Thanks to John Farr for sending me the link. My only comment on this is that Parks and Rec Director Chris Beth and his staff are wasting $80,000 of taxpayer money in order to fix a problem that exists mainly because parents bring 10-year olds to the skatepark rather than the playground. In case you’d like to speak your mind on the matter, click here for some contact info.
BMX bikers soon will be fenced out of a popular Redwood City skate park.
The city is finishing plans to build a 6-foot black steel fence around the perimeter of Phil Shao Memorial Skate Park, more than two years after officials first pledged to do so.
According to city rules, only skateboarders are allowed to use the Red Morton Park facility, but BMX bikers have routinely cruised the skate park’s dips, bowls, rails and ledges since it opened in 2003.
Parents and parks administrators have long said they are concerned about the potential for collisions between bikers and skateboarders using the same park.
City officials hope the $80,000 fence, approved without discussion by the City Council this month, will help keep bikes out and skateboarders in.
“We’ve always wanted a fence, and based on the feedback from users, they also wanted that,” said Parks and Recreation Director Chris Beth.
The fence will have a single entrance to the park that should be difficult to navigate with a bicycle. Bikers who get through anyway will have a harder time avoiding citations if police are called, Beth said.
“When we were calling police, when they were arriving, everybody scattered,” Beth said. “If we do need to address the issue right up front, it’ll be easier.”
While skateboarding is considered a “hazardous recreational activity” under state law, biking is not. That has led most skate parks in California to ban biking out of fear they could be exposed to lawsuits if a biker is injured.
The parks department announced in late 2007 its plans for a fence around the skate park, but its capital improvement budget was tied up, Beth said.
City officials will meet next week with a local fence company to decide on a construction timeline, Beth said Friday. The fence will take about a month to construct and it’s not clear whether the skate park will be closed during that time.
that is the most retarded shit i’ve heard in a while….guaranteed it will be an entrance exactly like the one at the gilroy park…weak as fuck
Comment by mike — January 31, 2010
Shitty man. $80K for a fence but thats a good fuckin start to a BMX facility aint it? Fuck redwood city! Locals that shit sucks man…
Comment by dawginc — January 31, 2010
Redwood City parks sucks dicks anyways. Let them have that shit. All the people there are the fucking worst. Doesn’t matter if there kids, teenagers, or adults, they all fucking suck. Do yourself a favor and find somewhere else to ride, Menlo Park or some shit.
Must be something in the Redwood City water to make them all shitheads.
Let them put up the dumb fence, it will be funny. Bikes will still go in.
Comment by JoeyCobbs — February 1, 2010
i think it just will give us more to ride i love fences
Comment by ari pettit — February 3, 2010
Via BMXBoard: “Fence will let bikers know there is something that needs to be fufanu’d at Redwood City skate park.”
Comment by Chris McMahon — February 3, 2010
This is the biggest waste of money, I have been skateboarding this park every since it opened, and bikers are not a problem. The problem are parents who bring there little kids to this park to ride around like its a place for toddlers. I have never had a problem with a biker in my 7 years of riding here. Big fail on you should ahve spent 80 k on making biker jumps on the grass field next to this park, people spend money on the stupid things and this is one of them!, idiots!
Comment by Chris — April 27, 2010
yeah, but it’s those 10 year olds parents who footed the bill for this park with their property taxes. Don’t like it build your own with your own $$
Comment by Rocknard — November 29, 2010
Anyone who lives in Redwood City and pays property taxes (including the parents of local BMX riders) footed the bill for that park, so don’t try and use that “these skater kids’ parents are the only ones whose taxes went into it” bullshit, because it’s wrong.
Comment by Chris McMahon — November 30, 2010