Zamperla is selling a coaster wash

Check this out:

https://www.zamperla.com/products/the-wash-through-ride-system/

I understand that they're responding to the market, but I wonder how long we're going to see this desire to clean rides. There isn't much evidence that Covid-19 is reliably transmitted via surfaces. And let's be honest, sweaty gross people were sweaty and gross before this and we just rolled with it.

When I worked at Texas Giant at SFOT back in the early-90s, it was easily the most popular ride in the park and we had a 1 hour line from nearly open to close nearly every day. That's a lot of sweaty and gross people. We usually cleaned one, yes one, train per night after close. That meant the trains got a good thorough once over about every 3 days. And there was no disinfectant involved. Just water from a hose, an all purpose cleaner or Simple Green, and some elbow grease.

I was stunned when Pittsburgh's transit authority said that in response to Covid 19 they would be increasing the cleaning of busses to every 48 hours. Please clean stuff more often post pandemic.

I absolutely loved Wicked Cyclone, but I shudder every time I think about it because I absolutely had someone else's hair sweat/grease/liquid fly from the front of the train into my mouth in the back seat. I can't not think about that every time I think about that ride.

If you haven't worked at a park or been involved in the industry it may be shocking to some how little rides, attractions, theaters, etc get cleaned. Aside from locations that serve food, most places get cleaned once a day at best with some only ever getting a "cleaning" when the ride was run in the rain.

It’s not shocking at all... I’ve smelled OTSRs mid-summer.

I have vivid memories from the late 90s/early 2000s growing up at Geauga Lake remembering the funky sweaty BO smell on those soft rubbery Vekoma SLC harnesses on Serial Thriller during the summer season.

I remember a guy getting up after a ride on Magnum, and the rubber seat was wet with sweat, and I was pretty grossed out. I sat in the other seat and hoped my friend didn't notice. ,😱

I might catch the 'rona just reading these anecdotes.

I remember hearing a podcast about a particular Disney trip where this couple was forced to ride Disney transportation with the, "stinky smelly people." It traumatized me, and I always rent a car when in Orlando. ;-) Jk. We just like going at our pace, but my wife and we do joke about that from time to time.

A friend of ours owns a local burrito restaurant. They just reopened this week. He added take out windows to all his locations that have reopened because he doesn't want the liability of allowing people to dine. He showed me some of his emails of complaints and people trying to file erroneous lawsuits. Didn't realize the liability of being a business owner today. Now i understand the take out only.

I could see some big park chains investing in it or developing their own as to share with the general public that they are taking steps for them to be safe in their park.

Jeff said:

There isn't much evidence that Covid-19 is reliably transmitted via surfaces.

It's pointless at best and a complete waste of resources at worst. Rumor has it that our school district deep cleaned all of the classrooms this summer. You know, the ones nobody has been in for months. I can only hope that this isn't the case.

We deep cleaned all of our offices after five weeks of the building being closed back in early May.

Why do we continue to spend so much time/money/effort cleaning, when the science shows it isn't a likely area of transmission, yet we resist and reject the practices which science shows would protect from a likely area of transmission?

The same reason people wear masks on their chin, think climate change isn't real and won't get the vaccine when it's ready.

On an individual level I agree. But why do companies/corporations keep doing it?

They're run by those individuals. 😊

Parks will be given the option to clean those sweaty-stinky people with this device:

"The Wash-Through Ride System is a simple and practical structure to install, which consists of a tunnel or a suspended structure positioned arched above the vehicle that is sanitized through amid foggy air between the unloading and loading people or while people are seated, depending on the preferences of the Park."

That's a pretty good idea...and one that merits consideration. This isn't the last pandemic of our lifetimes, I hate to say.

This thread reminds me of the song that once was popular on the radio decades back (Bruce Springsteen is the voice I hear in my head thinking about it) from a concert where he talked about Earl Scheib paint jobs. Earl would paint the car for $29.95 or something and if he left the windows open/top down, they would paid the inside for free. And if he left his brother in the backseat, he would paint him for free too.

TheMillenniumRider said:

Why do we continue to spend so much time/money/effort cleaning, when the science shows it isn't a likely area of transmission, yet we resist and reject the practices which science shows would protect from a likely area of transmission?

This actually boggles my mind as well. I honestly don't have a guess, other than it was "insisted upon" as part of the contingency to re-open by the powers-that-be.