Blue Streak Restraints

We had an experience a couple weeks back when my 8 year old and I rode together and his lap bar was locked down but very high looser than mine and his seat belt wouldn't lock. I pointed it out to the ride op and she said it's supposed to be that way. Away we go, I knew what to expect so I just kept my arm on his lap to hold him in. The seat belt wouldn't catch the entire ride. Is this really right? My 11 year old said that a couple months ago his lap bar didn't lock down and his seat belt was loose and he just knew how to hold on. I was not aware of this at the time.

So I wanted to ask if this really was okay. I just felt there was nothing going to be holding him down over those hills.

Incidentally, back in the early 70's, my aunts lap bar didn't lock and she stood straight up on Blue Streak and my uncle had to pull her back down. It was one of those family stories and when I was a kid, I had always considered Blue Streak to be the most dangerous ride. I obviously got over this but, geez! I'd be nervous sending my kids on this by themselves, especially my younger one who is not as savvy with coasters.

What do you think?

I've never had the seatbelt not click closed or the lap bar not stay in place on BlueStreak. I can understand the lapbar looking like it's not tight enough on an 8 year old but there's no reason that seatbelt should not clip and stay closed. Was it just loose or actually not working?

It should click and stay. That being said, once upon a time there were no seat belts on Blue Streak and nobody flew out. It had one single lap bar that didn't anchor you in place.

I liked it better with just the bar. I remember the back having more cushioning, didn't it? I hate that they put dividers in the seats. Still, if there is a seatbelt on a ride it should be functioning and not just for decoration.

I also have a family story about BS before it got seatbelts. It was my mom was in high school and she rode it, but before the train left the station the lap bar never locked. She told a ride op but he told her it was fine and would lock once the ride started. Well, the ride started and the lap bar never locked. So with no seatbelt or locking lap bar, my mom wrapped her arms around the bar and pretty much held on for the entire ride so she wouldn't fly out.

I love that ride, and now safety's a million times better than it used to be. I've never experience what you did, but did you explain to a ride what happened after your ride was over?

Thanks for the replies. The 8 year old's lap bar was "locked" but very loose, as in much higher up than my own and the seat belt wouldn't catch initially or throughout the ride, when I kept trying at times. I mainly wanted to find out if the ride op was right in saying that's the way it's supposed to be, not catching. I'm a little more vigilant (read paranoid) with my kids and the restraints with these rides than I ever was with myself. I do remember when it didn't have seat belts or head rests or seat dividers. Those seat dividers don't do anyone any favors in my own opinion, said 8 year old knocked his head on it and hurt his ear badly on the seat divider on the Beast a couple weeks ago at KI, would have been easier hitting his dad.

The 11 year old confirmed with me his lap bar wouldn't lock and seat belt wouldn't catch either, he says he knew how to brace himself on it. I don't know how I missed this at the time but I have more confidence in him than the younger one who may not pay as much attention.

Sorry, Ride on 17, I cross posted, I didn't explain after it was over, I will be sure to if it happens again. It's good to know it really should catch before leaving the station despite what the ride op said about it before leaving. Like Paisley, I've never had one that didn't on any other ride.

You can still contact the park; email or call them. Things like this shoudn't go ignored.

You've convinced me, Ride On 17. By the way, your family story sounds like what happened with my aunt but I think her bar not locked was a surprise! Glad your mom prepared herself for it!

I suppose the seat dividers are there in case there are single riders.

The seat dividers are there to make us uncomfortable...needed on many rides, BlueStreak isn't one of them.

What do you mean the seatbelt "wouldn't catch"? Was it fastened or not fastened? There's no way in the world I could believe a CP employee dispatching a train with a seatbelt fastened. The seatbelts are designed to work the same way the ones in your car work. When fastened and pulled on, the belt will still draw out from it's retractor box. The spool rotation usually only locks up when forces are applied sharply.

Wouldn't catch, as in it wouldn't lock after fastening. I have not had a ride besides Blue Streak that the seat belt not catch after fastening it in. I assumed the previous posters knew what I meant, that's how I read their posts. With a car, they would catch, like you said, with an abrupt strong force, but I wouldn't say it would with "airtime". Usually, if you have to adjust your seat belt on the coaster, you have to fully retract it back in order to pull it back out and it catches again once in place. My seat belt on Blue Streak did catch and my lap bar was not as loose as opposed to my son's whose seat belt did not catch and his lap bar had a helluva lot of play in it. I understand what you mean but I wasn't sure it applied to coasters, it hadn't seemed so thus far but after experiencing it, I came away thinking what was going to hold my son in this ride but my arm?

Sounds like a really skinny kid, skinny enough that the seat belt doesn't come out far enough to lock the retractor. When you pull the belt out of the retractor and stop pulling, the ratchet engages so that the belt can rewind but not come back out. Once the belt has retracted to a certain point, the ratchet releases so that it can be pulled out again. On a roller coaster, it makes sense to put the release point out a foot or two so that the reliability of the unit can be enhanced (seat belts are really a poor system for use on amusement rides for a variety of reasons). If the kid is so small that the belt fastens without being pulled much further than on an empty seat, the ratchet is not going to lock.

As for the lap bar, setting aside the fact that the PTC ratchet bars are also an anatomically questionable design, the lowest locking position for those bars puts the bar roughly even with the top of the seat divider. In fact, it isnotnecessary for the bar to be snug to be effective, especially with a smaller rider where the bar can come back past the font edge of the seat cushion.

Note also that while the Blue Streak has significant airtime, it is well constructed. Those of us who rode it with the old lap bars may be able to remember floating above the seat but never coming into contact with the lap bar because the ride doesn't throw you that far.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

That's a much better and more accurate discription Dave. My memory doesn't serve me as well as it used to I guess. Back in my day (see how OLD I'm sounding) the ride had one single seatbelt that went across both riders.

Rihard 2000 said:
That's a much better and more accurate discription Dave. My memory doesn't serve me as well as it used to I guess. Back in my day (see how OLD I'm sounding) the ride had one single seatbelt that went across both riders.

That's how I remember it. One belt across both riders and a stationary bar similar in height to Ocean Motion's bars. I also remember it having softer padding all around. I honestly think that this was perfectly safe for the ride but I suspect the amount of people who would purposely stand up during the ride prompted the change for liability reasons. Anyone else remember all the stickers and initials left on the cupola by people who stood up at the top to leave thier mark right before they went over the hill?

Rideman, thanks, they're both slim boys, not overly skinny, there's smaller kids riding than them, both have been able to catch their seat belts on the other rides and on Blue Streak at other times. This was a time it didn't, then I found out about the older one's experience. My lap bar had some play, not as much as my younger one's. My main concern was the seat belt not catching when tugging on it repeatedly. It's not that wild of a ride, hence, why I didn't have him get off before pulling out. But I can't feel comfortable sending him on this with his older brother by himself. Maybe not even his brother. It does have enough force that people have unintentionally stood up on this. ;)

Paisley, that seems vaguely familiar about the stickers!

I remember getting more air time with old single belt/bar set up. I've been digging the front of the Blue Streak lately coincidentally. Front car is a fun ride with nice pops of air time.