Where and when skateboarders are allowed to ride tops the city council’s November 1 agenda. Skateboarding has long been a popular mode of transportation for adults as well as kids.
The established regulations may no longer apply, the city staff concluded in its report. Currently skateboards are banned almost everywhere – streets, roadways, near any commercial building, hospital, police and fire stations, or any public property that bans their use. Riding at night is also prohibited.
With more people on skateboards, safety issues have come to the fore. This past year CPD issued 16 written warnings and 16 citations.There were also two serious accidents. A 28-year-old woman suffered severe injuries when she fell off her skateboard. This summer a 16-year-old lost his grip on a car that he was skitching behind. His head hit the pavement. He too suffered serious injuries.
This last incident prompted the council to ask staff to look at the current ordinances. In addition to reviewing skateboarding statutes, the staff suggested the issue deserved more study, and recommended that skateboarding be included in the Coronado Comprehensive Active Transportation Plan (the plan was approved in October 2015 and committee members held their first public meeting in August 2016).
“A more in-depth consideration of the use of skateboards is needed,” the report said. It listed questions that needed to be addressed before recommending changes. The report asked, for example, “Should skateboards be allowed in the street, on sidewalks, or in bike lanes? What are the acceptable times, methods and locations for the use of skateboards?”
- The council will consider transferring $870,318 from the 2015-2016 general fund to the 2016-2017 general fund. The money will be used to cover any shortfalls in next year’s budget. The city is able to do this because general fund expenditures ran under-budget this year. According to the October 18 Interim Financial Report, the city had spent $3,532,376 of the $3,720,318 set aside for this year.
- Housekeeping matters dominate the rest of the agenda — commission appointments, city staff holiday schedule. The council will also sign off on a couple of completed capital improvement projects — refurbishment of city bus shelters and conversion of the Cay’s medians from turf to drought tolerant plants.
- A number of commissions’ terms are set to expire: Morgan Miller on the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC); Thomas Miller on the Civil Service Commission; Emily Talbert on Historic Resources Commission, Alexander Yakutis on the Planning Commission, and Frances Howdyshell and Jeff Tyler on the Cultural Arts Commission. All have agreed to serve for another term.
- Besides these reappointments, the council must also appoint a new member to the BAC to complete the term of Marc Del Homan, who died in August. John David Duncan has applied for the position. Duncan is a retired attorney, an avid cyclist and the only candidate for the position.
- Because there is no competition for any of these posts, it is likely all will be moved to the consent calendar. Barring any unforeseen issues, the meeting should be relatively short.
The meeting begins at 4pm in the Coronado City Council Chambers at 1825 Strand Way.
