Until you think about the fact that the stairs are built on the banks of that river.
Rhine River Cruise
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
I'm surprised there hasn't been any requirements to provide some kind of ADA assistance to get to that attraction. It'd be understandable if the boats weren't there and so while it'd be unfortunate to deprive anyone of the views from the water, there wouldn't be any attractions they could miss.
However, to contradict myself - I wonder if the reason the park hasn't made any visible effort is that a shallow slope ramp would be impractical with the RPA buffer and/or in the event of an emergency evacuation of the area, and an elevator system would also pose similar issues?
In August another guest and I helped carry a woman in her wheelchair down the stairs on the Germany side so that she could ride the cruise. It hadn't really occurred to me until now, would they have let her on at all? I really hope so.
My idea was to put an incline cable car that goes down there from Germany. Like the Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh. Would be very popular with any parties who have a wheelchair or strollers.
People on this forum have been proposing a funicular to get down there for years.
I think it would work better on the Scotland side personally since the Germany side has that slope before the stairs.
I'd rather see them build a ADA compliant crossing from RRC to San Marco, like this:
What's more likely to happen is; the right lawyer will meet the right handicap person and a lawsuit will be filed. They will settle for a large cash sum and then the river cruise will be removed, thus removing the attraction/amenity and any reason for access down to the water. The pathways closed and the cut-through eliminated.
Yes. It’s one of only 3 slow rides in the park. That hill is impossibly for elderly or handicapped people. And strong people pushing a wheelchair can’t even use the Rhinefeld side because of those steps.
But unfortunately the way SEAS operates they will close the ride entirely before improving accessibility
ADA laws can be such a pain. Having dealt with them I can tell you it’s so easy to continually do something not ADA Compliant and continually catch crap for it.
While I don’t want this to be taken the wrong way, because all things should be accessible to as many people as possible, it’s impossible to make things accessible to all. Likely, somewhere along the line, BGW has filed for those walkways and the RRC to be safe harbored from ADA laws due to the immense cost it would undertake to make it compliant. I’ve seen in those cases that the company that applies for that and gets granted it, that there has to be an alternative plan developed.
While I don’t want this to be taken the wrong way, because all things should be accessible to as many people as possible, it’s impossible to make things accessible to all. Likely, somewhere along the line, BGW has filed for those walkways and the RRC to be safe harbored from ADA laws due to the immense cost it would undertake to make it compliant. I’ve seen in those cases that the company that applies for that and gets granted it, that there has to be an alternative plan developed.
I wonder if it would be possible to extend the Loch Ness exit pathway slope down to the base of Nessie's lift and then upgrade the service road behind Nessie's station into an extension of the Rhine walkway. It would be a big project for sure, but probably notably cheaper than some of the other pitches?
Add a couple planters and some benches and you could have a really great looking area with new views of coaster valley too.
Add a couple planters and some benches and you could have a really great looking area with new views of coaster valley too.
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I like that idea the most of anything I've heard thus far. That hill is very steep. It, like the Rhinefeld side of the lake is a steep hill at the entrance to the Loch Ness maintenance shop and a set of stairs at the bottom of that to the river bed.
There were talks about making that service road connect up to Scotland where you're saying but it would take a tremendous amount of reworking and landmoving to make that happen and even then, you still have a very steep hill. The Loch Ness lift 1 base is also there and would need some retaining walls and access rework too.
There were talks about making that service road connect up to Scotland where you're saying but it would take a tremendous amount of reworking and landmoving to make that happen and even then, you still have a very steep hill. The Loch Ness lift 1 base is also there and would need some retaining walls and access rework too.
It would have to be a very long ramp for sure, but possible. It would probably have to go over loch ness and down the side of the station and then under griffon. Better yet, how about a path on the other side of the railroad tracks. That would allow a more constant slope from Scotland down to the lake. I think the biggest thing is the service road relocation.
I think the big issue there would be can that be made at a 1:12 sloped ramp. I’d bet the inability to do so is likely why they haven’t been forced to do anything about it.
It was open in 2022 however I believe it was only on weekends.
This. It was a weekend attraction. It also ran for the fireworks cruises during Summer Celebration.