Operational issues at the People Mover - no longer walk on and one mess of a queue

GymLeaderPhil

GymLeaderPhil

Well-Known Member
Whenever the PeopleMover has to stop, the ride operators have to wait a certain amount of time and visually check to make sure all vehicles are moving before they start loading again.

If they have to stop it multiple times within a short timeframe, it is highly likely that the spacing of the vehicles will be thrown off and will cause a vehicle collision. This is why you may see Cast Members running the attraction longer than normal without loading new guests.

The train collisions occurs whenever a vehicle has to stop just after areas where the linear induction motors are programmed to increase the vehicle’s speed. Instead of the vehicle traveling at the intended faster speed it will either crawl slowly until it picks up the next grouping of linear induction motors or, worst case scenario, it remains stationary. It can also happen whenever a motor isn’t functioning as the attraction can still operate since the track has so many of them spaced out. Once the vehicles hit, it’s up to the ride operators to stop the attraction. There’s no ride system monitoring how close vehicles are or changing the speed of vehicles. This is 1970s tech.

Running fewer trains can help to prevent this, but it’s not perfect and it will kill the riders per hours.

Oh and the cones are there for two reasons to prevent the operators from loading. Orange means that the car in the train was not show ready (torn up seating) or was not safe to ride (vehicle door not operating, missing safety signage, missing protective flooring.) White cones are custodial related.

Since the ride system is constantly moving and there are no handles/handrails/restraints, the operators do not have a way to add a flag or clip indicating that that car is out of service.

Additionally, since this is 1970s ride with no brake sections, removing or adding a vehicle requires the PeopleMover to be closed. Maintenance Cast Members have to be involved. It’s a time consuming process and not done during operating hours unless it is absolutely necessary.
 
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TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
GymLeaderPhil said:
Oh and the cones are there for two reasons to prevent the operators from loading. Orange means that the car in the train was not show ready (torn up seating) or was not safe to ride (vehicle door not operating, missing safety signage, missing protective flooring.) White cones are custodial related.

Since the ride system is constantly moving and there are no handles/handrails/restraints, the operators do not have a way to add a flag or clip indicating that that car is out of service.
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It’s not like the company could afford to create a custom prop that would handle like an orange cone but visually look much more professional. Aren’t those the little details that make up the Disney difference? :)
 
GymLeaderPhil

GymLeaderPhil

Well-Known Member
TrainChasers said:
It’s not like the company could afford to create a custom prop that would handle like an orange cone but visually look much more professional. Aren’t those the little details that make up the Disney difference? :)
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Not a bad idea, but whatever replacement prop has to be light enough for the ride operators to easily grab it from the side of the turntable while the ride is running. It also has to be large enough for it to be visible to the person loading guests to see it.

Oh and there’s the problem of making the replacement prop looking too good. Guests will steal it. When the Hangar Bar opened, half the drink menus were missing within a week. Metal sporks, Buzzy, etc.
 
RobWDW1971

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
GymLeaderPhil said:
Not a bad idea, but whatever replacement prop has to be light enough for the ride operators to easily grab it from the side of the turntable while the ride is running. It also has to be large enough for it to be visible to the person loading guests to see it.

Oh and there’s the problem of making the replacement prop looking too good. Guests will steal it. When the Hangar Bar opened, half the drink menus were missing within a week. Metal sporks, Buzzy, etc.
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Definition of rationalization

: the act, process, or result of rationalizing : a way of describing, interpreting, or explaining something (such as bad behavior) that makes it seem proper, more attractive, etc.
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
GymLeaderPhil said:
Not a bad idea, but whatever replacement prop has to be light enough for the ride operators to easily grab it from the side of the turntable while the ride is running. It also has to be large enough for it to be visible to the person loading guests to see it.

Oh and there’s the problem of making the replacement prop looking too good. Guests will steal it. When the Hangar Bar opened, half the drink menus were missing within a week. Metal sporks, Buzzy, etc.
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Good thing some of the worlds highest paid designers work for the company... I bet they just might be up for the seemingly impossible challenge!
 
D

drizgirl

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
They've been doing stuff like the cone since the beginning. You just didn't pay attention to it in your earlier visits.
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I highly doubt they needed to use the cones as much.
TrainChasers said:
Seeing the cones have never ruined my ride on the people mover.. but saying they are tacky and bad show is a factual statement.
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Seeing the cones now mostly bothers me because they use so many and the ride capacity is reduced, resulting in longer waits than ever before.
 
R

RollerCoaster

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
This is a high capacity ride with no FP, so, don't blame FP.

This is what happens when a park is so crowded that it's past it's "tipping point"... that is, there are more people wanting to ride a ride than all the rides have capacity for.
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Don't blame FP? Are you kidding?

If you don't understand why it is to blame then you don't understand how FP works.

The park isn't near its tipping point in terms of actual guests in attendance. The park is broken because every guest in the park is operationally speaking more than one person if they hold one or more FPs. When someone holds a FP then they are holding a virtual space in line for a ride or attraction, but are not physically present waiting in that line. Instead, they are physically elsewhere doing something that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do if they didn't have the FP.

The reason why the parks feel so much more crowded and why lines are so much longer is because of FP. The impact is felt everywhere!
 
D

drizgirl

Well-Known Member
UltimateRollercoaster said:
Don't blame FP? Are you kidding?

If you don't understand why it is to blame then you don't understand how FP works.

The park isn't near its tipping point in terms of actual guests in attendance. The park is broken because every guest in the park is operationally speaking more than one person if they hold one or more FPs. When someone holds a FP then they are holding a virtual space in line for a ride or attraction, but are not physically present waiting in that line. Instead, they are physically elsewhere doing something that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do if they didn't have the FP.

The reason why the parks feel so much more crowded and why lines are so much longer is because of FP. The impact is felt everywhere!
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I blame FP because the Peoplemover is one of the few things left that you can ride without one.

I also blame Disney for using the data the system provides to scale back capacity on days with less attendance.
 

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