Laguna Beach Purposing A Ban On Skateboarding

It seems as though many Laguna Beach residents are fed up with one of the teenagers favorite activities, skateboarding. Laguna’s hilly streets make it the perfect place for skateboarders to go downhill on their boards at fast speeds. For those living there, it isn’t as fun as it sounds. Many residents get a scare when pulling out of their driveway and seeing a skateboarder fly down a hill at 25miles an hour.”When you have a close call with a kid, it’s seared into your memory,” said Sue Kemf, one of Laguna Beach residents, “I just don’t want to be responsible for hitting a kid.” Other Laguna residents feel the same and are trying to ban skateboarding from steeper streets in the city.

Obviously, many skateboarding teenagers argue the want for this ban, but with no avail. They insist that skateboarding keeps them fit and that they wear all the necessary protective gear. “I don’t think there are better hills,” said Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman. “If I were a kid and had no fear of death, I’d say Laguna is heaven.” And the teens couldn’t agree more.

However, the Police received over 400 complaints, in the last 3 years, regarding this matter and reports of 11 collisions. In January a 17 year old boy, in Los Angeles, died after falling while skateboarding down a hill without a helmet. Earlier this month, a city council meeting was held to initially purpose the ban of skateboarding in Laguna Beach. It was agreed by the Council Members that skateboarding is no longer allowed in 4 of the city’s streets and according to City Manager John Pietig, additional regulations will be considered during a meeting in March.

[Sources : skateboardingmagazine.com]