I think this show how British media over exaggerates everything. Is it seriously going to effect park reputation... No. Are people not going to ride The Smiler... No. Are all theme parks now dangerous and could kill us without warning... No. By that logic the millions of people who take a plane are going to get fatally injured.
People are still riding the Runaway Mine Train, and it was a more unfortunate accident than this, In the grand scheme of things as insensitive as it may sound... No one lost their life. The people riding were unfortunately very lucky indeed.
I think you're underestimating the short - medium term effects of this. This has been a
big story and to be fair, I'd struggle to think of another accident as serious as this, since 1994 - and that wasn't as big a deal because of the way news was reported back then and with the general lack of social media. Also, since then, Alton Towers has created a formidable reputation as the UK's favourite park and more importantly, it has one of the best safety records in the business. I've seen bad operations at a lot of parks with operators chancing things, but never at Alton.
I think the core damage to the park's reputation will be done in the educational sector, in the short term. I think schools may find it a hard sell to nervy parents.
So much of that long post is wrong, blocks aren't 'timed', merely cleared
On most coasters, blocks have timings associated with them. If a block should be cleared in 43 seconds there is a safety window of 41 - 45 seconds, for instance. If the train doesn't arrive at the next block within that window, the train has potentially stalled, is overloaded, weather is adversely affecting the ride vehicle etc. That's one of the key problems that the Pleasure Beach have with Big One in the wind, it runs too slowly and spends too much time in C block.
My opinion is that a computer error has messed with the block brakes and that pure human error/negligence has let the 16 people round the track not knowing the empty one had stalled[/QUOTE
You need manual/maintenance modes to check various elements of the control surfaces on the ride, whether those be tyre drives, lifts, brakes etc. It is up to the park/manufacturer to determine under what circumstances such a mode can be used and by who (does the ride need to be locked out, do all trains need to be empty, can you only use the mode with a single vehicle on he track, etc).
For example - you have to fit a new brake fin, or a new lift chain. The way to test the replaced part is not to send a train round, you need to operate the device independently. Manual block mode could also be used potentially after a break down.
