Disney Skyliner shutdown and evacuation - October 6 2019

[flynnibus]

This sounds horrifying.

This is what happens when people don't know what is happening, but just insert their own assumptions anyway.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I've been seized by an idea:

If the problem was that the cabin numbers were not visible because of their location and poor lighting, they don't need to put numbers on the bottom. All they need is a small drone that can fly up beside the cabins and send a live video stream.

Reflective vinyl, while expensive compared to regular, solid-color vinyl, makes far more sense.

 

[csmat99]

We need details. This system is tried and true. Tested at length at this site. So many questions. Hopefully no injuries!

If tried and true then it wouldn't of happened. And don't say could be user error. All these systems have built in redundancies to account for user error.

 

[BrianLo]

People just point to the Singapore gondola system near Universal Studios. However, Singapore’s legal system is in a whole different universe than the United States’. Plus, I believe it is a simple straight line, although it is MUCH higher, and retrieval of people from the gondolas is likely not even possible without helicopters.

Japan or Australia if you need more hot weather Asian-Pacific examples restricted to G20 countries.

I’ve personally been on at least 10 primarily hot weather gondolas. I have no idea how many there are worldwide. But this isn’t unique nor has a tiny sample size. Many winter gondolas of course convert to tourism purposes in summer seasons as well.

I also don’t think internal concern is a news bite. Of course there were concerns, that’s why we’ve seen a lot of custom modification to the cabins that are firsts for this Disney system. If there was no internal concern we’d just have seen a standard gondola order.

 

[flynnibus]

I'm still disappointed that the control software is not capable of identifying each cabin as it enters and/or leaves each station, and then using that data to track the current location of each cabin. As long as it knows the current order of cabins, it would be trivial to count the number of cabins that have left the station and come up with a location.

It's feasible if you've already decided you need to solve the problem That's why this is a good lesson learned. I can understand this not being so obvious on ski systems.. but I would have thought the urban systems would have encountered this too.

 

[flynnibus]

Shouldn't the computer already know where every cabin is? I thought it was mentioned earlier, that the computer control tracked where on the line every cabin was. You only really need sensors at places cabins can enter or exit the system. Once you're in line, all movement is directly correlated to the line moving. It's not like one cabin can pass another to change places in line.

Yup.. a nice optimization to the solution.

 

[monothingie]

Reflective vinyl, while expensive compared to regular, solid-color vinyl, makes far more sense.

How about just putting the cabs on the line in numerical order.
1..2..3..4..5..6..8..9..10

or having each support column even more conspicuously labeled so that emergency dispatchers can get the nearest support column to direct first responders.

 

[mitchiavelli]

If you chose the skyliner over a deluxe, just because of the skyliner, I think you may be better off changing to a deluxe. I mean if you are ok with the extra cost for a deluxe or are used to them, I don't know if a totally working incident free skyliner would have made you feel better about having less amenities and room. Plus some of those Deluxes have some pretty nifty transportation options as well.

does this thinking change when riviera, a deluxe with skyliner, opens?

 

[flynnibus]

How about just putting the cabs on the line in numerical order.
1..2..3..4..5..6..8..9..10

We call that 'brittle' - a system that will inevitably break down and is impractical to sustain.

 

[GhostHost1000]

How about just putting the cabs on the line in numerical order.
1..2..3..4..5..6..8..9..10

or having each support column even more conspicuously labeled so that emergency dispatchers can get the nearest support column to direct first responders.

that would change too easily as maintenance occurs

 

[Tanna Eros]

Its amazing how people get so conditioned.. they forget alternatives even existed previously. It's like all the design choices that went into houses before there was AC to maximize airflow, layouts, elevations vs the sun path, etc. Just because something isn't high tech doesn't mean it's not functional or purposeful.

You have a point.
I've got one of those 1920's catalogue houses, and you are right- they are cooling efficient. If you re-renovate the previous owners clunky decisions and go back to the original house plan, you get a more comfortable house.

 

[olie64]

Any chance this is back up and running next week?

