No single riders allowed on Giant Wheel

I had a great time at Cedar Point over the weekend for Spring Conference but I could not ride the Giant Wheel because I was by myself and they now do not allow single riders. GW always allowed single riders in the past and I worked on the ride from 2002-04 and we let them on then. Just to let people know.

Did they give you a reason why?

No. But I am guessing it because either the manufacturer told them so or because of some of the recent ferris wheel deaths. I think one was someone was alone and was scared and tried to climb out and feel out

A 12 year old girl either jumped or fell to her death from a Ferris Wheel last summer while she was riding alone. The no single rider rule has sprung up all over the place as a knee-jerk reaction to that.

SSL448, LOOOOVED the pictures you took! I am into photography and it would be cool if you edited some of those photos online and re-posted them on your photobucket!

Should I ring them and let them know I'll be staying in the breakers hotel on my own - just so they can put me on the ground floor or block the windows so I don't jumnp out?

I shudder to thing of all those times I've been unsafe riding a big wheel on my own... >:-'

This is great news! NOT I go to the park a lot with relatives who are not big on the height thing (unless they are strapped into a coaster). So, I would go on GW by myself. Well, what's next....absolutely no one can ride by themselve's on Windseeker? I know they pair single riders there when they can, but maybe not anymore....geez

Why not just say anyone under 17 must be accompanied by a responsible adult instead of no single riders????

^Maybe because people over 17 can jump out of a Ferris wheel and commit suicide.

coolkid said:
^Maybe because people over 17 can jump out of a Ferris wheel and commit suicide.

they should take all the rides out, and minimise any possibility of suicides.

If you get the feeling this new rule has got me a bit miffed, you'd be quite right!

Every other ride at CP has a lapbar, locking belt, or has enough people around a rider to prevent any purposeful injury/suicide. The Giant Wheel pretty much is an accident waiting to happen though. The doors don't even lock on the ride. I am a bit surprised that Cedar Point hasn't been required to put locking doors (similar to Skyride's) on Giant Wheel.

^That's the best part I like about Giant Wheel. It gives me that rush. If I was strapped and locked in It wouldn't be as cool.

The Giant Wheel not only has seat belts for the passengers, as of a couple years ago they now strap the doors shut. How many more restraints does such a simple ride need?

I'm surprised that they haven't done what Great Adventure did to their Schwarzkopf wheel. http://www.greatadventurehistory.com/GiantWheel.htm

I was at Dorney the other day and was told the same thing. Couldn't ride alone. A nice family let me ride with them, but I'm still baffled at the fact that a nearly-31 year old can't ride a ferris wheel alone. And what if someone were hell-bent on jumping off? Is that one other person, or family, going to stop them? Seems like a real knee-jerk reaction since, well, Ferris Wheels have been pretty darn safe for well over 119 years now...

I ran into this last July. I was going for a late-night ride on Windseeker by myself, but it was down, so I went to the Giant Wheel. I got paired with a nice family of 4. Very nice people, really, a couple with 2 young kids. The fireworks were going off while we were riding, and they were really enjoying themselves. I wasn't planning on killing myself, but if I was, I might have changed my mind, just to save this family the grief of witnessing my sad death. So I think it's a good policy...

BirdOfPrey00 said:
I was at Dorney the other day and was told the same thing. Couldn't ride alone. A nice family let me ride with them, but I'm still baffled at the fact that a nearly-31 year old can't ride a ferris wheel alone. And what if someone were hell-bent on jumping off? Is that one other person, or family, going to stop them? Seems like a real knee-jerk reaction since, well, Ferris Wheels have been pretty darn safe for well over 119 years now...

Dorney and other parks with Chance wheels like Hershey have had a rule of no single riders for a few years. Chance issued the a change in the rider requirements a few years ago and now all Chance wheels are supposed to not allow single riders. Dorney also does not allow single riders on their scrambler even though I have never seen that rule at other parks. Unfortunately after what happened at Morey's Piers last year, all wheels in NJ no longer allow single riders either.

Ralph Wiggum said:
The Giant Wheel not only has seat belts for the passengers, as of a couple years ago they now strap the doors shut. How many more restraints does such a simple ride need?

Exactly. The ride should only need seat belts and straps on the doors at most, but people have ruined that fact. I wouldn't be surprised if carousel horses will be required to have seatbelts someday!

I don't see why they should restrict people from riding alone though; the only reason that these Ferris Wheel accidents happen is because people think it's funny to goof around and act dumb while riding. Then, when their impulsive actions get them hurt, it's automatically the ride or park that is at fault.

Ah, a great many carousels have seatbelts on them, in fact I don't know about now, but back in the day the machines at CP had belts.

Carousel "safety" belts are a controversial issue. Some AHJs, such as New Jersey, require them to be present, others, such as Ohio do not unless the manufacturer requires them. Most ride pros I have talked to do not like them. Without a belt, if a kid falls off the horse, he hits the platform and maybe ends up on the ground. With the belt, the kid still falls off the horse, but ends up getting beaten up and down in the danger zone between the horse and the riser pole underneath.

At Geauga Lake, Six Flags added belts to the carousel. When Cedar Fair took over, the belts were removed. It's the only example I can think of where Cedar Fair *removed* belts from a ride.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

They always seem to blame these things on the trial lawyers....but I am a trial lawyer and I still think this is the most asinine policy yet! I literally laughed until I cried reading this thread. Now here's the implication: If you choose to ride with someone else, do you thereby assume a duty to thwart any suicide attempts, even if your life is thereby endangered? Does one have to take all reasonable steps possible to prevent the jumper from jumping, including physically subduing him, if necessary? Are they equipping each cabin with a taser?
Or better yet, why not have a minimum of THREE riders on the wheel, one of whom must be handcuffed to the seat so as to restrain anyone who decides to ride the rainbow.....