I have not been on this site in a while and I realize I'm dredging up an old argument, but the posts in this thread are just too outrageous not to reply. The idea that there is no benefit to paving the parking lot, that there is no return on investment, or that money just should not be budgeted for it is just ridiculous. Six Flags continues to make the same mistakes over and over again, regardless of how many times they may change Presidents.
The idea that all they have to do is get some cheap thrill ride every year, market it as something far better than it is, let the rest of the park crumble and people will flock there is insane. They are a business. They have to budget. They know they have parking lots. They know how big they are. They know they need to be repaved periodically. There is no reason that expense is not included in the park budget, except stupidity.
The idea that park guests do not care is ridiculous. The parking lot is the first impression of the park. The first impression guests get pulling into a crumbling parking lot is "What a dump".
The idea that the only thing park guests care about is getting on the new thrill ride and that they will climb through whatever pile of garbage is in their way to get to it, and be happy about it is nonsense. The park cannot survive soley on the people who are coming to ride The Joker, and even some of them are turned off by the condition of the park and disappointed that the ride is not all it was hyped up to be.
Disappointing your guests is not a good business practice, and it is the Six Flags business model, "Trick them into coming and it doesn't matter what crap they find when they get here". But it does matter. Returning customers are a necessity for a successful business and a lot of people do not return to Great Adventure because they are not happy with what they find when they get there.