Parking Lot Trams - Was there a cause that lead to the modifications?

[rg35]

It was so much easier before the modifications to hop on and off. I know it has been 5 or 6 years now since they changed the procedures around them and added the doors, but it just bugs me how long it takes now for a tram to get underway. I've also been to Disney several times since the modifications, but this still seems to be a really undue cause of annoyance for me. I'm not really sure why, but it really might be the most annoying part of a trip to WDW for me now.

I mean, if someone so much as farts too close to a tram after the safety announcement has been played, they need to play it again. Today I was on a tram where they had to play the message 3 separate times because people were boarding after the message had been played.

So my question about the parking lot trams and the "litigation proofing" of them is - did someone actually fall out of a tram that lead to these changes, or was this basically a pre-emptive measure because of just seeing the writing on the wall and knowing someone would fall out of a tram and suffer some kind of injury leading to a lawsuit?

 

[Accident]

There was a series of people that just didn't listen but I don't think the tram was part of that.. safety got a good once over after the monorail accident and I think that's about when this all happened...

Personally, I think it's to make you want to spend another $15 to park closer and walk.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

People do stupid things around the parking trams literally every single day. The abundance of caution is because the parking CMs would rather not kill anybody. Just the other day I was on a MK tram and some idiot dropped his hat over the side and started to open the door to get out while the tram was moving.

Delays are caused by people who think they're just too special for the "no further boarding" announcement to apply to them. Personally I wish the trams had power locks on the door like a car so the spieler or driver could press a button and lock all the doors. But, that would have its own safety concerns if there were some kind of emergency.

 

[rg35]

Locking doors would be great to keep the "no further boarding" boarders off. There's just too much for that rear CM to do. They're talking, then they have to play the announcement, then they have to walk the length of the tram to make sure that despite all the warnings nobody is doing the wrong thing, then they have to walk back and unless the tram is totally packed, people are just going to be jerks and do what they want. During the walk seems to be when most people jump on.

At the MK on Monday we had a pretty assertive CM who admonished people who were trying to get on, but a lot of times they can be passive about trying to keep people off who aren't supposed to be boarding.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

Parking CMs have to toe a line - they have to actively enforce a lot of important safety rules, but if they're too forceful or assertive, they get admonished by their bosses when guests go complain about how "rude" they were. I share a break room with a lot of parking folks and they hear all the time about how rude they were for not letting someone board a tram after the third safety announcement, or trying to get people to walk in front of the row of parked cars so they don't get hit by moving traffic, or not allowing small children to play in the tram lane.

 

[Victoria3]

This is why I always walk.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

We were on a tram last year that had to do the safety routine three times before leaving. It was the last tram we rode. I'd rather walk.

 

[mshanson3121]

Delays are caused by people who think they're just too special for the "no further boarding" announcement to apply to them. Personally I wish the trams had power locks on the door like a car so the spieler or driver could press a button and lock all the doors. But, that would have its own safety concerns if there were some kind of emergency.

YES. We dealt with this on our trip. It was blistering hot, we were all tired, exhausted, the kids were close to that "we're going to lose it" stage, and sweltering sitting there, and these ^^^ type people (you're being much nicer than what I'd like to call them) kept boarding anyways, ignoring the very clear message. And yes, they spoke English - I heard them. I do think Disney needs to do something about that. To me, I think it would be better to install a gate, with turnstiles that lock once boarding is done and the tram is ready to move on. That way, idiots who don't want to listen to the rules can't keep crowding the tram and causing unnecessary delays.

 

[rajak73]

Parking CMs have to toe a line - they have to actively enforce a lot of important safety rules, but if they're too forceful or assertive, they get admonished by their bosses when guests go complain about how "rude" they were. I share a break room with a lot of parking folks and they hear all the time about how rude they were for not letting someone board a tram after the third safety announcement, or trying to get people to walk in front of the row of parked cars so they don't get hit by moving traffic, or not allowing small children to play in the tram lane.

Exactly why I told my DW on our last trip I won't make a very good parking CM, I'd be in the bosses office too many times, especially after the first time I yelled out, "WHAT THE **** DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT STAY BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE!"

