exit passes??

Exactly. And I'd feel better letting a few people cheat than screw even one deserving person...but that's just me.

-'Playa

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The scholar, the eternal question and a lot of REALLY stupid jokes. Celebrate Pancake Day 10/27. Check local listings for events.
*** This post was edited by CoastaPlaya 10/30/2003 5:48:23 PM ***

In my opinion, parks should just ask people for a legitimate doctor's excuse before issuing exit passes. There might be some issues with handicapped visitors that weren't aware of the rule, but if properly implemented this would eliminate the problem of "fakers" without severely inconveniencing the legitimately disabled.

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Six Flags Worlds of Adventure Online

There may be some privacy issues asking for a doctors excuse. If your a smart operator you will spot the fakers and then give a call around to other rides and security.

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Hi.....whats your name again?

Tenchi-online.com Theme park photos and more. Your new home for the Jeff Siebert fanpage

Doctor's excuse? This isn't like calling in sick or cutting school. For someone who has an actual permanent handicap, it's pretty insulting to ask them to have to prove it, let alone making them go through the trouble of getting it and bringing it to the park.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

I'll sell you an exit pass to ceder point BWizzle!!!

Oh boy, "handicap access" for coasters. My favorite cross-mailing-list topic.

What do I mean? I have a condition that's technically a handicap (I won't go into details here, although I haven't made a secret of it). I AM entitled to a handicap access pass (at many parks, anyway. I've never bothered to check how universal the parks are on this one).

Now, I don't get one, because I do consider myself perfectly able to wait in line. Whenever I see someone wheelchair-bound, I'm glad that I'm not saddled with a more serious physical handicap, and leave that system open to the people who REALLY need it. (This subject sometimes comes up on the support mailing list I'm on, hence the "cross-genre" comment above. That list is divided between people who shrug and say "We're fortunate that we don't have something worse", and the bitter, vile little people who think that they're entitled to special treatment as "compensation". Guess which side of that fence I'm on ;) )

My point, though, is never judge someone using a handicap access pass by simple looks. Are there some fakers out there? Yes, and they deserve to rot. But just because someone looks perfectly ambulatory doesn't mean there isn't a hidden problem in there.

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--Greg, aka Oat Boy
My page
"Friendship -- more lasting than love, more legal than stalking."

I think some of the special needs pass policies are covered by the ADA. We are not allowed to ask a person if they have a handicap, or what it is. If they say they have one then we have to give a pass to them. I'm sure most parks do the same thing my park does. A person with a pass comes up to the exit and the operator estimates how long the line is and writes down the time that they can come back, this way they wait in line without having to stand in line. If they are part of a group larger than 4, then the part of the group goes through the line and then the rest of the party joins at the exit. Most people in line don't realize that they came up earlier and reserved a time.

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Boulder Community Hospital- they have cable :)

My wife is technically and legally handicapped. She has a bad back. It is something that an amusement ride isn't going to make worse. It's a degenerative disc disorder,one she has had since birth and slowly gets worse. Is she in a wheel chair? No. 10 years from now? Maybe. Can you tell from looking at her? No. Can she stand in line for an hour? Not without pain that most of us can't begin to understand. Do we use an exit pass? Sometimes. Slow days, shorts waits, or her rare good days we wait with everyone else. Other days I go up the exit, get a ride time and then we sit and wait our turn. Most parks and rides are like this. SFoG gives Q-bots for handicapped people, a great idea in my opinion if you have them. Most exits are short and not hard to navigate with few exceptions. (The Boss at SFStL comes to mind.) Are there fakers, sure. As a ride op I see them all the time but you cant be sure unless you have a medical degree and x-ray and MRI vision.

Just my 2 cents worth.

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Just a couple of G-Force junkies!

The only time I've ever recieved an exit pass was at SFA. I was on Batwing and when the train came back into the station, the trains never came back up. The opperators tried for about 2 minutes to get the seats to come back up, but were unsuccessfull and called the mechanics. When the mechanics got there (about 5 mins after the train stopped in the station) they fooled around both above and below the station in an attempt to raise the train, still no success. They then attached a mechanical device to the control pannel on the train which released many, but not all of the restraints on each train. They then came back and manually removed the cover from the leg restraints and manually released the ratchet to open the restraints. I had been lying there, on my back, with my legs up, unable to do anything but move my arms and turn my head left and right for over 20 mins.

Call me odd, but I didn't mind it at all as it has always been some sort of a fetish for me to get stuck on a coaster and have to get off the ride in a way that 99.9% of the people that ride never do. (I still want to walk down a lift hill or leave from a MCBR) However, you can see how many people in the position I was would be and were very panic stricken. Wouldn't you agree that this was a situation warenting exit passes? By the way, the unwritten rule at SFA is that riders must be stuck on a ride for 20 minutes or more to warrent an exit pass distribution and the distribution may only be made by a supervisor, not a regular ride operator.

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If you can't stand the heights, get out of the line.

Late to the thread but thought I'd add my tuppence worth ;)

I became disabled six years ago but now get around pretty well on elbow crutches. I still have to be careful in crowded places (sound familiar?) in case I am knocked over or trip but when I get to the US next year I most likely will not use my disability to skip lines. Although my legs do tire out pretty quickly I will still queue with the rest of you *normal people ;)* because I'd probably be harrassed for not looking disabled enough.

What you see when you look at someone isn't always the best way to diagnose their condition.

