If you're skateboarding really fast downhill, what happens if you need to stop?

Oishi claims that education won't work because too many skaters come from out of town? So....how will those skaters know there's a ban, then?

The ordinance will provide signage on the streets where it's banned.

Can we ban the bastard taking a lane of Sandy on his recumbant bike this morning? Or the two other fucking bastards taking a lane of Sandy on their normal bikes this morning? In short, can we ban biking on Sandy?

Actually Chris there are rules about bikes keeping up with traffic when they take a lane. You can't bike down Sandy at 15 miles an hour.

And now back to the main topic...I understand the concern about safety, but this is clearly a situation where a vocal..and wealthy..minority is pushing city leadership to serve their desires over a group of folks that are far less resourced. If Leonard thinks that caving to the pressure of West Hills elite by regulating skateboarding is going to eliminate boarding in that area....he's deluded. By and large the average skater could care less about bans, regulations, etc--no surprise there--and it's a glorious miracle that Meiners and other local skaters are not only amenable but COMMITTED to working with the city to ensure safety for skaters and those they share the road with. Personally, I HATE it when our leaders micro-regulate, and this is a classic case of it. Portland is all about different strokes for different folks. Let the skaters skate and work WITH them to ensure that it's safe. The West Hills folks will have to learn to share space with the riff-raff that makes this city what it is. Or, they can move to Lake Oswego.

Please don't lump in longboarders with actual skateboarders.

eldepeche: One of the first things you learn when downhill skateboarding is how to stop! You can do this by footbraking or by throwing the board sideways in a controlled slide. Hopefully that helps!

Here's the problem: skaters tend to be young kids, mostly young men, who simply don't give a damn about your silly rules as long as they're not hurting anyone. See how well banning marijuana went? Hell, banning will only cause me to make sure I go down as fast as I can and have one awesome epic run. These "worried" residents need to get off their collective high horse and maybe think about some POSITIVE way to make sure people don't get hurt. How about sponsoring a free downhill skateboarding safety class? I'd be happy to volunteer my time and teaching basic shutdown slides and footbraking!

friendlydave: skate everything. If you're such a good skateboarder, why can't you huck it down a hill at 60mph and maintain control? Hell, I've skated Maryhill on a 17" wheelbase, why does the length of board have anything to do with whether it's a skateboard?

@ Blabby: Maybe you need remedial lessons in the vehicle code. Being able to keep up with traffic is not the only criteria that is considered when determining whether a cyclist is allowed to take the lane.

ORS 814.430(2)(c) lists the exceptions:

§ 814.430¹
Improper use of lanes
• exceptions
• penalty

(1) A person commits the offense of improper use of lanes by a bicycle if the person is operating a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic using the roadway at that time and place under the existing conditions and the person does not ride as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway.

(2) A person is not in violation of the offense under this section if the person is not operating a bicycle as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway under any of the following circumstances:

(a) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle that is proceeding in the same direction.

(b) When preparing to execute a left turn.

(c) When reasonably necessary to avoid hazardous conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards or other conditions that make continued operation along the right curb or edge unsafe or to avoid unsafe operation in a lane on the roadway that is too narrow for a bicycle and vehicle to travel safely side by side. Nothing in this paragraph excuses the operator of a bicycle from the requirements under ORS 811.425 (Failure of slower driver to yield to overtaking vehicle) or from the penalties for failure to comply with those requirements.

(d) When operating within a city as near as practicable to the left curb or edge of a roadway that is designated to allow traffic to move in only one direction along the roadway. A bicycle that is operated under this paragraph is subject to the same requirements and exceptions when operating along the left curb or edge as are applicable when a bicycle is operating along the right curb or edge of the roadway.

(e) When operating a bicycle alongside not more than one other bicycle as long as the bicycles are both being operated within a single lane and in a manner that does not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.

(f) When operating on a bicycle lane or bicycle path.

(3) The offense described in this section, improper use of lanes by a bicycle, is a Class D traffic violation. [1983 c.338 §701; 1985 c.16 §339]

@Chris and Randy - NONE of that means that bicyclist wasn't an entitled asshole. How many people did he inconvenience, while chortling to himself about the letter of that law?

"entitled asshole" n. The name given to often law-abiding cyclists who have done nothing wrong or dangerous by drivers enraged by some perceived slight, though probably already angered by the terrible circumstances of their miserable lives.

eg. "That entitled asshole should get the fuck outta the road! Where the fucking hell is my fucking beef jerky?!"

@16: entitled? Yeah, legally fucking entitled. I just hate it when people are legally entitled to something and then want to act in a accordance with the law and are all "entitled"!
Don't like the law? Bang a pot, go on a hunger strike, or bitch and insult on the internet. Maybe you don't understand cause and effect and think it's like bringing Tinkerbell back to life. "If we all just bitch hard enough...!"

all car vs bike trolling aside, i would like to know how many rubdowns Randy Leonard requests in return for restricting our rights

I'm just glad those poor souls in Arlington Heights finally get their needs addressed by Randy Leonard.

I both longboard and road bike and when I am going down a hill and need to stop it takes me far longer on my bicycle to come to a stop than it does on my longboard. We have more control than people understand.

skateboarders are hot so just let them do what they want.

@eldepeche- I am an avid bicyclist and skater. On a longboard I can stop faster than I can on any bicycle with V-breaks. Good disc breaks slow me down a little faster, but not by that much.

@bicycle haters: Even as a cyclist, I have to agree with you on many points. If a bicyclist is obstructing traffic they need to choose a different route. If there was not other route I would feel differently, but i have never run into that scenario in Portland. There are just too many bike paths, side streets, etc.

@recumbant bike hater- Don't have one, but would like one. They look weird, but the reality is they are much faster, more comfortable, don't cause chafing and back pain. They are so much faster that they are either banned from a race or end up winning it by unfair advantage.

@Mark Scott (#20)- Any pavement obstacle that would be effective at stopping long boarder's from riding the hills would be dangerous on a road bicycle. Longboards use much larger wheels than skateboards and can roll over a lot more than you would think. The skinny bicycle tires would be popped by something that would stop the riders.

I commute to Portland State down SW Fair view on a board a few times a week. The education effort has made a HUGE impact on the road. Most skaters are starting to realize what is at stake and are riding much more respectfully. They are obeying the stop signs along the route, which sadly was not always the case only a few years ago.

There are some rogue riders that still ride the hills unsafely. The boarding community wants to HELP the city put an end to these riders. The cities open and inclusive policies have created a community of responsible riders who are willing to work with the city. This law has been in place for 11 years and 6 Deaths have been recorded STATEWIDE since 2009. That statistic included roller blades and scooters as well. How many were in Portland, and how many fall under the effects of the law? Any? The reality is that skating in the Portland area has never been safer than it is right now. Why? Because the skating community has earned something that it cherishes, and will adopt safer practices to preserve that right. You take that away, and what motivation does the community have to obey the rules? Tickets and punishments have proven to be ineffective against skaters. They do it anyway and deal with the consequences.