Alton Towers

[elodie2000]

DD and friends want to go but I'm trying to put them off. Will they end up queuing for hours & end up on only 3 rides all day? Have any of you been recently?
I just think it will be a waste of a day. AIBU?

Mongering.

We havn't broken up yet in Staffordshire so this week will be a good week to go.

Agreed, winetemptress - esp this: Looks like more people will be losing their legs then

Unnecessary and distasteful.

It's not scare mongering to mention the accident in a factual way

Takings are very down because of it (I know someone who works there). That's just a fact, not speculation.

How is mentioning the fact that the owner of a park, where people lost limbs due to staff not following guidelines, wants to reduce red tape, which may result in a lowering of safety standards, to increase profit distasteful?

You really can't see that referring to it in that tone is disrespectful?

Ah, it's utopia to teens and a real rite of passage. They won't mind queuing, it's part of the fun.

Very fond memories of Alton Towers school trips!
Incidentally, we stay in the hotel over Feb half term and it's brill, the water park is great fun.

I find the owner's comment about 'red tape' worrying and, yes, distasteful. I don't think discussing it is at all distasteful. People might wish to ignore the implications of this public comment unpleasant, worrying, etc. but trying to brush it under the carpet with reference to some notion of etiquette is a bit ridiculous.

If the owner of a public attraction, which had a serious health and safety incident, is talking, publicly, about Brexit as an opportunity to 'cut back on red tape', it is a matter for concern. Simply saying: "Oooh. don't talk about it. It's tasteless," is abdicating whatever limited agency you have.

I get that the initial post sounded angry. But I think I'm also quite angry that someone with responsibilities towards the public might be so callous.

It wasn't only the Smiler accident, they have definitely had other accidents there in my lifetime. To be honest the whole place is so run-down and shonkily-run, there will undoubtedly be more in future, especially if the person in charge is looking forward to 'reductions in red tape'.

Those of you who have been, is CBeebies Land worth it? I have a 4yo who wants to go...but it's so expensive. Nearly £100 for 2 adults and a child.

Your journey to the then park by car is far far more dangerous than the rides themselves.

Sorry but anyone who finds the comment looks like more people will be loosing their legs then acceptable needs professional help.

Dd will go tomorrow and thankfully her sensible and mature attitude has allowed her to move on from her trauma.

There will be accidents as long as there are humans to make accidents but I have full confidence in Merlin and they have faced up to their responsibilities and accepted liability and tightened up procedures.

No one would go anywhere if we were all scared. These incidents are so rare so that's why thry make headline news just like dds accident.

Op your dd will love it. Tell her to embrace life not cower from it.

"There will be accidents as long as there are humans to make accidents but I have full confidence in Merlin and they have faced up to their responsibilities and accepted liability and tightened up procedures."

You're mixing a few things up in that statement and missing the point.

Yes, life involves risk.

However, there is a real difference between risk which is unavoidable and risk which is increased because companies have decided that they have seen a business opportunity to increase the risk borne by the user through their new-found ability to cut costs by cutting back on H and S ("red tape" - that is what he means by "red tape" - even if it is a deferred cut-back on H and S through increasing worker hours/training, etc.).

You say that Merlin have faced up to their responsibilities - but the whole point of that public comment is that no, in fact they are looking for opportunities to cut back on measures to lower the risk borne by the user. That, I think, is the exact opposite of "facing up to their responsibilities". It offers an insight, a worrying insight, into the true mind-set and business aims of the company, behind all the empathetic, caring PR.

That is why the comment is of concern.

Have you got a link to the comment? I can only see him talking about red tape in the context of running a plc, so requirements on things like carbon emissions and filing.

That was my take too Applebite to interpret that he's hinting that less red tape means 'jolly good let's stop all this health and safety nonsense and who cares anyway' is obviously nonsense.

Do you honestly think Melin has relished the last few years? Accidents cost millions both in compensation, loss of confidence in a product and staff morale.

Chief executives are family people too you know.

We've been a few times and got the fast passes to kill the queue times.

My top tip, as soon as you get in head to the back of the park first and work your way back to the entrance (use the skyrider thing, like a cable car to get to the back of the park where rides like Rita and Nemesis are). If you look at Alton Towers Holidays they do a brilliant 1 day, 1 day free (with an overnight stay inbetween), this also means you get in early the second day.

Absolutely batgirl. He's not an idiot; he knows that another tragic incident like that would quite possibly finish the park off altogether.

I used to follow the AT page on facebook, but stopped after the accident, because of the sheer number of idiots who thought it was OK to post horrible comments about it. The victims have shown nothing but strength, class and dignity; Merlin seems to have done as much as it can in awful circumstances to help them; and yet keyboard warriors think they're being totes hilar to go on and make vile comments like, "the smiler will cost you an arm and a leg". Quite astonishing that there are so many nasty people out there!

I'm a bit saddened by the fact they seem to be thinking about Brexit as an opportunity to now ignore (EU) regulations concerning carbon emissions.

That's not very future-friendly, is it?

Merlin: Brexit is an opportunity to fuck up the planet (or at least stop trying to not fuck it up so much). We're going to be at the forefront of that!

I doubt it will impact on people visiting - but it's a bit depressing.

It really really depends when you go.

It's been a few years now, but I have been to AT a good few times.

One year, I remember vividly, I went in the School hoildays (July time) and spent hours queuing and averaged about 3 rides all day. Later that same year I went again for my birthday (so end of September) - queues done in about 10 mins, some rides I could finish, go back in the queue and almost immediately ride again, probably averaged 15-20 rides that day.

So YY as school hols now, they will struggle.

Cat - I do think that's a negative way to read it. He was saying, in a post-Brexit world, we need to focus on UK businesses.

Winetemptress You are spot on.

Op your dd will love it. Tell her to embrace life not cower from it.
I agree with everything you have said regarding the AT accident!
TBH it was the queues that put me off as I share your views on the other issues. Having said that, a day is what you make it! I've just booked us all tickets!!

Try and go this week if you can the local schools don't break up till Friday.

I can't find the latest article, either.

He sounds a charmer, though. He doesn't like the National Living Wage. Guess it gets in the way of profits - all those workers and their pesky need to eat.

I had no idea until today that the ruling on the accident was that it was "needless and avoidable". That's a bit grim. It does sound as though, despite the whole "I'm a family person, not a cut-throat, profit-hungry business-man" spiel, he has his eye firmly on the bottom line.