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2021: General Discussion

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I'm surprised that due to the nature of the queue there isn't netting all around it. There's open parts where a phone for example could easily fly out and hit somewhere
 
I posted somewhere on here what they could have done with the queue a while back iirc? Basically take it behind the lifts, down the side and back, so circling the outside of the pit and all the way down to where the shop is, then back up, down the steps and straight into the building pretty much. You'd be in the pit for 10 mins tops

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AT86 said:
The planning application that the park submitted a while back for temporary permission to keep the stage on the park lawns in summer and on Fountain Sq in Winter has been granted.

They applied for 5 years, but have been granted 3. So can keep the stage until August 2024.
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Very good news I wonder if the stage will actually stay that long. I further wonder if the there is a plan to build a permanent show venue on park in the next few years as that would make a lot of sense.
 
Rick said:
One of my best friends has gone to Alton today for the first time since the Smiler incident. Was insistent he didn't want to go on the ride, but I encouraged him to do so, despite me thoroughly disliking it.

About 16:00, he text and said they were going into the queue. At 17:00 I got "Someone's phone just flew off smiler missing heads by inches. Hit the track and smashed it to bits. Only area where there is no overhead netting!".

Safe to say he sacked it off ... God I hate that ride. I wish they had never built it.
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Personal opinions aside, how is any of that the ride's fault?
 
Rick said:
The opinion of the ride is caused by the incident. The issue described in the post is caused by a misguided queue set up.
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No, the issue described in your post was caused by a rider having their mobile phone on them - that is the primary cause of what you described, not part of the queue having no netting.

There are many rides around the world where you walk under parts of the track with no netting above. Are they all badly designed rides that shouldn't have been built? What about Galactica? Parts of that you can walk directly under, even if you're not actually in the queueline; no netting above whatsover. So if someone's phone fell out then and hit someone, would Galactica be at fault?

I'm not for one second denying the shittiness of Smiler's queueline. But it feels like a massive, slightly biased reach to suggest the ride is a deathtrap because someone dropped a phone out their pocket whilst riding. No one has ever been hit by a phone on that part of the ride before, which suggests it isn't endemic of today's phone-mad society that people will ride with their phone. Most people have more common sense than that.

The problem is in Towers not checking thoroughly enough who does, or doesn't have loose items on them before riding their rides.
 
andeyhart said:
No, the issue described in your post was caused by a rider having their mobile phone on them - that is the primary cause of what you described, not part of the queue having no netting.

There are many rides around the world where you walk under parts of the track with no netting above. Are they all badly designed rides that shouldn't have been built? What about Galactica? Parts of that you can walk directly under, even if you're not actually in the queueline; no netting above whatsover. So if someone's phone fell out then and hit someone, would Galactica be at fault?

I'm not for one second denying the ****tiness of Smiler's queueline. But it feels like a massive, slightly biased reach to suggest the ride is a deathtrap because someone dropped a phone out their pocket whilst riding. No one has ever been hit by a phone on that part of the ride before, which suggests it isn't endemic of today's phone-mad society that people will ride with their phone. Most people have more common sense than that.

The problem is in Towers not checking thoroughly enough who does, or doesn't have loose items on them before riding their rides.
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Take Millennium at Fantasy Island for example. It stands above public paths and there's no netting, but sections of the track are so low that guests could easilly reach up and touch them.

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I've told my friend to create an account to defend his opinion that I relayed and now seemingly own. I am no fan of Smiler, but it's not down to people getting, or not getting, thwacked with iPhones.

Also, I think people are hit by loose objects more than is reported, not just at Alton, but at all parks. I think there is a far greater focus on such matters today, the approach is very different - you can see that in the way rides are designed now vs. how they were in the days of Air.
 
The only coaster at a Disney park that gets close to guest areas is Tron. Every other Disney coaster is designed so the queue doesn’t get anywhere near the ride so no mitigation for loose items is needed.
 
Does no one else see the irony in blaming a phone-mad society on people taking their phones on and subsequently losing them on rides when surely people so obsessed with their phone nowadays wouldn't take any risks that may lead to them losing their phone. I have quite distinct memories as a child of seeing several flip phones and other pre-smart phone phones caught in the net under spinball and I'd argue more phones were lost in the 2000s before smart phones were the norm than they are nowadays, however I could be wrong. There's obviously the argument of people who try to film or stream on rides and lose them that way however again I really don't think that's too common and do have memories from when I was younger of rides being shut due to people using cameras
 
Heidi said:
Does no one else see the irony in blaming a phone-mad society on people taking their phones on and subsequently losing them on rides when surely people so obsessed with their phone nowadays wouldn't take any risks that may lead to them losing their phone. I have quite distinct memories as a child of seeing several flip phones and other pre-smart phone phones caught in the net under spinball and I'd argue more phones were lost in the 2000s before smart phones were the norm than they are nowadays, however I could be wrong. There's obviously the argument of people who try to film or stream on rides and lose them that way however again I really don't think that's too common and do have memories from when I was younger of rides being shut due to people using cameras
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Remember that Towers (and Merlin as a whole) are very strict when it comes to on-ride filming, and will stop rides in order to confiscate items. Controversial I know, given that other parks aren't as strict, but I think it's a good thing for guest safety. Plus, there are already plenty of POVs on YouTube, so why do we need even more? :p:confused:
 
RicketyCricket said:
I quite like how Cedar Fair parks display all the smashed up iphones they've collected...

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Thorpe does that too; all of their major rides have themed signs with smashed phones inside them in a similar fashion. For instance, Nemesis Inferno has something along the lines of “your phone can’t stand the heat of Nemesis Inferno”and Colossus has something like “Your phone can’t take the awesome power of Colossus”.

I don’t remember what they said exactly, but all of the major coasters have similar ride-specific signs, all with the underlying message of “don’t ruin your day, put it away”.
 
Matt N said:
Thorpe does that too; all of their major rides have themed signs with smashed phones inside them in a similar fashion. For instance, Nemesis Inferno has something along the lines of “your phone can’t stand the heat of Nemesis Inferno”and Colossus has something like “Your phone can’t take the awesome power of Colossus”.

I don’t remember what they said exactly, but all of the major coasters have similar ride-specific signs, all with the underlying message of “don’t ruin your day, put it away”.
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I haven't seen any of these has anyone got any pictures?
 
One of the great design aspects of Towers is that you can get up and personal with many of the coasters. From the Oblivion hole, the Nemesis pit, queueing above and around the Wickerman pit, Galactica swooping above the plaza (where I lost my phone through carelessness a few years back) and to a lesser extent queuing directly underneath the Smiler. Although I despise the thing to ride, Colossus at Thorpe is superb to walk around and view off ride. This makes the park quite unique as there's a spectacle for off riders and is something the park does very well.

The last thing I'd want is future projects built completely behind fences and cheap clutter with Danger of Death signs retro erected everywhere to solve a loose article problem.
 
I just don't get the standard design signs really. Half the time you'll have a themed sign then 15ft later a nasty unthemed one.
 
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