Skateboarding, as you know it may be about to change forever. In a bizarre move, the UK government has put forward a plan to regulate how people use council built skate parks.
According to the proposals, from August 2015, council ran skate parks will only be available to scooter riders on Saturdays, and will be skate only on Sundays.
This new law has been put forward by the pan-governmental Board of Activities, and Leisure Liaison – part of the Department for Leisure, Culture and Tourism.
“Something has to be done”
It’s supposedly in reaction to growing friction between skaters and scoot riders that has led to vandalism, violence and, infamously, the riots seen last summer in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
“Something has to be done” said government spokesperson Nev Blacktub. “Incidents of violence between British youths aged between 13 and 22 have increased significantly since 2004. There is a direct correlation between this increase in hostilities, and the building of recreational sports parks by local councils”.
While skate and scoot may not always be easy bedfellows, surely it’s far too heavy handed to completely ban skaters from Saturdays, and scooters from Sundays.
Surely this will push kids who want to use the park on the banned days onto the streets – an environment that may be less familiar to them, in turn, putting them in greater danger. After all, it’s rare you get a car rolling around a skate park, but they’re a constant on the streets.
“The separation of the two demographics is a strong, a decisive move, and one proposed to ensure that not only do the recreational areas remain open, but those that use them can do so without an increased threat of harm.” Continued Blacktub.
With over 2,800 skate parks in the UK currently in the control of local government, this new law will have a massive impact on the entire UK skate scene.
With only one day on the weekend when kids can go out and roll on their local council build park, surely this will almost cut in half the progress groms can make in skateboarding.
Yet again, the dinosaurs in suits have invented yet another fictional law, with absolutely no consultation with either the skate or scoot community.
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