On the subject of skateboards
Skating - a way for young people to express themselves
There are more skaters and inliners than ever in our public spaces, pedestrian streets, shopping centres and school playgrounds. You cannot imagine our towns and cities without them. But they often end up in dangerous situations with pedestrians and cyclists. Older people feel harassed or even in danger and frequently do not understand this use of public places. Bans on skaters and inliners are therefore already on the agenda in several cities.
Young people really want "to be seen" and above all to be recognised by their circle of friends. They need a space they can call their own, and not the safe and dull adult world. They see the place where they gain their experience, play their sport and meet friends, through completely different eyes, here they are just asking for less bans and more tolerance from adults.
It must be safe!
Riding skateboards and inline skates is a fast sport, with dangers that should not be underestimated. These dangers are widely dismissed and described as sport specific. Appropriate equipment, which is suitable for this type of sport, is needed. The technical safety aspects of skateboarding are covered by DIN 33943.
A proper skate park
The problems involved in creating a skate park are pretty familiar ones. Protests from residents have "derailed" so many building projects. Skateboard equipment is classified as a sports complex and as such must satisfy the appropriate building and planning legislation. Depending on the province and its building regulations, planning permission with an expert report on noise is needed.
The mistake is often made of calling a particular section of a playground a skateboard park. This leads to problems in most cases, especially if residents protest. It is important that skate equipment is readily accessible to the user - isolated spots outside the city limits should therefore be avoided. Long journeys and places, which don't reflect well on young people and their sport, will not meet with much approval and will therefore not be fully utilised.
Fun for everyone
Public skate parks should attract the "masses". Skating components and ramps should appeal to newcomers as well as to experts. If the difficulty is too great, the park will only be used to a limited extent by riders with moderate skills. Often, many decisions are made, the competition oriented, older riders attempt to make their mark on the park design. This should be prevented to avoid barring the equipment to young users and beginners. Indoor parks offer specialists a wider range of activities that are more suited to their skills.
The perfect design
With regard to design, attention should not just be paid to the variety of equipment in a skate park. Sufficient places to sit, to suit the needs of young people, and sufficient waste bins are also a fundamental component of a skate park. Wherever youngsters meet to pass the time there is rubbish - this sounds like an accusation, but it is true. We should therefore accept it and make allowances for it.
The perfect design should also include somewhere for young people to meet - a kind of shelter, which is rarely used to stay out of the rain. It is much more widely used as a meeting point for young people to talk. Young people like to combine sporting activity with meeting like-minded people, hanging out and having a chat.