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LPS ride issues


GoGoBoy
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I was walking through Luna Park on a fairly wet day (definitely not going on anything, just observing) during the school holidays. It had been raining on and off for most of the day and was quite windy although the park was still busy with people going on the rides (are these people totally crazy?). I noticed that a number of the ride operators control panels had big sheets of ripped up plastic sticky taped over the buttons. Most of the control panels are out in the open and are within sight of all guests either just observing, standing in the queue or actually going on the ride. I personally felt it looked unprofessional and a bit worrying and I'm guessing was to stop the water getting in. What do other parks (big or small) do in this situation? While I respect a number of features and endeavours being undertaken by LPS management, there is a major issue with the temporary feel of the rides. It covers all things we have spoken of before such as lack of facades and the unattractive Maloney's Corner. This rain incident and the cheap method of protection for the rides control panels just highlights the temporary nature of the rides. It really makes me wonder what their long term intentions for the existing attractions are. Sometimes it feels like they are just experimenting until they decide to make some things a little more permanent

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i actually wouldnt expect luna park to build any more permanant rides but to see them actually get new rides every time is great. maybe they might have the zipper or other great thrill rides or even the rainbow ride, but i wouldnt expect more rides, the park just endured $100 million to fic up the place why build more things any time soon?

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I agree but can you explain why so many of the rides are so temporary looking? And what about the plastic (I'm thinking it might have actually been glad wrap) over the control panels? Surely that cannot be a permanent measure? Don't forget that the $100 million dollar refurbishment was MOSTLY spent on things like the Big Top, the Crystal Palace refurb and the car park. The rides were already on site from 1995 so you can't say LPS spent a lot of money on rides

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yes true, i understand they didnt spend money for rides but remember the place is small. They get very large crowds on the rides they already have today, why would they spend more money to remove rides and put new and different rides? They would never remove a ride thats in good condition and they did refurbish the rides, they took them to hombush for fixing up. But i like the park the way it is, it would be a bonus for new and better rides but the park is still great, remeber it really is a permanant carnival luna park, its not really a theme park.

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One thing you're wrong about is that Luna Park isn't meant to be a "permanent carnival". It is a "traditional amusement park". I can assure you that at no stage at the original Luna Park at Coney Island, was there ever much in the way of trailored attractions. Even our Luna Parks 30 years ago weren't the messes of bitumen and portable rides that they are today. I'll give Sydney's park one thing, and that is in terms of rides available, more or less up until you reach Coney Island the rides are fine. However, behind that is just nothing short of cheap, tacky and unfaithful to the original Luna Park idea. We can all ride the exact same Ranger etc. at our respective Royal Shows. No one goes to Luna Park to ride them. If you want any further proof of that, look at the crowd distribution in the place - all the rides up the front half of the park, the "real" half of the park work up lengthy queues no problems. Meanwhile out the back there can walk-ons everywhere. Regarding this interesting plastic covering practice, the simple solution for about every other park I've been to is to house the controls in an operators booth. Let's just hope that what they're doing is only temporary.

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Yes we can ride the Ranger/Kamikaze at the Royal Shows, but they aren't as good as Huss' creation, also don't hold your breath Night Shifter, Rainbow won't go to LPS, O'Neills will have it for many years to come, not that that's great, but at least its still operating, the only travelling Huss ride in Oz

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Richard you are spot on. The main park is (overall, minus a few bits and pieces) visually very appealing. I would say this is partly, but not entirely, due to the fact that a lot of the infrastructure, layout and theming was already there and left in place from the 1995 reincarnation. On the other hand Maloney's Corner is a completely new area where they have basically just layed a heap of asphalt and stuck trailer-mounted rides on top. That's it. I'm sure even they'd agree that it's a pretty average effort. Let's hope they fix it soon. Regarding wet weather and operators booths. I assumed that's how most parks overcame this problem. It is a logical conclusion for so many reasons. Although it's not something I normally take notice of, when I think back to ANY park I've visited they always have some kind of operators booth or building... even for the smallest rides. It's another 'temporary' issue LPS really should look at if they're planning to keep the amusement park for the long term

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Richard, were talking about Luna Park here, yeah having Demon would not be great, I thought people disliked old rides just being put in a LP. Build a completley new coaster that can operate quietly, Does anyone have rough dimensions of the site? Need help remembering the topic? Roller-Coaster.com.au forum nazi's to the rescue

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I think you all knew what I meant. Give me a break, I'd just gotten back from Dreamworld and finished sorting out all the construction pictures. :) Screams happen on any coaster at any time, regardless of how intense or tame the ride is. It's more about 14 year-old girls proving to their friends how loud they can scream more than anything else.

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Getting back to the issue of the plastic over the controls. If you go to your local show/fair in wet wether, you might see the controls that are in the open covered by a purpose fit plastic cover with the same idea that ppl use to cover their cars. They are made from clear plastic and fit over the entire control panel, so I would think that the park could afford 2-3hundred dollars to make some of these covers up, even if the rides could be gone soon. It would be down to the Work place health and safety officer to make the call on wether the park requires them or not. But then again, nothing surprises me anymore.

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The safety of the ride operator using the parks equipment does fall under work place health and safety. If they are required to wear certain clothing, then it is up to the park to enforce their staff to wear it. Wet weather clothing in a lot of places is up to the employee to supply, and is normally ok as long as it falls under certain guide lines. These may include long LOOSE sleeves, or any item that may fall into any moving part of the ride that the operator may have to get close to during the normal operation of the ride. But you then open a hole new area of the WPHS laws, which I don't want to get into as this is not the thread to do it. What it boils down to is the park making sure that the operators are not in any harm from the rides while the are in operation, this would include electric shock from the control panel during wet weather. If anyone has anymore questions about the Work Place Health and Safety Laws then start a new thread and I will try to answer them the best that I can.

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This is not just an issue about having protection for the control panel during rain. What about protection during summer for the operators? Surely this is the most important issue. If there is no protection for them by the coming summer (I'm talking more than just an umbrella) expect operators to be dropping like flies. It happened at Wonderland and they had operator's booths. If the operators wanted to they could go to WorkCover about this and several other issues that I know are against the OH&S act. I think you will find that wet weather gear being supplied by the employee not the employer is against the OH&S act. The act actually states that all safety equipment necessary to do a job must be supplied by the employer. This includes clothing that provides adequate protection from the elements. "The Bus is now leaving for Cape Gantheaume Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia"

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Hussy the Melbourne Show is completely different from Luna Park. Luna Park is a permanent facility and the rides should reflect that i.e. operator booths to protect the staff from the elements. The Melbourne Show on the other hand is temporary and therefore doesn't need op booths for the two weeks or so that the show is on. "The Bus is now leaving for Permanent Water Camp Creek, NSW"

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