Charleston skateboard proposal draws opposition

Charleston City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday on its proposed new skateboarding regulations for downtown, and there is opposition from those who say it’s a bad idea.

Some downtown residents say the practice remains too unsafe to sanction on busy local streets, or on city routes that aren’t geared toward mixing boarding and cars.

To gather input ahead of tomorrow’s City Council meeting, the Committee on Traffic and Transportation will hear public comment at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall. No prior registration is required.

Charleston is considering a six-month pilot that would greatly expand where skateboarding is allowed downtown but with more restrictions. Skateboarders would have to obey the rules of the road, wouldn’t be able to use cellphones while rolling and couldn’t skate barefoot.

The area where skateboarding is allowed on the peninsula would also be greatly expanded and better defined, although boarding would be prohibited outright on most of the city’s major thoroughfares, including highly traveled King, Meeting, Broad, East Bay and Calhoun streets.

Anyone caught violating any of the 15 or so new regulations would face a minimum fine of $50.