Dear Editor:
Regarding your Sunday story DNV Gives Longboarders a Break: I am a district resident and my son is an avid longboarder, directly affected by the ongoing debate over longboarding. Longboarding is his passion. Through it, he has made many friends and connected with other longboarders around the city to trade parts, boards and stories.
It seems there is a general attitude that longboarding is dangerous, that boarders are reckless and that the roads "are meant for cars." My son has repeatedly had the police called to intervene, and has been stopped by the bylaw officers many times. To date, he hasn't been charged nor received a bylaw fine - he and his friends make an effort to obey the rules and skate safely, but I'm sure they aren't perfect.
My son has also had several residents yell at him and some drive their cars in a menacing way. As a road cyclist myself, my experience is very similar to his. I've had my share of drivers narrowly miss me, yell at me to get out of the way and, worse, intentionally swerve into my path or slam on their brakes to communicate their anger.
Mayor Richard Walton implies the solution is for longboarders to organize like the mountain bikers. I disagree. What exactly would the longboarders organize: taking over certain streets for certain hours; conducting street maintenance or enforcing some kind of longboarder code of conduct? The analogy has a simplistic appeal, but it isn't well thought out.
The resolution to this situation isn't to banish longboarders from the streets. Some rules for the longboarders are required - like wearing helmets and having a respect for other road users. But the real answer lies with all of us - we need to accommodate longboarders, just like we do all other users of the road. That means slowing down when encountering a boarder, or if you're on a street which has lots of boarders, possessing an awareness of where they are or might be.
Ultimately, the attitude that the road is just for cars needs to disappear. Our community needs to make sure the roads, and its users, consider everyone's needs.
Chris Kautzky North Vancouver
