W. Covina Bans ‘Nuisance’ Skateboarding Downtown

Accusing skateboarders of colliding with shoppers, snarling traffic and defacing walls, the City Council has banned riding skateboards, coasters and scooters in many public places.

Police Chief Craig Meacham said skateboarders have become a nuisance. He cited numerous complaints from business people about riders monopolizing sidewalks and parking lots around their establishments.

In shopping centers, the Civic Center and the Senior Citizens Center, skateboarders have left wheel marks on walls, planters and landscaped areas, he said.

Meacham said the ordinance was needed because skateboarders ignore warnings from police. “We tell them to stop riding, and no sooner than we turn our backs, they’re climbing the walls again,” he said.

Where posted, skateboarding will be prohibited on streets and sidewalks in the business district, public places, parking lots and shopping centers. Violators will receive traffic tickets, Meacham said.

Police may also impound skateboards and violators will have to appear in traffic court to retrieve them, he said. Skateboarding will be allowed on residential streets.