A common after-school and weekend activity in local business parking lots by school-age children seems to be skateboarding. Even with the local skateboarding ‘park’ located in the Cross Creek area, these children seem to prefer to test their skateboarding skills, or in most cases the lack thereof, darting amongst the traffic in the parking lots and around parked cars. This, obviously, puts both the skateboarder and the motorist at risk, and this activity is just an “accident waiting to happen.” The business’ managers and owners (markets, banks, theatres, etc.) repeatedly tell these youngsters not to skateboard in the parking lots (in some locations, there are even signs posted stating “no skateboarding allowed!”). Local residents and neighbors also tell them to stop. However, in most cases, its to no avail. The parents are ultimately responsible. One child, when I told him not to skateboard in a parking lot, citing the danger and asking why he didn’t skateboard at home in his driveway, replied that his parents won’t let him because “they don’t like the noise.” Which brings me to another point-skateboarding is noisy! It is an irritating, repetitive noise. So bearing in mind the negatives, it is imperative that parents take the responsibility and drive the point home to their children to discontinue their skateboarding activities in the parking lots, alleyways and busy streets of Malibu. On one occasion, as children were zooming in and out between parked and moving cars, I saw first-hand an elderly shopper put at risk. This elderly woman, carrying a shopping bag, was nearly knocked over by a careless skateboarder. I helped her collect her fallen belongings. The skateboarder didn’t stop, either to help or apologize. It is incumbent upon the parents to lay down the law to their children. Skateboarding in parking lots and amongst traffic is not a recreational activity.
Tracy H. McCutcheon