- Jim (who'd give his right arm to lose his disability;))

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Now I'll go back to dreaming of queueing for Dragster hehe
*** This post was edited by Invy 11/1/2003 9:08:40 AM ***

I have a daughter who is handicapped in a couple ways. She has serious lung problems and is deaf. Our approach to the handicapped thing has always been based on whether or not she is affected by the situation.

We use handicapped parking because the long hike across a blazing hot asphalt parking lot can give her lungs a lot of grief. We don't use handicapped access to most rides because she does OK in queues as long as some jerk doesn't smoke.

We do use handicapped access to some shows such as many of the shows at Disney. These shows have captioning available for the deaf, but it requires special set up, so you go up the handicapped ramp and tell them that you need captioning. This saves time in the queue if the line is long, but sometimes takes longer. If the line is short and the show is just about to start, you have to wait an extra show for them to have time to set up without delaying the show.

I just realize something here, and it hasn't been said here. We all know and have read the rules and safety guidelines that are posted at each ride. And dosen't those signs say you shouldn't ride if you have a certain medical condition. Now lets say, the safety guidelines for a ride states you should ride with (a) broken bone(s). The park, being nice, gives a person who has a broken arm an exit pass for said ride. With the park giving that person an exit pass, aren't they 'telling' that person it's ok to dis-reguard the safety guidelines? There's something to think about. ;)

I know they ride at there own risk, but the parks should 'warn' the person when they get there exit pass, and suggest atl. rides/attrations.

As far as who should get an exit pass, I think those who are capable of riding, with in the safety guidelines, but have a medical condition to where they can't wait in line should be in-titled to get one, otherwise, they shouldn't get one.

Now, 'front of the line' type passes should be used like fast pass/fast lane passes, where you 'jump' in line at a certain point. And should be given out for all other reasons mention in this thread.

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Zero g Network

Shaggszgn, It all depends on the ride type, what type of restraints are used, and various other factors. At my home Park Worlds of Fun they have a safety guid avalable at Guest Relations saying what rides they or can't ride with an Arm Cast. Also at the rides, the ride ops have a list of what riders have to able to do to be able to ride. So the deal about Arm Casts is based upon the decision of the park.

As for needing an exit pass for the rides with an Arm Cast. The Arm Cast doesn't disable the person to be able to stand in the normal queing line, so they don't need to be using the Special Access Entrance. The Specail Access Entrance is for the people that have a disablibility (permeant or non-permeant) that prevents them from waiting in the normal que line. Also that entrance is where you would go if you do have an exit pass from where you had a problem with the park (could be anything and the exit pass would be given based on the discretion of guest relations or the park management), the ride you've been queing couldn't reopen for a certain problem (the exit pass would be given out based on the sole discretion of the park), or been stuck on a ride for a while.

You are not the park, If you have problems with the exit pass system at your park. I recommend you contact the park where you have the problem at. This is why they have Guest Relations, so you could tell them about the problems you having with the park or tell them that you had a very awesome time and you want to come back. I don't think bickering here on these fourms would help out very much about this problem.

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Chris Knight
RIP Orient Express 1980-2003

2 Years ago, my wife took a fall and badly sprained her ankle. It was mis-diagnosed as a minor sprain, and she ended up doing more damage to it in physcal theropy. Anyway, We went to SFMM, rented a wheelchair for her, and found that as a general rule they require someone to wait in line as a proxy. They then allow however many people are in the group to board when the proxy reaches the station. That was with most of the caosters. It was very difficult, because most of them force you to wait through the queue, then ride up in an extremely sub-standard looking (not to mention the stench of urine in most of them) elevator. In many cases, (Ninja in particular) we had to wait longer than the standard line would have taken. Ninja was a walk-on and they forced us to wait 4 trains before I finally asked what the problem was. We were less than impressed with the way they handled wheelchair access. Knott's gave us front of the line access for everything, which we didn't ask for, that was just their policy. They just ask you to not re-ride that same ride for at least an hour. Although it worked in our favor, I think this system is also flawed.

As for handing out exit passes, I agree that they should not be handed out to enthusiasts, just because they are enthusiasts. That's lame. There is no reason for that.

I do think that when lines are long and the ride breaks down, exit passes should be handed out to those who have already waited through the line. On several occasions (also SFMM) after a 60+ minute wait, this will happen, and I ask if an exit pass could be issued. NEVER have I been given one in this situation. Come on, I've already waited long enough to have gotten a ride, but was denied. Each time I left the queue upset. (after attempting to wait it out, then giving up) I could have left feeling good if an exit pass was issued. Seriously, it costs the park almost nothing (the cost of printing them) and it would be a quick and easy way of clearing the queue AND keeping guests happy.

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SCREAM with me... in 2003!

My turn to throw my two cents in. Lets not get Exit passes confused with Accessibility passes.

At most Six Flags parks Exit passes are given out by either management or by supervisors as compensation for something. Either you had a bad day or you had a bad experience or for whatever reason. They are part of the comp package that they have to use to help make your day pleasant.

Disability passes are another thing all together. These are used for those guests who state they have a disability. They do not have to show proof of said disability (the American with Disabilities Act prohibits it) all they have to do is to ask about their ADA policy. I fully agree with the parks that assign a time for the guest and one other person to be back at the exit so they can enjoy the ride.

Letting a guest with 3 friends show up at the exit and get on the next train, now that is not fair. I have been in line for a ride over an hour and someone showed up with 3 friends and got on the very next train. About 5 min later (we were the next for the front row) and the same guest was back with 3 different friends and rode on the next train (in the front). I will say I was a little perturbed at that one. I mean I can see the first group, but when you bring a second group up in a short amount of time, it is like rubbing our noses in it.