LONGBOARDERS rolled into the District of North Vancouver municipal hall Monday night to weigh in on proposed changes to the municipality's boarding bylaws.
Most were not thrilled about proposed changes to the existing bylaw that include increasing fines from $35 to $100 for reckless riders and giving police the authority to impound a longboard for 24 hours.
Instead of drafting tougher bylaws, the district should use its resources to educate young kids who represent the future of the burgeoning sport, according to Lee Cation, a North Shore longboarder.
"What they've purposed here, I'm sorry, but it's not going to change a darn thing," Cation said.
Cation advised council that North Vancouver's notoriety as a longboarding hotspot could drive tourism.
"I'd like you to consider an economic benefit," he said.
Cation said he's longboarded in Colorado and Puerto Rico, but nothing compares to the North Shore. "Just like snowboarding and mountain biking, this is the place," he said.
Susan Hope, a resident of Skyline Drive, said her introduction to the sport was having the daylights scared out of her by longboarders carving down her street.
"There needs to be some sort of control . . . we're retired people and we don't anticipate these people."
Mayor Richard Walton said he's experienced similar problems on Skyline Drive, having been ignored by reckless longboarders riding four abreast down the steep hill.
"I'm really sorry to hear what's been happening on Skyline," said longboarder Marco Muzzatti.
Muzzatti suggested occasionally halting traffic in suburban areas to give longboarders a safe place to ride, possibly utilizing radio operators to clear the road for local cars.
Muzzatti also discussed the severity of impoundment.
"I don't think if you were to give a biker a ticket you would take their mode of transportation," he said.
Despite disagreeing with the proposed bylaw change, Muzzatti said he was encouraged, assessing the meeting as: "The beginning of a journey to having longboarding accepted by the community."
"I'm terrified now," Lyle Craver said following the meeting.
Craver, who said he lives near a sharply curving bus route and has had several near-collisions with longboarders, expressed grave concern that council might permit longboarders to skate after dark if they were outfitted with highly-visible gear.
"Council seems to be wavering on that. . . . These kids may not be able to see themselves," Craver said. "If I can't see them, you have a hazardous situation."
Craver said he's had longboarders reply to his honking horn with profane gestures. "I care about people treating each other with respect, and I've seen little of that."
Craver was one of several speakers who urged the district to co-ordinate its efforts with the City of North Vancouver.
The district generally permits longboarding on roads but restricts riding on sidewalks. The city takes the opposite approach, permitting riding on most of its sidewalks but prohibiting longboards on roads.
Chase Johnson, 24, who said he's been riding a skateboard or a longboard for the last decade, stressed the importance of learning how to ride safely.
"I started without wearing a helmet, without wearing gloves," he said. "Thankfully, I discovered the importance of wearing a helmet before my first major fall."
Johnson discussed the misconception that longboarders can only decrease their speed by weaving across several lanes of traffic, similar to a skier carving on a mountain.
A rider can slide, pulling the board sideways to stop, foot-brake and air-brake, which involves the rider shifting his posture.
"You're acting as a giant sail," Johnson said.
Johnson said he encourages all novice longboarders to watch a YouTube video titled Get Safe, posted by Landyachtz Longboards.
"When you drive, you understand it," Johnson said of traffic laws. "I always give (drivers) a smile and a wave. I always try to make eye-contact with them because we all have to co-exist on the road."
Erian Baxter, the mother of a young longboarder, talked about the initial struggle of finding out the best methods of being safe on a board.
"It's a niche sport that didn't have a lot of information about it," she said.
Her son, now 12, started boarding when he was 8, according to Baxter.
"There needs to be a venue that goes back to doing some mentorship and education," she said.
Baxter was one of several longboarding advocates who questioned the steep increase in fines. Several boarders suggested the proposed increase in tickets from $35 to $100 would increase the number of boarders who try to flee from police.
"By introducing impoundment and introducing higher fines, I think we're going to create a bit of a battle with the cops," said Kevin Reimer, a North Vancouver resident and a former skateboarding champion.
"I don't think that's a valid argument," said North Vancouver RCMP Sgt. Peter DeVries.
Impoundment would likely be the more fitting punishment for reckless riding, according to DeVries.
"That seems to be the more effective deterrent," he said. Coun. Alan Nixon supported an educational approach, but had pragmatic concerns about its effectiveness.
"Who can estimate what percentage of longboarders are reachable?" he asked.
"When you host a longboarding event, they all come," Baxter said in reply to Nixon.
In terms of hosting a closed-road longboarding event, Coun. Mike Little suggested Mount Seymour. "The road to Seymour is probably the easiest to control," Little said.
Little mentioned the death of Glenna Evans, an experienced longboarder who collided with a van on Mount Seymour Road at Anne MacDonald Way in 2010.
Walton suggested much of the responsibility for the future of longboarding in the district resided with the longboarders. He advised the boarding community to create a code of ethics.
The longboarding issue is scheduled to return to council March 5.
jshepherd@nsnews.com
