Skaters have been dealing with Johnny Law and our role in society since the dawn of time. In fact it wouldn’t be a usual session with your friends if some overzealous security guard or angry police officer didn’t threaten to take away your skate, give you a ticket, or at least appear in your edit. But recently the police are getting involved in Longboarding for very different reasons.
As you have heard me say in many longboard blog posts, it seems like every week another kid somewhere in the world dies on a longboard. It’s usually because of 2 things. A. no helmet. B. a car hits them. It makes me sad every time I read about another promising young kid doing what he or she loves and then having to see their parents hold up photos and talk about the sadness of losing a child, but as usual, I believe the authorities are going about this situation all wrong.
*REMINDER* THESE THOUGHTS ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF SALTY PEAKS. I AM AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WORKS HERE AND HAS BEEN GIVEN THE FREEDOM TO PUT MY BELIEFS IN THIS FORUM. IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THESE BELIEFS PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE CAN SHARE A DIALOGUE. ALL COMMENTS WILL BE REVIEWED AND MUST BE ON TOPIC.
Canada is starting to have a dialogue in many provinces over the safety and now the legality of longboarding. It comes from a good place (a few kids have died and people are trying to make sure more don’t) but banning an activity altogether has NEVER stopped someone from doing what they want (take a look at sex,drugs,and rock n roll for a reference). In fact, banning kids from longboarding on certain streets, just means they will do it at a more dangerous time when they think they won’t get caught (aka night time) and that creates an even more dangerous situation.
There are many activities that are legal in these countries that are far more dangerous. Let’s take motorcycling for instance. Motorcycles can go upwards of 200mph. Many states still don’t require you to wear a helmet. 4,000 people die every year on motorcycles in the USA alone. Are they banned? Are motorcyclists even forced to take the slightest precautions in every state? Nope. So why ban longboarding?
What about smoking? Worldwide, smoking kills 5 million per year. Is it illegal? Of course not. Because the smoking lobbyists buy and trade politicians all day long. Does longboarding need its own set of lobbyists to grease some palms? If so, let’s get to it Sector 9, Comet, Landyachtz. I’ll be happy to go to Washington, take some old hag out for a cheeseburger and show her the power of Speed Cream.
But seriously, we need to find a way, in these free societies, to give people a place to have fun and stay healthy. I know when I was living in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, every Sunday the city would close off this massive main road so people could ride bikes, skateboard, rollerblade, longboard, etc., without the fear of being hurt or arrested. One day a week isn’t great, so how about transforming an old logging road or unused road outside of town to a “longboard park” of sorts? What about our beloved mountain resorts? You guys are always trying to get new business in the off season. I know you have some dope paved roads…give the longboarders a safe downhill lined in hay bales for them to crush all summer and prepare for winter. National Parks…we have the best National Parks in Utah and most of them have brand new sleek roads that go on for miles. I know National Parks want more families to visit and kids are usually bored by family vacations so why not open up a longboard road for incentive?
These are just a few options to hopefully not waste a lot of time and resources on going about a problem the same way we always do. Banning a sport that is a lot safer than a ton of legal activities in the USA and Canada is a lazy, outdated way of protecting people and property. It’s also hypocritical to allow the sales of a product but then not allow the use of it. Longboarders pay a lot of taxes and support many businesses in the process and their money should be used to give them a place to skate. This sport is growing exponentially so cities better make a plan to embrace it.
