Official crackdown on downhill skateboarders

For downhill skateboarders, the feeling of tucking your hands behind your back and bombing down one of Laguna Beach's steep canyon roads is euphoric: the pressure of G-force as you bank turns, the wind on your face and the blur of asphalt rushing below.

But those who live along the curving hillside roads complain of heart-stopping confrontations and fear something serious could happen if steps aren't taken to curtail the mostly teenage skateboarders who hitch rides up the hillside and scream down the road as fast as possible. Some estimate the skaters can travel in excess of 50 mph.

A group of residents on one of the city's favored downhill spots, a winding, narrow road flanked by houses with ocean views, is asking the city to ban skateboarding on most hills and enact a 10 mph speed limit. It would effectively outlaw downhill skateboarding — also known as speedboarding — in one of the places the daredevil sport first emerged.

Several cities, including Malibu and Newport Beach, already have laws restricting the practice. But in Laguna — an independent-minded city that seems to tolerate extremes — the idea of government interference in a board sport is, for many, unthinkable.

Read the full story on downhill skateboarding here.

--Tony Barboza

Photo: Ethan Agnew, center, and Dane Maison, both 15, barrel down a hill in Laguna Beach. The daredevil hobby of speedboarding -- skateboarding downhill with hands clasped behind the back -- is gaining popularity. Credit: John W. Adkisson / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Ted]

Take away their downhill thrill and you're gonna regret it when you find out what they'll do next to get that same kind of thrill

[spatter]

Outlaw as much skateboarding as possible without violating the Constitution. One thing that is not mentioned in the article is that once these kids make a mistake, more often than not a skateboard goes winging off in some completely random and uncontrolled direction, becoming a hazard for cyclists, motorcyclists, and anyone too infirm or too unaware to jump out of the way.

[Brian]

you don't need a law, you just need brick-paved roads or cobblestones

[donut]

Skateboarding is not a crime, people who want to stop it are afraid of life itself, skateboarding is a way to enter a new and underused dynamic, sleep travel.

[M]

Totally crazy. In a couple years, Laguna has cracked down on (a) day-laborers, (b) the homeless, and, and now (c) skateboarders.

Is this even Laguna anymore or is this Newport or ... Dana Point? They should outlaw the yuppies and corporate tyrants first.

[Southoc]

These should be the worst of our problems. Instead we have gang warfare.

[afraid]

I live on Vista Plaza. At 2am many nights we have cars racing down the
streets, and with no lights on. How dangerous is that?
Another favorite is bike riders racing down the slopes.

[Federico Mulas]

Well yes it is very dangerous and it should be illegal on traffic streets. But wait a second ... Since there are a lot of regular skate park in California why not making some dedicated downhill tracks as well ?? We love this sport and we would like to practice it in safe roads without cars and pedestrians.