PA ride safety expert says Markey has it all wrong

Well, duh! ;)

At least someone is arguing for the side of good.

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park visits in 2002: 17

Nice article, but I doubt it will do any good. One minor annoyance w/ a comment at the end of the article: Nitro does NOT have any loops...I wish reporters would get all their facts correct.

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"Three simple words: I am gay." - Homer Simpson, giving advice on how to dump a girl.

"When 14-year-old Deeana Ryan boarded Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, she was looking for all the thrills she could take on its loops and turns."

Well, it started nice...

This is the type of reporting I like. Journalists who actually talk to people who know what's going on! G Forces killing people, bah! At least this journalist talked to someone who knows stuff, unlike Markey.

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I was asked to describe X in one word. The word? -- OhmygoshwhathaveIgottenmyselfintothisisthescariest
thingintheworldhelpmeIamgoingtodieAHHHH!!!

I don't know about anyone else, but when I hear the words "NEGATIVE G-FORCES" in the Wicked Twister and Millennium Force spiels, it scares the piss out of me! ;) I can't keep myself from yelling "Oh my god negative Geeeeee-Forces!" :)

Seriously though, it's good that the other side got a little exposure too... :)

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-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew

A "loop," in non-coaster terms, could mean a helix. When you loop around the block, you don't go upside down.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

Thanks Den, I was just about to say something along those lines...

When I hear the word loop I definetly think of inversions. If someone says, "does this ride have loops?" I don't say "Yes, it has a helix."

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"Life is like a roller coaster; there are ups and downs and it's over all too fast."

Joe Filoromo is a good guy, he knows his stuff. I've met and talked with him a few times, and he is a good, impartial party to rely on for information. He works for the government, and isn't affiliated with any park, so his opinion is not muddied by personal conflict.

That being said, I always thought it was Filorimo.

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"When I was growing up, we were taught something called manners. You'd understand that if you weren't such an idiot." - Jack Handey

...So it's true.. I am the only coaster enthusiast who is an Ed Markey supporter... *** This post was edited by xtraxtreme on 9/4/2002. ***

xtraxtreme.. apparently so.

Ed Markey's heart is in the right place. His head..well that's another story. Limiting G forces will have no affect on ride safety. It's a ludicrice idea.. it's not even logical and here's why..

The grounds keeper who was killed aftering being struck in the head by an inverted coaster. He was standing in a place he shouldn't have been The kid who climbed a fence and got slammed by Nemesis. Same difference. Fat people who cannot be strapped in properly and are ejected from the ride. The retarted man who threw himself from the ferris wheel. The teenage kid who wriggled through his restraints. The brakes that fail as the train is coming into the station. Derailings and other mishaps due to inadequately trained maintenance workers.

ARE ANY OF THESE RELATED TO G FORCES IN ANY WAY?

No. And yet this is how 90% of all coaster related injuries are caused... oh.. unless you include bruises as a coaster related iinjury. *LOL* :)

Sorry, I crack myself up sometimes. :)

Den, you haven't driven Cook Rd. west of 71 have you? :) There's more than a hill there.
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Brad Sherman
"Well sir, there's nothin' on earth like a genuine bona fide electrified 6-car Monorail!"
Model coasters and rides

If Ed Markey's heart was in the right place, he wouldn't have the title 'Congressman' tacked onto his name. He is no moron, he is just trying to milk the public's misconceptions as a rallying cry for his own benefit.

Xtraxtreme, since the cheese stands alone, I just want to ask why you are a Markey supporter. Please use scientifically acceptable evidence, and find a list of g-force related coaster mortalities in the past decade that I could count on no more than two hands. If Markey can't give his point of view in a well thought out manner, maybe you can.

One more thing:
"Six Flags theme parks, which has 186 roller coasters in operation at nearly 39 parks across the world."
What, do they run half a park?:)
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105 coasters, and the Cyclone still tops 'em all. *** This post was edited by CycloneWacko on 9/4/2002. ***

I've just been flipping through the channels this morning and found our friend Mr. Markey on CSPAN spouting off to the new director of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). I really hope this new director, Hal Stratton, is able to see through Markey's bull. I haven't seen the whole hearing, so I'm not really sure what the purpose of it is.

Here we go again. As said height and speed have very little to do with G forces. If they did none of us would survie our first ride in a jet airliner. Height and speed may tempt designers to use higher forces or longer durations to keep ride design economical.

Look at the rides, that Markey claims cause brain injuries and you will find very little correclation to height, speed They include the Comet at Hershey park, tea cups and kiddie ride throughs. There may be some correlation to head bangers which figure prominently in Markey's list. However, this is probably tirggering existing conditions not cuasing a problem. Note the the G's from your head hitting the OTSR on a head banger while very short in duration can be many times as great as the G's from any pullout or turn.

Jim: Are you serious, Markey attacked The Comet at Hershey Park? That's inexcusable. Now I have to go actually read the linked article above after reading the fallout. Teacups? What, does Markey want to now make illegal for kids to twirl around in circles for fear they'll inflict too much force upon themselves? And what if they fall down and bump themselves? "A roller coaster arms race"... I haven't heard more ludicrous politico-speak since Al Gore declared he invented the Internet.

Is Markey on crack?? I too can't believe the Hersheypark overbraked Comet is on his list!! What an idiot!!

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