On-Ride Videos: The Great Debate

[Bussy]

Richard, you say that most rides have different load/unload points so do several rides at Wonderland i.e., Bounty's Revenge so what is the solution to this? Put loose articles on the unload side of the ride. As for loose articles being placed randomly, I think not, there is a specific place for loose articles at Demon and this is in an area where there is a low volume of staff traffic, that’s why there is the raised step. You will not find any ride operators or unloaders on the platform at Demon anymore and if they are they will not have a job for very long. I don't know the full story of what happened to Flea's camera, but for something like that the smart place to put it would be up against a wall or pole where people are less likely to walk, therefore reducing the chance of this happening.

It's pretty poor that you say Wonderland has a very strict no-items policy with their rides, yet doesn't provide any safe way to store them for the duration of the ride. Every other park I've ever been to has done so.

If every other park you have ever been to provide safe storage for belongings then why are we having this argument? If they have it use it. Now onto Daniel and Flea you both seem to think that using a foot to operate a ride is Ok, what about if something happened while the ride was starting and you had to hit the e-stop quickly. Flea said himself that the e-stop at Bush Beast was on the other side on the control panel. The difference between moving your hand from one side of the control panel to the other and taking you foot off and leaning forward to press the e-stop could be life and death.

It's called time management if you ask me. While dispatching the ride you can be filling out the count sheet, other paper work etc.

What a load of crap! You have about 2-3 minutes to do this while the train is doing its lap. Starting a ride with anything but your hand/fingers is stupid and could cause the death of people. "The Bus is now leaving for Fresh Kills, Staten Island, New York, New York, USA"

[Daniel]

It's a joke you idiot, lighten up. I'd just move my foot up a little bit to hit the e-stop, just as quick as my hand :twisted: How long do you think it would take to reach up and smack it? Why would I need to e-stop it while it's in the station? Wouldn't I just release the dispatch button? Or is that too easy for you? Do you think I'm stupid and would jeopardise the safety of anyone except you? The dispatch button is virtually a dead man button you boofhead. I thought you may have known that. Of course you need a foot to operate rides. You'd be at Dragons all day without one wouldn't you? You seem to think it was done every time. It happened once in a blue moon. Take some chill pills old son.

[Flea]

I don't know the full story of what happened to Flea's camera, but for something like that the smart place to put it would be up against a wall or pole where people are less likely to walk, therefore reducing the chance of this happening.

It was placed over the yellow line, where items should go. Following these rules I placed the camera where it should go, then got stepped on. I've seen dozens of glasses, cameras etc be stepped on. The raised step in Demon's station has got to be no more than 30cm wide, which is way to small IMO. It'd be way to easy to slip off the raised platform if the operator wasn't paying close attention to where he/she were walking (I've seen many ops slip) There's no specific area to place items in at Demon. The station's floor is not a safe place to put valuable items on, which is why all of my belongings are placed in my pockets. It'd be a totally different story if there were trays (as seen in Corkscrew's station). ~Liam

[ScReAMmachine!]

It'd be way to easy to slip off the raised platform if the operator wasn't paying close attention to where he/she were walking

There's as much chance the operator will slip as your camera falling out of your hands whilst riding. Btw... have you heard of lockers? :mrgreen: Surely wonderland should have them. Can't you place it there when you're about to go on rides. Then pick it up later and take photos.

[Daniel]

The operator won't ever slip. They've done it so many times, they're used to it. They'd all be very confident in their ability to be able to stay on their feet. :twisted: No chance of them ever slipping hey Rich? It's impossible. Just because we've done it so many times before means we won't fall over. :twisted: (Sorry couldn't help myself) You put your camera there knowing fully that's where the operator walks. You've done it enough by now Flea to know to put it up against a wall. It's not rocket science. It's wider than 30 cm if we can walk along it front on. Anyway, take a bag and put all your crap in it like everybody else seems to do.

