e-KMI.com Concession Corner

International Karting Industry Buyer's Guide

GO KARTING!
A Guide To The World's Most Popular Motorsport.

Kart Expo International

CONCESSION CORNER 12-01-00

A MESSAGE TO COMMUNITY PLANNERS!
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS ARE GOOD NEIGHBORS
Part 2 of 2

By Peter F. Olesen P.E.

Note: This is 2nd part of an article which is addressed to the community leaders, administrators and citizens of any community considering an application to construct and operate as family entertainment center (FEC). Its purpose is to present realistic information concerning the realities of a facility proposed to become a fixture in your community. You may find Part 1 in Archives.

Modern Lighting of Family Entertainment Centers -
Proper lighting is an integral part of the design of any FEC. It affects the safety and operation of the individual attractions and the total facility. Lighting also has an impact on the facility’s acceptance by the local community.

It is unfortunate that many misconceptions exist in the average community with respect to the lighting proposed by individual FEC developments. Lighting can be both friend and foe of everyone, depending upon how it is being considered. We all want our personal environment to have sufficient light for comfort and security, but none of us want to feel imposed on by light generated by others. This difference must be an important consideration of both designer and developer in the creation of a successful FEC concept.

The sense of security at any given FEC is enhanced by the provision of sufficient levels of lighting throughout the facility. This is true in the parking lot, arcade building, kart track, bumper boat pond, miniature golf course, walkways, etc..

Obviously, it is impossible to create a facility with lights that cannot be seen from the surrounding area. Even a single 100 watt light bulb can be seen for miles when there is no physical obstructions. What can be controlled is the number of tall light standards with lower wattage luminaries should be installed.

Whenever luminaries are mounted at significant heights, sharp cut-off units (lighting units with shrouds to control the direction of the light distribution) are recommended. In this matter it is possible to reduce light “spill” at the boundaries of the site to near zero foot-candles, if required. Whenever practical, from both safety and operational viewpoints, shorter light standards with lower wattage luminaries should be installed.

Average light levels of 20 foot-candles at the surface level should be provided on go-kart tracks and bumper boat ponds to permit safe operation. This does not mean that the light has spill-over on adjacent property. Light spill-over can be avoided through the use of sharp cutoff luminaries, such as described above, to reduce resulting light levels to zero or near-zero foot-candles at the property lines.

Relative Noise Levels At FECs -
Every facility generates noise, as does every vehicle, person, pet, appliance and machine in the surrounding community. They do so over a wide range of sound levels. Recognizing this, each well-designed FEC will give consideration of the impact individual attractions will have on the surrounding neighborhood, in developing the best configuration of attractions.

As attractions go, FECs are low level noise generators. The noise levels at sporting events, carnivals, fairs and other outdoor activities are much higher, as are ambient noise levels of most adjacent streets and highways.

Most FECs use music as a muted background and use loudspeakers judiciously. These can be set at levels acceptable to the neighbors. As a comparison, even the lowly lawn mower generates a much higher level than the concession go-kart.

Available noise studies for Honda go-kart engines, which to this writer’s knowledge are used by all current concession go-kart manufacturers, show that their generated noise levels do not result in levels that could be considered unacceptable when compared to other noise generators.

One of the most detailed sound studies we have seen was based on the Honda GX160, the most widely used concession go-kart engine. This study found that the sound level generated by 10 go-karts running at full throttle, projected to a distance of 150 feet from the source, was 61 decibels. This is equivalent to the sound level of normal conversation in a room with several people.

It is unfortunate that the studies we have seen are based on projections of sound at various distances from the point of noise measurement rather than actual measurements taken at a point 10 feet from the kart, with the engine running at full throttle. The projected sound levels were then computed, assuming a flat surface with no obstructions. These conditions would not occur, other than on an empty airport runway. Any obstructions, including vegetation, which interrupt the direct movement of sound reduces its level.

Under actual site conditions, sound levels are further reduced or mitigated by a variety of existing conditions and site elements, including the following:
1. Existing natural and landscaped vegetation
2. Ambient noise levels from nearby streets and highways
3. Physical features such as building, berms, fences, automobiles and countless other features that may stand in the line of generated noise.

