Welcome to how the world works. Remember, every one of us are experts and ‘the general public’ simultaneously. We know coasters, most don’t. Others know molecular science, knitting, cake-baking, golfing and table tennis and we don’t.
In a world where twats endlessly tweet, in the aftermath of a totally preventable crash, people who happen to be journalists and ‘general public’, are going to publish this sort of thing.
Being stuck on a ride is not pleasant and can and does induce panic attacks in some people. People will tweet about their experiences and those tweets will get into the press, wrapped in a combination of sensationalism (it generates clicks and its what most of us want, like it or not, just not targeted at us/our interests) and ignorance. There will be more. And more. Then more.
Bitching about it on here doth butter no parsnips. Sensible, objective rebunks and remarks on social media and comment sections however, provide butter aplenty – provided they’re dressed in the general public’s finery. ‘I iz an infuziast and itz like wrong!!1!’ won’t win over those who dine on ignorance.
On a side note and apologies to the mods for a post which belongs nowhere. The new plans look like utter tosh. All that time and THIS is the best they can come up with? The park needs a log flume replacement before it needs a new coaster. Loadsa coasters, no flumes. A Log Flume is to a park what a chorus is to a song. As such, I truly hope the plans get refused. Also, the closure of so much reminds me of the lead up to American Adventure and Dreamland’s demises and is the opposite of what they should be doing.
Add to that the failure to provide an adhered to procedure on that dreadful ‘close your eyes and pretend it’s someone else’s wife/husband’ remake of Air with regard to whether you are or are not allowed to not wear the headsets and the future is truly terrifying. The Smiler’s crash was caused by the park failing to put adequate procedures in place following the Alton Mouse Crash in 1991 – few parks make the same mistake twice. Now, it’s appears that there are no procedures in place (or they’ve changed/not been communicated to staff/been communicated in a badly organised manner) regarding the headsets. If someone has their nose broken by one they’ve taken off due to not wanting to wear it in the first place and therefore not stowing it correctly, it could very well result in a chain of events that results in the park joining American Adventure. The best thing Merlin could do is to sack every single member of management that’s been parachuted in and promote those who ‘ve gained knowledge of the park who actually know what they’re doing.
As a fan of the park for many, many years, and someone who’s watching from both the general public and enthusiast’s perspectives, I’ve never been more concerned about the park’s future.