NO SCREAMING!

What would you do if Cedar Point enacted this rule?

I'd go around to every neighbor, knock on their door and call them a dumbass when they answered.

I saw this on the news the other day and I couldn't believe it.

I have seen this article a few times over the past couple days, and it still makes me laugh.

Like how the complaining gentleman considers a ride that is the width of a six lane highway away to be a "neighbor".

Or how a person that is on the ride going up & down in a circular motion can easily identify what is happening in his backyard, again from a distance of a six lane highway.

To me, it all depends on who was there first - the residents, or the park.

^ - or not so much that as to local regulations. If the park is inside any height restrictions and aren't violating any ordinances, there isn't much the neighbors can do.

If the park received a variance for the ride, then the neighbors had plenty of time to argue against it.

The park's been around since 77, so who knows who was there first. There's probably some who have moved into the area knowing a park was there.

Well, due to CP's location, I don't think we have to worry about that. I don't know about you guys but I find the screams and roar from roller coasters exciting and enjoyable.

The way I see it, if the park was there when they moved in, they've got no right to complain.

It reminds me of a situation near where I grew up...
There was an old-school A&W drive in restaurant located at the corner of a major road and a residential street. The A&W had obviously been there for many, many years, and all the residents had moved in after it had been built there. Every Wednesday night in the warmer months, local people with classic cars would congregate there, showing off, etc. Well, the A&W burned to the ground eventually, and the local residents petitioned to not allow them to rebuild it, complaining about the traffic and noise that it generated. To me, that is a false argument - they knew the situation when they bought their houses.

When I first read that article, I was hoping it was April Fool's Joke. I mean, come on, you can't scream on a ride called, "Screamer".

^^ - where was that at?

My best guess is somewhere along Gratiot.

Scandia Family Fun Center was originally built in 1977, so chances are, while there were likely some houses in the area, a majority of the residents moved in after the park being there.

As a side note, however, Scandia is not a theme park like Cedar Point. It's a small place with stuff like mini-golf, an arcade, probably a go kart track, etc. It looks like the ride in question is a semi-new addition to the place, and as such, the neighbors probably didn't have a problem with the park before hand.

Actually, after looking just now, I see that the ride in question is the ONLY ride like it at that park. They have bumper boats, a go kart track, arcade, 2 golf courses, and some batting cages.
*** Edited 4/5/2007 4:13:52 PM UTC by Gilly2878***

^ - its in Sacramento. I'd be surprised if there weren't plenty of houses around in 77 when it was built.

^^^No, it was actually along Van Dyke, between Hall Road (aka M-59, 20 Mile) and 21 Mile Road, in Utica.

I live right there at 19 and Hayes, what a small world.

No kidding. I grew up at 21.5 & Shelby, and now live at 26 & Mound. My Grandma used to live down there near you, in the high-rise along Hayes.

I thought I read on this forum a while back, that the Mantis rollercoaster was loud enough to be heard across the bay.

So sound is/was an issue with cedar point too.

And they are adding sand to Maverick's Supports, to lower the sound (and increase longevity of supports)

This is absolutly rediculas. People might sue on the grounds of a privacy issue. Yeah people on a 168 foot tall ride swinging around care what your backyard look like. That is just a rediculas reason to sue for more money. in turn they should be sued for stupitity. OMG i can see your back yard for a whole 2 seconds. For one after the whole ride expireince is over whos going to remember than. Two how long it it possible to see this. As for is being an eyesore. Get over it they had every right to put that ride there. this is just annother cry for money. Wah i can see that distinctly. I am going to sue and get money wah. Pland an oak tree paid for by the park and get over it. As for the screaming you know what you were infore when you moved in so suck it up or move again.

Firefox has a built in spell check.

That was painful. Just a friendly observation.

Here's my post from CoasterBuzz:

Walt said on CoasterBuzz:
Why should they have to accept it or move? Despite the article, it doesn't seem to me that it's even an amusement park. (LINK) (Edit: LG's link to the aerial view is certainly interesting.)

It was mini golf and go-karts, and then, all of the sudden, a 168-foot tall thrill ride. That's a BIG difference. It's not like there was a Six Flags there when they bought their homes.

If any of you lived near a mini-golf and go-kart business, and one day they opened a huge thrill ride, would you accept that the only two choices you have are to live with the increased noise or move from your home? Not me! I don't care if there's a 50-lane interstate in their backyard. You can't just drop a thrill ride wherever you want.

Unless someone lives in that neighborhood, let's not assume what is and isn't loud. Apparently, the neighborhood is united, so it's certainly not their imagination.

I understand that many people here will automatically take a park's side, no questions asked. And while I'm not saying the neighbors are 100% correct, let's not take the typical enthusiast viewpoint that these kinds of businesses can do whatever they want.

To add, from the second page of that thread, there is apparently a video on CNN that shows just how close the ride is. Also, on that same page, Lord Gonchar makes an excellent follow-up point:

Lord Gonchar said on CoasterBuzz:
I suspect the residents were sold on the 'quiet motor /quietest ride we could find" thing and no one accounted for screaming riders into the wee hours of the morning.

The fact that the park mentions they tried to find the quietest ride they could seems to me that everyone involved knew noise levels were an issue.

I'm tempted to close this and redirect everyone to the CoasterBuzz thread, but I'll leave it open for now.

*** Edited 4/5/2007 5:16:14 PM UTC by Walt***

Given that it's not really an amusement park, I see your point. I was under the impression that it was much, much more than a glorified go-kart track.

CPKid - the ride stops halfway through the cycle to unload/load one side of the arm, leaving the other side sitting 168 feet in the air for 4-5 minutes. This provides some ample time to look down into someone's backyard.

It will be interesting to see what the resolution of this is.