By Joseph Serna, Staff Writer
Signal Hill–the name alone sounds attractive for street slalom or whooshing down a sidewalk on a skateboard.
But those brief moments of wind in a child’s face and adrenaline pumping in the veins can lead to a citation, if not serious injury.
Pressed by residents at recent Signal Hill City Council meetings, city police are increasing their patrols at local skateboarder hangouts, Operations Captain Ron Mark said Friday.
City Municipal Code prohibits skateboarding on public property nearly everywhere in the city, Mark said. Also the department plans on increasing enforcement for skateboarding violations.
“It’s not that we don’t like skateboarders,” Mark explained. “But they’re going to get hurt. [The city] created this code for a reason.”
With school out for summer, now more than ever skateboarders are at risk of being involved in a tragic accident.
At one June Council meeting, two residents told stories of almost hitting children with their cars. Be it a child flying across the street on a skateboard crossing traffic, or turning a corner heading straight into a vehicle, the situation is dangerous, residents warned. When skateboarders do find somewhere off-street to go, in Signal Hill it’s likely private property, and likely prohibited.
Skateboarding is forbidden in Signal Hill Park’s bandstand area and the area behind the library, in Hilltop Park and around City Hall.
Most sidewalks in the city are also barred to skateboarders.
Fortunately for skateboarders, Long Beach has them covered.
There are a number of places for young skateboarders to kickflip, ollie, grind a rail or tail grind in Long Beach.
There are skate plazas at Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Avenue, the 14th Street Playground on 14th Street from Chestnut Avenue to Locust Avenue, Drake Park, 951 Maine Avenue, and Bixby Park at 130 Cherry Avenue.
Long Beach also provides Skate Park on Wheels, a truck packed with portable ramps and rails, and it stops at a different park everyday Monday through Saturday.
Registration to use the park is free and is required along with safety equipment.
Skate Park On Wheels’ summer schedule is Monday Through Friday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Mondays–Davenport Park parking lot, 2910 East 56th Way
• Tuesdays–California Recreation Center basketball court, 1550 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue
• Wednesday–Bixby Knolls, between Longfellow and Hughes Middle Schools
• Thursdays–Veterans Park basketball court, 101 East 28th Street
• Fridays–Marine Stadium, 5255 Paoli Way
• Saturdays–Stearns Champions Park hockey court, 4520 East 23rd Street
For information about Skate Park on Wheels locations and times, call (562) 570-3561.
