Road Surfing the New Craze
Montacute becomes a road surfers paradise
STOP: Morialta MP Lindsay Simmons wants
signs up discouraging road surfing in Montacute.
DAREDEVIL teens on skateboards are illegally road surfing down steep main roads at Montacute, putting their lives and those of motorists at risk.
Hills Fleurieu Police have stepped up patrols of Montacute and Corkscrew roads, having already reported one teenager on an oversized skateboard two weeks ago.
Police traffic manager Sergeant Brian Schmidt said road surfing was “very dangerous and potentially disastrous”.
Morialta MP Lindsay Simmons called for No Skateboarding signs to be erected on the roads after several locals complained to her about the danger.
“Already there have been some near misses, which is why it was brought to my attention,” she told the East Torrens Messenger.
“One particular person was driving up the hill when one of the kids was coming down and this person was forced to slam on their breaks and swerve to miss the kid.”
According to Australia road rules, it is illegal to ride a skateboard on major roads with a continuous or broken centre-line or dividing strip or on roads divided into marked lanes for traffic going in the same direction.
Ms Simmons said the potential for a serious accident was “extremely high” because the skateboarders, who often came down the hill crouched or lying on their boards, often used the middle of the road.
“These roads have lots of twists and turns which makes them really popular for this kind of thing, but it also means cars cannot see the skateboarders coming down the hill. Apparently lying down is the brave thing to do, because you can’t stop very easily.
“It’s so dangerous it’s not what the roads were designed for.”
Ms Simmons has called for road signs in a letter to Road Safety Minister Michael O’Brien, who said he’d referred the matter to his department for further advice.
“This type of unsafe activity on the open road is extremely dangerous, not only to the skateboarders travelling at relatively high speeds, but also to the motorists using these roads,” Mr O’Brien said.
Residents who see skateboards being ridden illegally should ring the police on 131444.
Feel free to post a comment on their website: East Torrens Messenger
STOP: Morialta MP Lindsay Simmons wants
signs up discouraging road surfing in Montacute.
DAREDEVIL teens on skateboards are illegally road surfing down steep main roads at Montacute, putting their lives and those of motorists at risk.
Hills Fleurieu Police have stepped up patrols of Montacute and Corkscrew roads, having already reported one teenager on an oversized skateboard two weeks ago.
Police traffic manager Sergeant Brian Schmidt said road surfing was “very dangerous and potentially disastrous”.
Morialta MP Lindsay Simmons called for No Skateboarding signs to be erected on the roads after several locals complained to her about the danger.
“Already there have been some near misses, which is why it was brought to my attention,” she told the East Torrens Messenger.
“One particular person was driving up the hill when one of the kids was coming down and this person was forced to slam on their breaks and swerve to miss the kid.”
According to Australia road rules, it is illegal to ride a skateboard on major roads with a continuous or broken centre-line or dividing strip or on roads divided into marked lanes for traffic going in the same direction.
Ms Simmons said the potential for a serious accident was “extremely high” because the skateboarders, who often came down the hill crouched or lying on their boards, often used the middle of the road.
“These roads have lots of twists and turns which makes them really popular for this kind of thing, but it also means cars cannot see the skateboarders coming down the hill. Apparently lying down is the brave thing to do, because you can’t stop very easily.
“It’s so dangerous it’s not what the roads were designed for.”
Ms Simmons has called for road signs in a letter to Road Safety Minister Michael O’Brien, who said he’d referred the matter to his department for further advice.
“This type of unsafe activity on the open road is extremely dangerous, not only to the skateboarders travelling at relatively high speeds, but also to the motorists using these roads,” Mr O’Brien said.
Residents who see skateboards being ridden illegally should ring the police on 131444.
Feel free to post a comment on their website: East Torrens Messenger
Views: 348
Replies to This Discussion
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Trav on -
you know i had an idea to make a DH park using cyclists to drive it. Like approach a council to build a track on a hill, approach the public liability concerns as you would when trying to get a normal skatepark built, but design it to double as a race circuit for all those social weekend cycle racing clubs that are popular nower days. the cyclist would probably enjoy having a descent and decent hill climb in a race circuit also ( i think currently they use normal car racing tracks to hold weekend races on). riding off the back of a popular sport to get what we want... sounds like something our government / council would go for ;)
Guff said:The government will do anything to appease cyclists ,seriously do not piss them off. They are probably the most influential sporting association in Australia and could actively pursue any issue that takes their fancy concerning road rules.
