Size limits at Alton Towers
bigbrian
Theme park's weighty ban May 23 2004
By Fionnuala Burke, Sunday Mercury
Overweight thrill-seekers have been banned from top rides at the
Midlands’ premier theme park.
Bosses at Alton Towers have introduced strict weight restrictions on
four of their biggest attractions as a safety measure.
And the theme park has revealed that the obesity crisis in Britain
means it is considering a re-design of rollercoaster seats to
accommodate the overweight.
One special ‘fat seat’ for larger passengers has already been
installed on the £12 million Oblivion. But the 70mph ride bars those
with a chest size of 52 inches or more - around 20 stone.
Heavyweight passengers with similarly large chests have also been
banned from the popular Nemesis and Ripsaw rides.
And restrictions are even tighter on the £12 million roll-ercoaster
Air. Anyone with a chest size of 50 inches or more - around18st- is
banned from the 50mph ride.
Embarrassingly, those suspected of being over the weight limit can
even try out a seat before they join the queue for Air to see if they
fit in.
But the chest restrictions have been described as a crude estimation
of weight by a leading Midland obesity expert.
Dr Ian Campbell, chairman of the Nottingham-based National Obesity
Forum, said that over-weight teens as well as adults could be
discriminated against by the new policy.
Bosses at the park admit that the weight restrictions have prompted
complaints from visitors to the park, which charges £27 for an adult
ticket and £21 for kids.
But they insisted that the chest size restrictions were vital for
health and safety reasons.
An Alton Towers spokesman said: “Nemesis, Ripsaw and Oblivion all have
a chest restriction of 52 inches while Air has a limit of 50 inches.
“If the harness will not lock, people are not permitted to ride for
safety reasons.
“We have had some complaints, but not many. We were forced to
introduce these measures to ensure the rides were safe for
passengers.”
She added: “People are getting bigger and bigger and it may be the
case that we will have to look at getting bigger seating to
accommodate them in the future.
“We have already allotted a large seat for larger visitors on Oblivion
and there is a specially designed seat which guests can try out before
going on Air.”
But Dr Ian Campbell, who has a 44-inch chest, said: “Obesity is a
serious medical issue and as it is becoming more widespread its impact
is being felt in all areas of life.
“A number of overweight people already suffer from prejudice and
exclusion, which can affect their self-esteem,” he added. “Someone who
has a 50 or 52-inch chest is definitely al arge size. But this is a
crude estimation of how heavy they really are.”
• A recent report revealed that one-in-four Birmingham children is
overweight and one in eight is classed as obese. The Children’s
Nutrition and Obesity study by the city council showed that obesity
rates have trebled in schools during the past decade.
The council has now introduced a ‘Fat Controller’, and one of his
tasks will be to study whether healthy free school breakfasts could
tackle the problem.
bigbrian
wrote:
Inadvertently posted before completed!
The basic thrust of the article is that riders can't ride if the
restraint can't be done up. Well, that's news, huh? But you wonder
what the point is now of dredging it up when, actually, nothing's
changed. Or am I missing something?
Brian