GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The Zippin Pippin is safe for riders.
That’s according to Bay Beach Amusement Park Manager Jason Arnoldi, who says both park officials and Wisconsin authorities have signed off on the popular roller coaster.
“We’ve updated some of the computer programs. It’s been inspected by the state, and they say it’s ready to go, safe to operate. We believe that as well.”
Park officials announced Tuesday that only one of the ride’s two trains will operate in 2017.
That’s the same policy used in the back half of last summer, following a crash of the vehicle’s two trains that sent three riders to the hospital and shut the coaster down for roughly three weeks.
Arnoldi notes the manufacturer inspected the Zippin Pippin this offseason and “ran a series of tests to try to replicate what happened with the incident. They were never really able to pinpoint what caused it. They were never really able to replicate it.”
Despite being Bay Beach’s favorite attraction, Arnoldi does not believe wait times will be greatly affected.
Arnoldi says the lines last season did not move much slower after the crash than they did before.
“We would run one (train) around empty (before the mishap), because it is a lot quicker for us to load one train full than two half trains.”
Arnoldi notes both trains are cleared to run. They just won’t do so simultaneously.
He feels that alone addresses the issue from last year.
When asked if the Zippin Pippin will only run one car beyond 2017, Arnoldi replied, “we’ll have to evaluate as the season goes on. Last year, we felt it worked really well with one train. We were confident with how fast we were able to get people through there. We’ll see how that continues this year.”
Bay Beach Amusement Park’s 125th season begins May 6.
