Looks like SFMM's Ninja got some new trims

But, not the kind you're thinking...

It appears all of the trees around the ride have been cut back, and it's not pretty.

http://i.imgur.com/vC8Tjj2.jpg

That looks as though the trees are going away entirely. Yikes.

Clearing space for the "Ultra-VIP" parking lot. For $75 you can park right underneath the rides!

Edit: Scream... http://rcdb.com/2169.htm#p=6568

I'll never understand the placement of that ride. I mean, sure, there was a lot of flat, stable ground to build on, but at least re-seal the blacktop to get rid of the yellow lines.

Shockwave at Great America had the same thing going on, partially, but I actually kind of liked that. (don't ask me why - something about a 1980's Mega-Looper over a parking lot seemed fitting)

Ugh. Talk about a knee-jerk reaction...

Maybe they took a good look and determined that most of the trees in the area were diseased or old or something. Maybe every tree taken out was necessary.

I don't know. It does seem somewhat extreme.

Well, we simply can't have it both ways.

In the initial accident discussion it was suggested at some point that SF was responsible for not knowing the condition of every single tree in the wooded area surrounding the ride.

With those unrealistic expectations, it makes more sense just to remove anything close enough to the ride to potentially be of issue.

It's an overeaction to an overreaction.

I can agree with that being a possibility and completely understand where you are coming from.

Calling that "trimming" is like referring to Lorena Bobbitt as a moile.

^ best comment on the internet today

Lord Gonchar said:

It's an overeaction to an overreaction.

But sadly, based on America's super-litigious society, the only reaction that could have been expected.

Tommytheduck said:
Clearing space for the "Ultra-VIP" parking lot. For $75 you can park right underneath the rides!

Edit: Scream... http://rcdb.com/2169.htm#p=6568

Nah I'll want to get my handy Super-Ultra-Vip underneath Colossus for $150 but the lot is closing in less than 2 days.

I find it interesting that both Colossus and Scream are both Parking Lot coasters and you can see on the Google Maps Image of the old parking lot lines around the Colossus Structure that are still there going back into 1978 (possibly painted in 1977) https://goo.gl/maps/ZyNkW so those lines tend to stay put for many years.

Then why is it at my WalMarts they can't seem to put their ve-hicles between 'em right?

Oh.....

Raven-Phile said:

I'll never understand the placement of that ride. I mean, sure, there was a lot of flat, stable ground to build on, but at least re-seal the blacktop to get rid of the yellow lines.

Think of all the negative charm avoided by building it in an already treeless parking lot as opposed to a plot of land somewhere inside the park that would likely necessitate arborcide.