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Permalink Reply by Luke Whitmore on
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That idea has been proposed down here in Canberra as a part of the Stromlo park development. There is such a massive cyclist scene in canberra so it may very well go ahead.
Trav said:you know i had an idea to make a DH park using cyclists to drive it. Like approach a council to build a track on a hill, approach the public liability concerns as you would when trying to get a normal skatepark built, but design it to double as a race circuit for all those social weekend cycle racing clubs that are popular nower days. the cyclist would probably enjoy having a descent and decent hill climb in a race circuit also ( i think currently they use normal car racing tracks to hold weekend races on). riding off the back of a popular sport to get what we want... sounds like something our government / council would go for ;)
Guff said:The government will do anything to appease cyclists ,seriously do not piss them off. They are probably the most influential sporting association in Australia and could actively pursue any issue that takes their fancy concerning road rules.
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Permalink Reply by Luca Coleman on
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what a bitch.
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by leeso on -
they will always find somthing to complain about..if they wanna put signs up then this is the only one they need
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Permalink Reply by Michael English on
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im pretty sure that i have seen a "beware of longboarders on road" sign somwhere... maby it was a dream but i think they are a better idea
leeso said:they will always find somthing to complain about..if they wanna put signs up then this is the only one they need
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Trav on -
just looked at the map massive long MTB trails, and a tiny 1.2km bike circuit, which looks to be flat??
Luke Whitmore said:That idea has been proposed down here in Canberra as a part of the Stromlo park development. There is such a massive cyclist scene in canberra so it may very well go ahead.
Trav said:you know i had an idea to make a DH park using cyclists to drive it. Like approach a council to build a track on a hill, approach the public liability concerns as you would when trying to get a normal skatepark built, but design it to double as a race circuit for all those social weekend cycle racing clubs that are popular nower days. the cyclist would probably enjoy having a descent and decent hill climb in a race circuit also ( i think currently they use normal car racing tracks to hold weekend races on). riding off the back of a popular sport to get what we want... sounds like something our government / council would go for ;)
Guff said:The government will do anything to appease cyclists ,seriously do not piss them off. They are probably the most influential sporting association in Australia and could actively pursue any issue that takes their fancy concerning road rules.
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Permalink Reply by Guff on
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Why would cyclists want to share a track with skateboarders when they can ride any road they want legally??
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Permalink Reply by Robbo on
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Everybody beware channel 7 news is running a story on this in South Australia tonight
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Permalink Reply by Hop on
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Can some one in SA record this?
Jackson says he stepped of the plane in Adelaide to a media TV scrum!!
Robbo said:Everybody beware channel 7 news is running a story on this in South Australia tonight
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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Trav on -
because cyclist can't compete on an open road with traffic. My boss is heavily into cycling and they HATE cars and incompetent drivers that put them at risk also, so they would welcome a car free track to train and race on.
Re the story, a few years ago in Brissy i went thru similar thing with street racing. Apparently racing on an empty mountain at 2am was dangerous to other drivers....? they even set a task force up in Brissy to crack down on it. And today tonight was the biggest offender driving the campaign.... people still race it had no impact. these people will always whine about something, that's the whole point of democracy.. they need to "show" that something is being done (erect signs and pose on a street corner with a serious face) when nothing is actually being done or enforced. 2 weeks from now even today tonight viewers won't remember this (they'll be onto a new fear by then)
Guff said:Why would cyclists want to share a track with skateboarders when they can ride any road they want legally??
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Permalink Reply by Bowditch on
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yes its true. longboarders got roasted again. i havent seen the report (was busy skating) but i jumped off the plane to find the media ready with cameras wanting to interview Leigh and myself. It started off good until they started asking those hectic questions i really wanted to avoid. it was a tough one and i have the strong feeling they are going to turn it against us, just the vibes i got from the reporter started turning negative and we got kinda cornered with harsh questions that would lead to no good answers... if someone can find an online copy please post it up.... SHIT HAPPENS
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