The Town of Banff plans to crack down on skateboarders caught stunting and riding on sidewalks.
But a call by a local resident to eliminate skateboarding from the trail by the Bow River and increase fines for sidewalk skateboarding from $50 to $500 has not gained the interest of council at this time.
“Bylaw is already proactive at the beginning of the season to try to get the message out,” said Councillor Stavros Karlos. “I’m not in support of banning them from trails. They’re just the same as a bicycle.”
Banff’s traffic bylaw prohibits skateboarding on sidewalks – unless the skateboarder is under 12 – and on hills such as St. Julien Road, Mountain Avenue and Tunnel Mountain.
Skateboarders can ride Banff’s streets for the most part, but are not allowed to ride in the downtown core, in such areas as the 100 and 200 blocks of Banff Avenue as well as Bear Street.
Resident Daren Krentz believes the existing bylaw doesn’t go far enough.
As well as a hefty increase in fines, he would also like to see a painted symbol on the sidewalk of a skateboarder in a circle with a line going through it, reading “$500 fine. No Warnings.”
“Currently the skateboard bylaws are impotent,” he said in a letter to council, adding a $50 fine for skateboarding on the sidewalk is too affordable to be a deterrent.
“There’s no sting involved in it, and that being the case, the bylaw garners no respect.”
Krentz said the presence of skateboarders along the riverside path disrupts the experience there for residents and visitors.
“For me, the river path is a place I can get away from the busy nature of the downtown,” he said.
“I can have an almost contemplative time there and then the boards come with noise and stunting. I have seen an elderly couple brace themselves in each other’s arms when the boards go speeding in and around people on the path.”
Coun. Grant Canning said he recently watched a stakeboarder jump a curb, then fly through a storefront window.
“That was quite interesting to see. A river pathway is one thing, but stunting in the downtown is quite another thing,” he said.
“I do think it might be worthwhile putting up a sign that says skateboarding is illegal on sidewalks. I see it a lot in summer.”