 

[monothingie]

We call that 'brittle' - a system that will inevitably break down and is impractical to sustain.

that would change too easily as maintenance occurs

Assuming they did specific cab evacuations based on priority of emergency for the evacuation (those needing immediate assistance) the process of finding the affected cab would be a nightmare, even on the short lines.

Similar to if you experienced an emergency on the highway. Where are you? IDK I’m on the Route 80, Direction? Where? Not sure. Mile Marker? What’s that...

 

[flynnibus]

or having each support column even more conspicuously labeled so that emergency dispatchers can get the nearest support column to direct first responders.

The gondolas are in a line... they block your view of the towers in front or behind you.

Plus, they are over 400ft apart from each other. That means asking someone to see a sign with wording up to 200ft away.. at night. Those signs would be huge

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Hint: If it was running you wouldn't have to ask. People would be posting just that.

You're making might point for me...

 

[monothingie]

The gondolas are in a line... they block your view of the towers in front or behind you.

Plus, they are over 400ft apart from each other. That means asking someone to see a sign with wording up to 200ft away.. at night. Those signs would be huge

Just throw an Olaf or Star Wars decal on it with a number. It would make it sooo instagramable that everyone would know where they are.

 

[Orangeanna]

Don't know if anyone was up at 7:30 this morning but a national morning show covered the incident. Did not say there was collision( does Disney pay these people?, and no it wasn't a Disney owned network. They commented "beware the gondola" then threw to local news where local guy said" beware the gondola indeed, good advice". How embarrassing for Disney. National bad press and fear stoked by people on t.v. please draw no political comparisons, I neither intended nor wish to see any here. I just had to post this as it seems important. They need damage control in full force now. Being covered widely on all networks now. Of course it will blow over but people will remember. I have never forgotten the g.f. tragedy and will never stay there. Some people will never ride now. This was not a tragedy, nowhere near, but it was an accident that they have yet to even admit.

 

[joelkfla]

It's feasible if you've already decided you need to solve the problem That's why this is a good lesson learned. I can understand this not being so obvious on ski systems.. but I would have thought the urban systems would have encountered this too.

I'm pretty sure somebody posted a long time ago that they had worked at a ski resort where the cabins were identified by RFID as they entered the station. Or it might have been in an article about a new lift somewhere.

 

[stratman50th]

Didn't even know this happened. I'm only up to page 11. So much goodness in these posts that I just wanted to respond to each one! But I'll keep reading. Funny I didn't see it on the news either.
Go right by if these already got responded to. So, do they stop the entire system until there is an investigation? My guess would be probably. It would probably have to be investigated by NTSB since regular law enforcement wouldn't begin to know how to investigate it. Might not be a huge hurry since there were no fatalities. Why don't the stop all buses if there's an accident? Because that is tried and true technology that any LEO can investigate, unless it exploded or something like that.
I saw the emergency barge. Good idea. Hope it has a system to lock it to the bottom during a severe thunderstorm. If not the barge will be trying to wrestle a moving gondola while scooting around on the water. Just a few things I noticed while going through. Still reading though.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Don't know if anyone was up at 7:30 this morning but a national morning show covered the incident. Did not say there was collision( does Disney pay these people?, and no it wasn't a Disney owned network. They commented "beware the gondola" then threw to local news where local guy said" beware the gondola indeed, good advice". How embarrassing for Disney. National bad press and fear stoked by people on t.v. please draw no political comparisons, I neither intended nor wish to see any here. I just had to post this as it seems important. They need damage control in full force now. Being covered widely on all networks now. Of course it will blow over but people will remember. I have never forgotten the g.f. tragedy and will never stay there. Some people will never ride now. This was not a tragedy, nowhere near, but it was an accident that they have yet to even admit.

I agree it was absolutely an accident, and they should admit that it was. BUT...(and I know it's harsh, but it's still the truth) the fact that it took 3 hours to get everyone off can be placed squarely in the lap of the rider who chose to board even though they knew they were claustrophobic and had a history of seizures. Had the emergency evacuation of that specific guest not been required, they could have cleared the cars that had impacted each other and gotten the line running again much more quickly.