A city ordinance preventing skateboarders from traveling on public streets and sidewalks has become a heated issue between area skateboarders and law-enforcement officials.

The ordinance is part of a state law allowing rollerblading on public streets, but preventing skateboarders.

“I think it’s unfair,” said Brandon Blaschka, Madison Area Technical College junior and active skateboarder. “I think rollerblading causes just as many problems. I guess a skateboard could technically go flying and hit someone, because it’s not attached to your feet, but it’s highly unlikely.”

Although skateboarding in public areas can be a problem, Blaschka says skateboarders are usually cautious. “Skateboarding can be very dangerous. It is rude to skate in public,” Blaschka said. “However, skaters usually go at night and try to stay away from people. Giving tickets when there’s no one else around is dumb. They should only be given if you’re putting someone in danger.”

Blaschka once received a $285 ticket for skateboarding in an abandoned bank parking lot. Since Blaschka wasn’t actually skateboarding when the police arrived, the police gave him a ticket for trespassing instead.

University of Wisconsin police officer Ben Newman said law enforcement officials do not usually try to find loopholes in the system just to ticket skateboarders. Newman said it only becomes serious when offenders try to take the law into their own hands.

“Skateboarding is not a crime. It’s a civil forfeiture,” Newman said. “If a skateboarder runs away from an officer, then it becomes a crime.”

Newman said police officers are “usually pretty lenient” when it comes to actually handing out citations.

“Officers use their own discretion as to whether or not they will write a ticket. If you’ve been warned before, you will be ticketed.”

Both verbal and written warnings are recorded and can be easily accessed by any police officer. The fine for skateboarding in a public area is $163.

Many suggestions on how to give skateboarders more privileges have come across City Council’s agenda in past years. One is to build a skate park that would be free and open to the public. Many college towns where the population of skateboarders tends to be high, such as the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, have already built such parks. Plans to build a public skate park in Madison are still in the works.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, believes skateboarding should be allowed on State Street. “State Street is undergoing a renovation in the next few years. I would like the city government to consider lifting the prohibition against State Street,” Verveer said. “Not necessarily on the sidewalks, but at least on the street itself.”
Although skateboarders’ rights are restricted, Verveer believes Madison city cops are “fairly cool” when it comes to skateboarding.