Skateboarding on downtown sidewalks is now banned
By Rochelle Moore and Ethan Smith
Published in News on September 7, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Hildegarde Fossett addresses the Goldsboro City Council Tuesday night.
The Goldsboro City Council approved an ordinance amendment Tuesday that clearly bans skateboards from downtown sidewalks.
The council discussed the change during its work session and adopted the change during its regular meeting.
During the work session, Councilman Antonio Williams claimed he had a confrontation with skateboarders downtown three weeks ago during the early hours of the morning. Williams, who was on the second floor of a downtown building he's renovating, walked downstairs and asked several young adults to stop because of the noise.
"I approached them, politely, and said, 'Hey guys, it's kind of late. I know if it was a Saturday, it wouldn't be a problem with you guys skateboarding down here at that time, but people are sleeping,'" he said of the Tuesday morning encounter at 2 a.m. "I said, 'Hey, you know, it's a lot of noise you guys are making.' They were real rude."
Williams claimed he even took pictures, but was ignored.
During the meeting, Williams asked if the ordinance can detail the hours that skateboarders are prohibited from the activity in the downtown area.
"In this specific ordinance, the ordinance is written to prohibit the riding of skateboards or skates on sidewalks anytime," said James Rowe, Goldsboro planning director.
Mayor Chuck Allen suggested that skateboarding be entirely banned from downtown.
"We have a skateboard park, why can't we just say we're not going to have skateboarding downtown?" Allen said.
City Manager Scott Stevens said the city is trying to be a pedestrian and bike-friendly community, and some could argue that skateboarding is their main form of transportation.
Skateboarding is still allowed in the downtown area but only within bicycle lanes.
"They can't do tricks," Stevens said.
The ordinance now bans skateboards, roller skates and scooters from downtown sidewalks and city property.
The ordinance change was created to clear up confusion of an existing ordinance that defines sidewalks for pedestrian use.
"This seemed to be a step to address an immediate concern," Stevens said. "We've made it very clear for downtown."
The ordinance change specifically identifies skateboards as a prohibited use on downtown sidewalks in an area bordered by Ash, Elm, William and George streets. The ordinance also includes new wording that prohibits skateboards, roller skates and scooters from city streets, except for delineated bicycle lanes, and on any city property, except within designated recreational facilities, such as the skate park on East Ash Street. The ordinance does not apply to bicycles, wagons or devices operated or used by anyone with a handicap or disability.
Bicycles are already banned from city sidewalks.
Goldsboro police will enforce the ordinance, starting with a warning. If the warning isn't heeded, a violation would lead to a $50 fine, said Mike West, Goldsboro police chief.
"Another concern is if you get them off the sidewalks and you get them in the street," West said. "Then, you have them impeding traffic. That's another charge."
Stevens said the council could consider stricter rules if initial enforcement isn't successful.
During the regular council meeting, four people, including two downtown business owners, spoke in favor of allowing skateboard activity downtown. The comments preceded the council's vote in favor of the ordinance changes.
Hildegarde Fossett, who rides a long board, requested that the city council postpone voting to approve the ordinance until council members could meet with skateboarders and discuss what should be done.
"I come downtown a lot. I love to skateboard downtown, I feel safe downtown and I feel like we should have the same rights as bicycles do because it's also a mode of transportation," Fossett said. "I feel like we're also a community watch since we're downtown all the time, we keep an eye on everything. We also bring business downtown. I know the people I skateboard with at least will do a couple laps, and then if we're hungry or thirsty, we'll go into one of the establishments and eat or drink and then keep skateboarding."
David Glisson, who owns Uniquely R's on South Center Street with his wife, Ruth, said he fully supports skateboarders being downtown and has never had an issue like Williams claimed.
"I haven't had any problems with the skaters, I haven't had any run-ins with any of the skaters. They've always been very polite to my wife and I," Glisson said. "If they were on the sidewalk, they would pop their boards up and let people pass. I've seen that. I think its great to have young people downtown. That's why we did this (Streetscape)."
John Hodge, who co-owns Well Travelled Beer on South Center Street with his brother, Sam, also spoke in support of skateboarding downtown.
Hodge said he lives downtown, also, and skateboarders have never been a bother to his business, patrons of his business or himself personally.
"They have never disturbed me or bothered me, no matter when they're skating," Hodge said.
He added the skaters have also brought business into his store and other establishments downtown.
Josh Lancaster, one of two young men who originally petitioned the city for the skate park on East Ash Street, said adding more space to the park and putting in more equipment would deter skaters from skating on other city property. Lancaster said skating is divided into street skating and vert skating -- street skating is doing tricks on and off of objects, while vert skating is skateboarding on ramps and bowls.
"The street aspect is where people skate on ledges where you're talking about messing up property, which I understand. People should be allowed downtown to cruise around, but I can see where you guys are worried about property damage," Lancaster said. "That's why I'm asking for an expansion (to the skate park) with street objects, because right now we only have a rail. That was from Seymour Johnson, and it was sort of like it's messed up and it's hard to use. It's fun and everything, but there's just not enough obstacles to choose from."
Allen said skateboarders should police themselves when skating downtown, and the city would see what it could do about expanding the park.
Despite skaters and business owners alike speaking in support of skateboarding and requesting the council postpone its vote, the city council voted unanimously to approve the consent agenda, therefore passing the ordinance amendment that banned skateboarding in most places throughout the city.
Fossett said she was disappointed and upset that the city never consulted skateboarders during the creation of the ordinance.