Coasters Decreasing?

I was jsut looking at www.rcdb.com and noticed something again that I noticed a while back. When looking at the new coasters for 2000 then 2001 then 2002 you will see that each year the number of new coasters has gone down.What does this kind of thing mean? Anyone else notice? Will next year be lower or higher?

It means you need to remember the last few years have been the exception, not the rule, as far as the sheer number of new coasters being built.

There were more coasters built in North America from 1996 through 2001 than there were from 1966 through 1995.

Read that again and think about it. There were more new roller coasters built in the 6 year period from 1996 to 2001 than the previous 30 years. That's saying a lot.

Those of you who've only really gotten into coasters in the past few years need to understand that the last 5 or 6 years have been outstanding for enthusiasts. It wasn't always this good.

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www.coasterimage.com

The world-wide economy died a few years back. 2003 will be a booming year, everything should get back on track.

If you own a park, or manage a chain of parks, and one day you wake up and everyone is too scared to breathe in case of terrorists, do you think give your friends at Bob's Coaster Company a call and ask for a $20m ride for the season?

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So what if the best coaster in Australia is a second hand Arrow?

It's not even an economy thing in my opinion. You just need to sit back and get a return on your investment at some point. You can't just keep spending and spending.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

Or at least that's what Six Flags decided...

Actually, when I saw the title I figured this was going to be another "Magnum is sinking!!" thread... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
(Yes, I am in an evil, sarcastic mood today. Go figure...)

But Rideman...Maggie *is* sinking! The Dippin' Dots guy told me about it [and the Intamin TeraCoaster CP is getting next year].

*wink*

Matthew [always in an evil, sarcastic mood]

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Don't forget "Operation Graduation" June 1st @ SRM - bring Pat Koch a graduation card! See Coasterbuzz News for details.

You mean Maggie's NOT sinking........

bill, in an evil, sarcastic mood EVERY day....

edit: 'Moosh beat me to it......but his trip and our trip seem to intersect at SRM, so I'll get him back....;)

*** This post was edited by rollergator on 5/24/2002. ***

OK 'Gator...did we just have a mind meld? Our posts were nearly identical. And if so, is that one of the seven signs of the apocalypse?

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Don't forget "Operation Graduation" June 1st @ SRM - bring Pat Koch a graduation card! See Coasterbuzz News for details.

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh on 5/24/2002. ***

http://www.rcdb.com/result.htm?column=1,10,3,4,5&order=1,2&opened=2002&status=1,5

Look at it this way, there were 69 coasters built this year. That's still a lot.

2000: 97

2001: 79

2002: 69

That's still 245 coasters built in the last three years.

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Off with the trims!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
Woodencoaster.com

I seriously wonder if the 9/11 incident caused some parks to put off their building for a year or two.

One number.

91101

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Why do they report power outages on TV?

We were dumping into a recession before 9-11. Parks want to see their money back this and next year. After 245 coasters, can't we wait two or three more years for a few more? Americana reopened, can't we be more happy with a classic park like that pulling out from the wrecking ball?

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Big Kirby nailed it on the head. 9/11 has nothing to do with the lower number of coasters being built this year. If a park was building a coaster in 2002, the plans were certainly finalized long before that. If may effect 2003, but not 2002.

I still think it's all part of a cycle. The late 90's to present were almost like a second "golden age" for coasters. We've peaked. It will level off and we'll see more reasonable numbers of coasters being built. All these parks can't continue to build a new coaster every 2 or 3 years (or multiple coasters in one year) for much longer. The past few years have been odd ones. I still have to refer to my previous post:

1996 to 2001: 236 new coasters in North America

1966 to 1995: 222 new coasters in North America

Whatever the reasons, the last 6 years have been very good to enthusiasts. It won't last forever.

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www.coasterimage.com

*** This post was edited by Lord Gonchar on 5/25/2002. ***

I *think* that (sadly for some of us) we've arrived at the dawn of a new age in amusements.....the "immersive experience" is taking over from the classic thrill of a coaster....we'll still see coasters built, esp. with the economic recovery on the horizon, but I expect to see more simulators and "21st century dark rides" coming in, and we've already seen the *invasion of the upcharges*.....

but hey, it'll take me 4-5 more years just to wear out the crop of wood from 2000...:), and the popularity of these new attractions really cuts down on the wait times for my personal favorites, the coasters......