Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
Do-Dodonpa at Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland – once the world’s fastest roller coaster – was permanently closed earlier this week following years of inactivity. The ride was initially shut in 2021 after dozens of riders reported suffering injuries on the ride, including broken bones. At the time of its closure, it was still the fastest accelerating roller coaster in the world. Parks fight for “world’s first” or record-breaking rides; they look impressive, draw crowds and act as cheat-codes for effective ride branding. But reliability is regularly a problem, causing downtime for repairs that frustrates riders and loses money. Worse still, they can be dangerous. Top Thrill Dragster (once the world’s tallest) was shut after a 2021 incident in which part of the ride broke off and hit a park-goer in the head. The Smiler (most inversions) lost Merlin Entertainments millions in legal fees after a 2015 crash left some riders forced to have limbs amputated. Kings Island demolished Son Of Beast (tallest and fastest wooden coaster) in 2012 after serious non-fatal incidents. Six Flags Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia may want to take note. It’s currently building the longest, tallest and fastest roller coaster ever – Falcon’s Flight – due to open later this year. These records have stood for 24, 19 and 14 years respectively. Maybe there’s a reason why.