 

[cigar95]

This was a case of for once taking the safety precautions *before* the accident happened. Hats off to that.
How often do we wait until after it's happened to do something about it, even if it's a highly unusual case that's unlikely to happen again?

 

[loves to dive]

This is why I don't drive my car but just use the buses and monorail and boats.

 

[Grumpy92]

Before the modifications I saw many a guest run to jump on or off a moving tram. They also had a child fall off the tram at the MK parking lot as they were seated on the end of the bench. So many incidences like that caused the changes in tram design.

 

[CallieS]

I've been going to Disney World for 35 years, and my family drove to the parks for the first 20 years. The trams were no problem. Then we started staying on site, so we didn't use trams at all for about 14 years. Now we live close enough to drive to WDW for the day, so we started using trams again.

OMG. The entire tram process is PAINFULLY long and slow. I also wondered what happened to cause these new procedures. I can't tell you how many times one or two empty trams were waiting behind the one I was currently sitting on, but we had to wait for every last straggler to walk up and find a seat. Then the whole safety spiel, then the CM has to walk the length of the tram. Safety is great, but now we walk to all parks except MK (that walk is a little too far). And we usually get to the park before the tram does.

 

[MariMama]

It was so much easier before the modifications to hop on and off. I know it has been 5 or 6 years now since they changed the procedures around them and added the doors, but it just bugs me how long it takes now for a tram to get underway. I've also been to Disney several times since the modifications, but this still seems to be a really undue cause of annoyance for me. I'm not really sure why, but it really might be the most annoying part of a trip to WDW for me now.

I mean, if someone so much as farts too close to a tram after the safety announcement has been played, they need to play it again. Today I was on a tram where they had to play the message 3 separate times because people were boarding after the message had been played.

So my question about the parking lot trams and the "litigation proofing" of them is - did someone actually fall out of a tram that lead to these changes, or was this basically a pre-emptive measure because of just seeing the writing on the wall and knowing someone would fall out of a tram and suffer some kind of injury leading to a lawsuit?

People are idiots, that is why the modifications happened.

 

[bumbershoot]

know it has been 5 or 6 years now since they changed the procedures around them and added the doors, but it just bugs me how long it takes now for a tram to get underway

Adding the doors happened after....

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12459717

Tired woman fell asleep on open-doorway tram, fell out. Traumatic brain injury with three week coma. Had to leave the U.S. to be cared for for the rest of her life at home in Beijing.

Extra parts of the story are that her sisters end up falling or jumping out after her. But really, TBI and lifelong care because Disney never thought to have doors before is the end of the story for me.

 

[PanamaMike]

When they announced the modification of adding doors, I thought they'd do something like the DHS back lot tour tram, with the panels that drop down.
No further boarding possible once those doors have closed.

 

[DizBelle]

This was a case of for once taking the safety precautions *before* the accident happened. Hats off to that.
How often do we wait until after it's happened to do something about it, even if it's a highly unusual case that's unlikely to happen again?

Safety measure always seem and are considered "enough" until someone does something stupid.

 

[DizBelle]

Adding the doors happened after....

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12459717

Tired woman fell asleep on open-doorway tram, fell out. Traumatic brain injury with three week coma. Had to leave the U.S. to be cared for for the rest of her life at home in Beijing.

Extra parts of the story are that her sisters end up falling or jumping out after her. But really, TBI and lifelong care because Disney never thought to have doors before is the end of the story for me.

Even in this case, someone wasn't paying attention and they got hurt. The tram isn't responsible for keeping you inside, YOU are.

 

[mbrown572097]

How about playing the safety announcement before the trams arrive. Could be playing continously on speakers near the tram road. No need to play it on the tram itself.

 

[bumbershoot]

Even in this case, someone wasn't paying attention and they got hurt. The tram isn't responsible for keeping you inside, YOU are.

Anyone could fall asleep. If you're small enough (and my MIL certainly would be) and you fall asleep for a moment and the tram goes through a turn, it could happen.

I don't equate falling asleep after a long day at the parks to be not paying attention.

Doors are good. I'm not a Jeep type person, which is good, because the Jeeps with no doors look like the definition of insanity to me. (let's not even talk about motorcycles LOL) Doors are a nice little safety mechanism. I don't mind doors at all. Disney and tired people were LUCKY nothing big-enough happened until then.