Should Skateboarders Use The Bike Lanes?
By Chuck Sudo in News on May 28, 2013 8:20PM
Last year I reaped a whirlwind of criticism for a post I wrote about a group of local skateboarders who videotaped themselves riding their boards on the breakers surrounded Navy Pier. And deservedly so: As much grief as I give John Kass for his trolling of the “little bike people,” I can easily see what an ass I came across.
Unlike Kass’s one-sided war with bicyclists, I recognized later I was allowing my biases about skateboarders —”little skateboard people,” anyone?—to cloud my overall judgment. With both skateboarders and bicyclists, a few bad apples can spoil a basket. For every skateboarder who weaves in an out of pedestrian traffic on sidewalks, there are scores of others who skate in more open spaces, including the street. I may not like it, but there are skateboarders who see their boards as a good way to get across the city, just as bicyclists do their rides.
A thread started a couple weeks back on The Chainlink forums asked members how they felt about skateboards in bike lanes. The responses have, overall, been thoughtful and informative. Some of the respondents were of the opinion that skateboarders were viewed by the city like bicyclists, meaning the boards don’t belong on the sidewalks. Therefore, bicyclists and skateboarders have to share the bike lanes. The City’s Municipal Code, however, states otherwise. Ordinance 9-80-200 states skateboards are considered “toy vehicles” and not allowed on any roadway or sidewalk in a business district.
Some expressed concerns about skateboarders bailing off their boards and how it may contribute to possible bike accidents, since the boards go in the direction in which they were last pointed. Most of them didn’t care about skateboards in the bike lane, so long as they knew local traffic laws. The pro-skateboard responses made mention that it’s easier to bring a skateboard on a train or bus than a bicycle, especially during rush hour, and the more proficient skateboarders claimed they often outpaced cyclists on the streets.
Other stories that have forced me to reconsider my stance on skateboarders include the inspiring tale Tommy Carroll, a Northwestern journalism student who lost his sight at age 2 yet hasn't let it stop pursuing skateboarding. Carroll hasn't taken his board to the streets, but he uses his other senses to navigate skate parks. A cautionary tale in the "skateboarders on streets" argument is Reggie Destin, who died while skateboarding last October when he was hit by a drunk driver in Wicker Park.
What do you think of skateboarders sharing the bike lane?