Site Generated Traffic -
There will, of course, be additional traffic generated by an FEC. Without additional traffic, there would be no facility. This is equally true for any commercial or residential development developed on the property. The total volume of traffic, as well as the peak hour volumes, will not be as heavy as the volumes generated by most other uses permitted under specific zoning classifications. This includes commercial, business or industrial zoning that govern the specific site being developed. Due to the nature of FECs, including long hours of operation, restricted total capacity, wide range of visitor preference in terms of attendance times and related factors, site generated traffic will be distributed over a longer period of time than most other uses.

To illustrate the volumes of traffic that could impact on the local flow of traffic, we have developed the information presented in the table below for a typical facility in an average community. It assumes 60,000 visits during a summer season that spans Memorial Day (Last weekend in May) to Labor Day (First weekend in September) at an outdoor FEC located in a small to medium city area. The representative facility consists of an arcade, point of sales and snack board building, go-kart track, miniature golf course and either a bumper boat pond or batting cage.

Peak hours of operation for FECs normally occur in the evenings from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM and on weekend days from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM and from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM.

We arbitrarily adjusted the assumed total days of full operation during this period to 80, to allow for inclement weather. Using these numbers we arrive at 750 visitors per day. Assuming 2.5 visitors per automobile, we compute 300 vehicles arriving at the site on an average day. As peak attendance varies by day and hour, we have developed the tabulation below to present the projected peak number of vehicles arriving at the FEC at different times. Projected attendance occurs Friday evenings and on weekends.

REPRESENTATIVE TRAFFIC FLOW
CHARACTERISTICS FOR A TYPICAL FEC

Day of Week Monday/Thursday Friday Saturday/Sunday

Daily % of Weekly Traffic 11 16 20

Daily Vehicles Entering 230 336 420

Peak Hour % of Daily Traffic 20 20 15

Peak Hour Vehicles Entering 46 67 63

During the non-summer months, peak hour and daily traffic movements will be lower than those projected above.

The above table demonstrates the anticipated peak hour traffic movements for the FEC. These historically do not occur concurrently with the peak hour traffic periods that occur on the adjacent street system. In most situations, they are different.

For communities, the existing afternoon peak traffic volumes on community streets would occur in the time range from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM and on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Peak hours on Sundays can vary greatly depending on the specific highway or street adjacent to the site. The specific adjacent roadway network servicing the facility and the location of the primary market population, will dictate the directional distribution of the peak hour volumes shown above.

Conclusions -
FECs are a beneficial addition to the community, providing the local equivalent of a small theme park, in terms of operation and atmosphere. They attract a cross section of the local residents and provide a clean, happy and entertaining form of family and individual recreation. They are not the reincarnation of an old amusement parks or free standing go-kart facility of years gone by.

The impact of a well conceived, constructed and operated FEC on its neighboring community will be positive. It increases the number of jobs available to local residents, provides an attractive, clean and wholesome outlet for the entire age range within the community and will blend into the community landscape.

About the author - Peter Olesen is a registered Professional Engineer is eight states and president of Peter F. Olesen and Associates, Inc. 500 West Central Road, Suite 205, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 USA. The firm provides consulting services to concession go-kart and Family Entertainment Center clients. Projects span 31 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Brunei. Services range from preliminary site evaluations, feasibility studies, concept development, master planning, design and construction engineering services for projects that include concession go-kart tracks, miniature golf courses, indoor and outdoor FECs and theme parks. These services apply to new facilities as well as renovation or expansion of existing facilities. Mr. Olesen has written many magazine articles on the industry and has made presentations at numerous industry seminars. For more information see: www.olesen.com or contact by e-mail: pfolesen@flashnet. Phone: 847-253-1515, Fax: 847-253-1532.

END

View Past "Concession Corner" Articles

Kart Marketing Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 101
Wheaton, IL 60189 USA
Telephone: 630-653-7368
Fax: 630-653-2637
Email: karting@msn.com

Back to Home Page

Neatconcept, Inc