I just emailed Intamin

I just emailed Intamin to inform them of the seatbelt length problem on Millennium Force. I told them about all the different length's on the trains and the test seat belt doesn't match to the trains. My suggestion to them since they are the ride manufacture and cedar point must follow all of their instructions was to send cedar point all new belts that are all the same size without cedar point having to modify the belts in any way. Then once cedar point receives the new belts to install them ASAP. I think this will clear up the problem. But I'm sure nothing will be done about it and the problem with the seatbelt length's will still be a issue for a long time. But I hope Intamin considers my suggestion and implements it ASAP. If anyone wants to email intamin their email address is info@intaminworldwide.com. So maybe if everyone starts emailing them something will be done about this.

Hmm...just a comment to think about: I wonder if the seatbelts, in some way, control the weight of the coaster trains themselves. Maybe it's a weight issue on the trains themselves. Hence, smaller seatbelts, lighter weight people...larger seatbelts, larger weight people. I don't know...just a safety thought. I could be totally wrong, but it's worth putting a thought to.

That's a pretty good train of thought there Tired Angel (pun intended) but you also have to go back in time and realize this ride was running just fine using the regular seatbelt checks from opening season till last year. Sorry to be the one who shoots a hole in your bucket there but somebody had to do it. ;)

I highly doubt you're going to see any changes in the current safety restrictions on Intamin rides. Really, it appears as if it is coming down to 2 choices: Take the lapbars with extremely secure seatbelt requirements or take the overly large OTSR systems they have on Storm Runner and now Kingda Ka. I don't think we'll be seeing any more rockets with lapbars though.

It's a shame too... the only rocket I've ridden is TTD, but I love the lap bar, and I'm sure the OTSR on the newer ones feel more constricting.

About Millennium Force, they really need to do something. People get in line for it every day, only to find that they don't fit once they get to the station. Sure, there are attendants at the entrance who look for possible "problem" people, (which can be offensive; I almost saw a fight break out because of it) but they don't always catch everyone. I think it's unnecessary for them to have changed the belts in the first place. Cedar Point is completely different from Six Flags; I can't see their employees letting a man like the one that died at SFNE on a ride without being sure he's properly secured.

if intamin had there way i think they would put OTSR on all there rides. That would kill both of our rides. I heard that intamin has suggested that. but dont know how true it is. As a big person who has problems fitting into Millennium I still realize that it is safety first and i deal with it. S2Kster has it figured out lets enjoy wht we have cause you wont see lap bars on these type of rides again.

I dunno, OTSR would, of course, be more restricting, but I think it would give kind of more of a futuristic feel, like you're actually blasting off on a rocket. They could try and market it that way, at least.

Or, you know, not.

I also think that Intamin would like TTD and maybe MF to be retrofitted with OTSR. Looking at RCDB not only is KK going to have OTSR but Rita - Queen of Speed at Alton Towers also has OTSR. So it's not just New Jersey where the change is happening. Neither of these coaster has an inversion. I wonder if Intamin is trying to "encourage" the retrofit by requiring shorter and shorter seat belt lengths. This may also be why they haven't swaped TTD style trains onto MF. Intamin may require any change in trains be to ones with OTSR.

Well if they start installing OTSR is rides like MF then it will ruin it, at least for me. I am 6'4" and cannot fit in rides with OTSR, they are simply way to small - they are made for people 6' and under, or at least it feels like it.

OTSR's won't happen on MF. No way.

MrScott

Well, let's look at it this way, if CP isn't willing to listen to a logical suggestion that perhaps test seat belts and ride seat belts should be the same length, what makes anyone think Intamin is going to listen?

If MF gets OTSR then I most likely would not ride it. Why? I like coasters where you feel free. OSTR's sure dont give me that feeling. But on rides that "need" them like raptor im fine with it.

The fact that so many people actually believe CP would switch MF to OTSR's when they've proven they won't even address the seatbelt issue has me quite concerned with the thought process of many people in this forum.

If they're not going to change the seatbelts, they're NOT going to change the restraints, end of story, so stop worrying about it.

I actually think it's the exact opposite CPMatt. CP want to keep the lap bars and Intamin say OK make the seat belts shorter.

what makes people think that it couldnt happen Intamin has shorten the seat belts and if they said we want OTSR well than Cedar Point has to do it or maybe take a legal aspect and try to get it to where Cedar Point is in charge of Seat belts for all Intamin rides, at the park. In my oppinion i think that we will never see another Intamin again, that does not make me happy but we have to many problems with them.

Also CPMatt they have shortened the seat belts on Millennium so they do listen to Intamin. they have to.

I am new and not up with all this and would like someone to explain to me why CP has to listen to Intamin? They bought and paid for the coaster so what business is it of Intamin's what CP does with it?

Does CP sign some sort of agreement to let Intamin come in and change things as long as CP owns a ride of theirs or something?

Be gentle with me because I honestly don't know and would like to.

from how i understand it is if Intamin makes a recomendation to Cedar Point they will do it but if they dont Intamin can go to the state of Ohio and make the recomendation to the state and then Ohio can inforce it. Hope this helps you some what.

Only problem with complaining to Intamin is they might listen to the part about differing lengths of seatbelts. Next week they ship CP a new box of seatbelts that are all 1" shorter but the same length.

Soon we will have 2 of the tallest kiddie coasters that the parents will not be able to ride with there kids! The kids may not really be ready for it, however they will be the only ones that can ride "safely".

Right now I can not ride MF or TTD due to the changes with very litte hope of ever riding them again with the current policys. No loosing weight will not help due to my build.

I rode MF and TTD in the past years and never felt unsafe.

Changing to OTSR's yes it would ruin the open feeling of the ride. However I have had no problem with Storm Runner last year. As others have pointed out, tall people can not ride it. It becomes a trade off on who can ride it.

BTW I had no issuses at KBF with Xcellerator. Perilous plunge with the 4 point harness was also no problem. Superman at SFMM also no problems, no seatbelt.

Short of a major train redesign to something like a B&M speed train design, there is no easy answer for CP or intimin.

Jerry

Exactly. What if Intamin and CP say fine, they're all complaining about the belt sizes, we'll make them all the same. Lets find the shortest belt and make that the norm for the rest of the belts. Then you have the complaints coming from the ones who had just made it within that 1" of slack who now can't ride. Its a no win situation for CP or Intamin or us.

I do agree with the thought that a stamp should be given to those who can pass the test seat (MF and TTD) in the meantime. (they give out wrist bands to kids who are 48" tall, why not to adults?)

good idea, but the are probably not going to change the seats to much ever. Think of magnum have they changed those seats much? No, that ride hurts like a b. and they havent done one thing to fix that