orlando ranks 8th in the nation in terms of traffic congestion, and there are numerous ongoing construction projects on area expressways (all aimed at alleviating this, but only causing congestion in the meanwhile). Traffic information is available from new Dynamic Message Signs, most local radio stations, and also by calling 511 (a free, automated service which provides current traffic info collected from hundreds of traffic cameras as well as police reports.) The main highway through Orlando, and the only interstate serving it, is Interstate 4 (runs NE-SW). In recent years major construction on it has widened it through areas south of SR528 making it a commuter-friendly highway (except for traffic during rush hours and Friday and Saturday evenings). Downtown Orlando; International Drive; Amway Arena; the Mall at Millenia; Arabian Nights dinner theater; and theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Discovery Cove, the Holy Land Experience, and Wet n' Wild are all conveniently located along/near I-4. Aggressive drivers are abundant in the Greater Orlando area not only on major highways but also on surface streets in the downtown district. Speed limits are for the most part ignored in and around the city, even though on I-4 the speed limit is only 50 mph (80 kph) in the downtown area and ranges between 55 and 65 mph (90-105 kph) near the attractions, it is not uncommon to be tailgated if you travel less than 80 mph (129 kph) in the left lane. If you are unfamiliar with the area, it is much easier and safer to drive in the far right lane, as road signs will direct.
Travel Warning

Caution: Started in 2009, open road tolling is used along Orlando's toll roads. A driver with a Sun Pass or E-Pass transponder and a prepaid account continues straight along the road at the speed limit, with the toll accounted for electronically; drivers paying cash (almost all tourists) must follow signage that diverts them to toll booths constructed off the right of the highway. Drivers who don't have transponders and continue going straight past the toll booth are photographed and ticketed.

Other major highways include toll road SR-528, the Beach Line Expressway although known until recently as the Bee Line, which runs east from I-4 (exit 72) towards the Space Coast beaches and Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa beach, and Port Canaveral. SR-528 is, like all Orlando area expressways (not including I-4), a toll road. While tolls are modest for short trips within Orlando, tolls can quickly add on long cross-town trips (bypassing Orlando on SR-417 is $5.50 for 55 mi/89 km. If you're driving from the Disney area to Sanford, FL between 4:00PM and 6:00PM, paying the toll is good if you're in a hurry, because it could take you up to 2 hours going on I-4). SR-417 starts at I-4 just west of SR-192/Disney World. It takes you north, passing both the Orlando International Airport and the Orlando-Sanford International Airport. It ends at I-4 in Sanford, FL. SR-408 starts at SR-50 on the East side of Orlando, by the University of Central Florida and takes you past the west side of Orlando to the city of Ocoee, FL. It ends at the Florida Turnpike. SR-429 starts in Apopka, FL at SR-441 and takes you past the Florida Turnpike and Disney World. It ends at I-4, just west of SR-192/Disney World. The Florida Turnpike starts in Miami, FL at I-95 and takes you north through Orlando and ends in Wildwood, FL at I-75. See this convenient toll calculator online: . In Orlando, the main tourism area is International Drive, a strip of road that runs parallel to I-4 for about 10 miles (16 km). Many tourist-focused shops, restaurants, and attractions are to be found along this road; therefore, it is excruciatingly hard to drive on and find parking along this road on weekends, especially in the summer, and excursions to this area are best by bus during such times. Other major roads include: US 192 in Kissimmee (fronted by thousands of small shops and attractions), Orange Blossom Trail (US 92/441...a North-South alternative to I-4), SR-50 (E-W route towards the CBD).

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Orlando


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Orlando Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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