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2016: The Smiler Reopening

Will you ride in 2016?

  • Yes

    Votes: 147 94.8%

  • No

    Votes: 8 5.2%
  • Total voters
    155
It's really not hard to provide a safe level of light for people to see where they are going, without washing out nearby projector screens. I do it on an almost daily basis.
The bigger problem is that people have just come in from the blazing sunlight, surrounded by white concrete, in to a pitch dark room. No human's eyes can adjust that fast. There should be an extension to the indoor section of queue that allows people's irises to open gradually before they are plunged in to blackout.
 
DiogoJ42 said:
It's really not hard to provide a safe level of light for people to see where they are going, without washing out nearby projector screens. I do it on an almost daily basis.
The bigger problem is that people have just come in from the blazing sunlight, surrounded by white concrete, in to a pitch dark room. No human's eyes can adjust that fast. There should be an extension to the indoor section of queue that allows people's irises to open gradually before they are plunged in to blackout.
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I disagree. Of the many, many times I've rode The Smiler I've never once flung myself through the air and face planted myself straight into the concrete after tripping on a completely FLAT surface.

And if you're going to trip over, at least do it properly and put your hands out to save yourself.

Most likely said person was either completely engulfed in their phone or had their hands in their pockets.
 
I've only ever done the smiler once via the main queue, and it was a far easier light transition than going in via the single rider queue.
First time I went through the single rider queue I walked straight into the "wait" chain, as I couldn't see the flipping thing.
Very nearly went arse over tit.
Gave the staff a laugh.
I didn't fall, didn't have my hands in my pockets and wasn't on a mobile (mainly 'cos I haven't got one).
I did think it was too flipping dark though, it would be easy to have a few downlighters at knee level.
Now I always wait a few seconds after going through the plastic curtain to adjust.
 
I have never understood why they did not have walk way strip lighting, like they have in aircraft. It low light output and would be good for h&s without affecting the projectors
 
PeteB said:
Most likely said person was either completely engulfed in their phone or had their hands in their pockets.
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True, it's still not hard to look where you're going even in the dark. But if they want to account for the lowest common moron, It is perfectly doable without flood lights. ;)
 
To be honest, the first time I went in that room I did find it a bit dark and difficult to see where to walk straight away. Not dark enough to trip over and face plant myself, but still, a little too dark.

delta79 said:
I have never understood why they did not have walk way strip lighting, like they have in aircraft. It low light output and would be good for h&s without affecting the projectors
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Could even have had yellow strip lighting to keep in with the theme too.
 
It is too dark in there really. Impossible to avoid treading on the piles of disposed gum on the floor in that lighting ;)

But really, it's a bit pathetic if you can't walk in semi darkness for a few minutes without smashing your head off the floor. There are only two things that make it "difficult for your eyes to adjust", and they are: 1)when the strobe goes off too violently and temporary blinds you and 2)when the idiot in front of you complains that it's too dark so uses their phone flash to see, which has a similar affect to the strobe.

I agree with @delta79 though that strip lights would be a good idea, stop people complaining, please H&S (well, it's the next best thing to wrapping us all in bubble wrap the second we enter the park), and wouldn't effect the projectors. Maybe we'll see them added in future, but I can't see the projection room lasting as long as the smiler.
 
The technology now exists to remotely disable a phone's camera within a certain area. It's designed for use at gigs, but how sweet would it be if it was installed in dark rides? :D
 
Now that I think about it, Duel's indoor queueline actually has rope lights tucked under the skirting boards on the fencing. It very dimly illuminates the floor, and that's been fine since 1992. Perhaps then Towers should have done that with The Smiler since the average human can't be trusted to walk in a darkened room.

DiogoJ42 said:
The technology now exists to remotely disable a phone's camera within a certain area. It's designed for use at gigs
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That's interesting! If it was up to me I'd have those devices installed everywhere lol!

[/GRUMPYOLDCNT]
 
my other half unfortunatly got hit and bad scratch on her face in the smilers dark room because of queue jumpers, staff said they could not see a 6 person altercation before somebody got injured.... im all for some lighting in there or maybe a staff member who can see in the room a bit better
 
Grand_Nash said:
my other half unfortunatly got hit and bad scratch on her face in the smilers dark room because of queue jumpers, staff said they could not see a 6 person altercation before somebody got injured.... im all for some lighting in there or maybe a staff member who can see in the room a bit better
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Don't they have night vision CCTV in there?
 
PeteB said:
Don't they have night vision CCTV in there?
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no CCTV in there at all, luckily for us, they were absolutely drunk and to be honest its the only time when i have questioned towers. Security were saying we sure they were queue jumping, and it was only the stupidity of the offenders that helped us out admitting that she wanted to get to the front to get back to her kid. The ride ops, first aiders and the management were great though
 
Towers need to urgently do something about capacity on The Smiler, it was only running two trains yestersay. I'd imagine the two trains not in use were both having issues but two trains on a ride desgined to run five really is not ideal.

:)
 
Three trains at the moment.

Here is the screen working outside the correction room, as I promised ;)

51d000f20992ae790d8de5765e47fb6f.jpg



Projections are on but they've got the lights on too
 
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