Skateboarding restrictions top of Thursday meeting

Laguna Beach officials are considering restricting skateboarding on public streets — and banning it altogether on some steep streets.

A package of proposed restrictions will be presented for public review at 7 p.m. Thursday by the Parking/Traffic/Circulation Committee. The meeting will take place at Top of the World Elementary School, 21601 Tree Top Lane. The meeting time was originally to be 6 p.m. but was changed to 7 p.m. because of a conflict with a Thurston Middle School Back-to-School night, according to Liz Avila, the city’s liaison to the committee.

The proposals include:

•Protective headgear required for all skateboarders who are 18 younger;

•Skateboarders must have helmet-mounted lighting between sunset and sunrise;

•Skateboarders are to be subject to rules and regulations governing bicycles and must obey vehicle code provisions; comply with traffic control signals and signs; yield to pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks; not pass motor vehicles on the right unless there is a bicycle lane provided; and ride as far to the right on roadways as possible.

In addition, skateboarders would be prohibited from operating skateboards in a manner that creates a nuisance or threatens or causes injury to a person or property, or creates a hazard or obstruction to use of public or private property; or creates loud or unreasonable noise.

Acrobatics — jumps, spins, loops, turnabouts or headstands would be prohibited on skateboards operated on public property.

Skateboarding would be prohibited on Park Avenue between Alta Laguna and Donna Drive; Nyes Place between Balboa Drive and Pacific Coast Highway; Summit Drive between Baja Drive and Bluebird Canyon Drive; and Temple Hills Drive between Alta Laguna and Thalia Drive.

The penalty for violating the rules would be an infraction with a $25 fine for a first offense; a $50 fine for a second offense; and a $100 fine for the third and subsequent offenses.

The committee will listen to public comment on the proposals and make a recommendation to the City Council, which will make the final determination on the proposals at a future meeting.

For more information, contact Avila at (949) 497-0344 or lavila@lagunabeachcity.net. The agenda item and full report can be viewed at https://www.lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/pw/ptc.asp