[Flea]

All my inventory consists of is my digital camera and my wallet, so there is no real need to take a bag. On rides like Probe and Bush Beast, I do put my camera up against the wall (or in Bush Beast's case, tucked away behind the bin!). But for a small station like Demon's, I put my camera in my pocket. I don't wear those lame baggy pants with oversized pockets that every wannabe rapper seems to wear, so there's no chance of my belongings falling out. Wonderland does have lockers, located in Transylvania and The Beach. But to pay fifty billion million dollars just to store a camera is not worth it. ~Liam

[Richard]

wonderbus, we're having this discussion because people think that even parks that don't have a no-items policy, i.e. Sea World, Disneyland or Universal Studios (who even have recordings suggesting you do it, but to be careful of the water, on Jurassic Park). The parks that do have such a policy in place, i.e. Dreamworld, Knott's Berry Farm, provide space for items to be stored. Okay, it's one thing to use different sides of the station to enter and exit the ride, but what about rides like Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster or practically every non-stationary ride at Disney parks, which have separate load and unload stations? This is about the only situation I can ever think of where storage space isn't practical. Wonderland has none of these sorts of rides, so that's not an excuse for them, and every ride I've ever been on like this allows the loose items on the ride. My real point in that is not really anything directly to do with the cameras on rides issue, it's that Wonderland enforces such a no-items policy, but doesn't really provide any suitable space for the items to go for the duration. All Sea World uses are a few store-bought plastic boxes, and that's all you need, or expect from a park. It's a bit unreasonable for them to expect you to not take them on, and instead to leave them lying around the station. I'm not necessarily saying they should change their policy and you should be allowed to take them on. I'm saying if they want the policy, they should give a safe alternative.

[Bussy]

See in as this topic was brought up in another thread I thought everyone might be interested in the following links. Link 1 Link 2 <-- Look at 8/18/2003 - Goliath "The Bus is now leaving for Deadmans Swamp Native Forest Reserve, South Australia"

[Daniel]

Interesting... Whoops...

[Richard]

Regarding the link to that article about the Sony ad. I think some of the arguments put forward are totally off base. First off. How does that article prove or disprove anything? It's advertising a camera, and uses the notion of extreme activities to do so. I think any link to that ad and people taking cameras on rides is a complete moot point, with no substance or supporting evidence. Case Example: You've all seen the Pepsi Max ad filmed in Sydney where a group, decked out like whitewater rafters with helmets, PFDs and paddles hop into a multiskip and ride it down a series of hills until flying into the harbour at the end? There's no way any person of sane mind would repeat such an activity, but they way well purchase Pepsi Max. What it quietly skips over is that not only does this park allow, to the best of my knowledge, cameras etc. on the ride, but that this photo was edited to appear as it does. Nonetheless, we're also supposed to expect that this photo will make people sneak cameras onto rides. Where does that come from? That argument is pulled out of nowhere! Now, then it turns really good. This photograph, an edited stock photograph (i.e. they basically bought the photo out of a catalogue) is then likened with the incident that occured at Holiday World which was proven to be a result of a park guest puposely removing some of their restraining mechanisms so as to essentially stand up for the ride. For what it's worth, at the event where this incident occured, Holiday World allows guests to take cameras onto the rides (it is/was the only time of the season where cameras could be taken onto the coasters). The 8/18 incident on Goliath is part of the Unconfirmed list. It is not an official list, and I'd consider it just as reliable as the sources which claim Dreamworld is getting Demon. And talk about a sensationalised report. Dad was the hero, using his magical powers to keep her from blacking out (I ask how exactly you go about preventing someone from passing out when such a thing would be inevitable, as in the situation of being hit in the head by a flying object - which would not have been travelling anywhere near the reported speed of 75mph thanks to the laws of physics) and the operators were seemingly stupid for calling security (which I'd wager is standard procedure at SFMM for such incidents). You know, SFMM have a no loose objects on rides policy. No worries here. I won't take my camera or bag etc. onto the ride unfastened, and I didn't when I was there. The owner of this alleged camera broke the rules and should have been appropriately persecuted for their alleged actions. Still haven't got any convincing evidence you know...

[Gazza]

Simple solution to stop people taking cameras on rides: Park makes own footage for download.

[Slick]

speaking of which, i have found this: http://bigbrother.ten.com.au/default.asp?section_id=17

[joz]

I also doubt the figues in the second story. 3 inch welt? (as Richard pointed out) his dad stopping the person from passing out? He also called it an emergency. What the? I dare say most staff weren't doing anything because the injury wasn't that bad, and security were called because of people making a scene.

[Daniel]

Who cares? Worth a mention to raise a few eyebrows again A camera in the face at a rate of knots is always going to be serious. I wouldn't want to cop a camera in the face at any time, let alone doing 80 clicks on a coaster. Always sparks a conversation doesn't it? Good work Bus. You're a sh*t stirring bastard and I love it.