Retractable seatbelts.

With the announcement today of mean streak getteng retractable seatbelts(finnaly), Do you think this will become more common on coasters? I think this is a much better idea because for some reason people just cant figure out how to fasten the belts. This will speed up load times a lot.

Thoughts?

http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/fun/blog/index.cfm

IMHO they are great and stop the cutting the belts short practice to keep the train from running over them when somebody forgets to clamp em.

Chuck, a bigger rider that finds the trains fine but can't ride some due to stupidly short belts.

So, weill these be like the ones found on cars? There will ALWAYS be people who will be clueless.

I've been a big fan of the retractables ever since....for capacity reasons mainly. I think PRevenge was the coaster that got me hooked on them. I thought then the insurance companies would pick up on the retractables - it's not like the insurers to pass on ANYTHING that even might improve safety. For whatever reason, parks haven't really adopted them much at all...maybe MS getting them is a foreshadowing?

Maybe/hopefully this will lead to their installation on some other (better?) CF coasters? Hehehe...

Retractable seat belts just make more sense to me. I also experienced them on Phantom's Revenge and thought they were great. Not only are they easier to manage, but they seem to wear down less because they are not always flapping around.

And I'm not sure everyone struggles with belts because they can't figure them out. Sometimes, again with wear and tear or when the belt gets wet, it just isn't easy to slide the buckle back and forth. *** Edited 4/24/2008 7:52:06 PM UTC by Carrie M.***

Obviously everyone doesn't struggle, Carrie, but as a former op, I can attest to many guests having struggles with them.

Perhaps this is another Paramount import. Do any of the Paramount woodies not have retractables?

The head of maintenance at CP now came from Kings Island. So there you have it.

The problem on the wood coasters is that the belts have always been short so they don't get caught on the platform (I assume), so they're hard to fish out even for skinny people who are already sitting on them. This really solves that problem.

A big question is how will they be implemented. If the belts are still connected to the same anchor points they are using now, with the buckle end coming up between the seat bottom and back, it won't make any difference at all, or in fact, if anything, will complicate matters further. On the other hand, if the belts are done the way that Kings Island did them on Racer and The Beast, where the buckle end is tied to the seat divider and the retractable end emerges from the car sidewall well above the seat cushion, that will make the belts more accessible when riders are seated, and they will help a lot.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Dave, check out the pictures of the MS trains on the blog. They look a lot like what they did down at KI. Makes sense based on Jeff's comments about the new head of maintenance.

*** Edited 4/25/2008 5:42:04 PM UTC by ShiveringTim***

This is a great idea! I've always wondered why coasters didn't have retractable belts...

They will also (most likely) contribute to a more comfortable ride, because that metal buckle always seemed to dig into my stomach/thighs.

I love the retractable belts at KI. They are fantastic. Those will be a welcome addition, especially on Blue Streak (which was always difficult for me to buckle.

^BS has always been a challenge for me too. Well...BS as in Blue Streak. The other kind, not so much. ;)

If they are anything like the ones at KI, this will no longer be a problem. Last year, fully decked out in my parka, fleece and sweatshirt, no problem on the Beast or Racer.

I'm happy they are fixing the belts on corkscrew. That belt hanging from the restraint was stupid, I still don't understand why they didn't put the buckle on the restraint, and the belt on the seat, similar to raptor and mantis.

They're going to be awesome for capacity:

- Guests won't sit on the belts as they sit down
- Ride ops don't have to buckle the empty seats
- The belts won't double-up on themselves and get jammed, holding up the train
- The belts *should* be longer, allowing larger guests to fasten faster

Now if only my Magnum would have received them too!

This is a great move. They have been doing this for a while at Kings Dominion as well. Not only on the woodies, but also on Anaconda. Hopefully Corkscrew will follow the same suite. :)

We didn't show a photo of it, but the actual buckle portion of the seatbelt sticks up and out of the seat, making it easier to fasten.

The coaster in the company that needs these the most is Shivering Timbers. No wonder Kara got so many rides, She was the only one who could fit some seats! :)

Chuck

Huh... how about no seatbelts on the Arrow with OTSR? Six Flags, Disney and countless other parks make it work, why not CF?