ZACH ZERFLU and Nancy Hartman don’t have much in common. Hartman is a 5′ 4” blonde mother of two who enjoys making soap and keeping in shape. Zerflu is a towering 6’3”, has a shaved head, a knack for Web design, and happily swills Pabst Blue Ribbon. They both, however, prefer riding skates to driving–Hartman on in-line skates; Zerflu on his skateboard. Despite their obvious differences, the two have been brought together by their opposition to a catch-all local ordinance that prohibits in-line skates and skateboarding; on Wednesday, December 20, both will stand under the roof of City Hall to provide testimony why Mayor Vera Katz’s unyielding ban on skates should give way.
The current law makes no distinction between in-line skating and skateboarding, prohibiting skating of any kind in the city core–between SW Jefferson, Front Avenue, NW Hoyt and 13th Ave. The law also states that skating after sunset is illegal. Violation of this law carries hefty penalties from $300 up to $1500, if caught skating on the decorative red brick of Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Proposed by City Commissioner Charlie Hales, changes to that law seek to decriminalize skating in the city core and skating after sunset. It’s a case, say supporters, seeking equal rights, giving skaters the same freedoms that bicyclists now enjoy.
“There isn’t any reason this should be illegal,” said Marc Zolton, spokesperson for Commissioner Hales. “There shouldn’t be a Berlin wall around the city core just because you are on a certain form of transportation.” With the average car speed downtown crawling alone at ten miles per hour, Zolton explained that downtown was probably the safest place for skateboarders.
The new laws would be similar to those in Manhattan. After dark, skaters would have to wear reflective materials visible from 200 feet and those under 16 years old would have to wear helmets. But, different from laws in Seattle, where skaters must ride on the sidewalk, the changes in Portland would put skaters in the street.
“We’re offering testimony based on facts that have worked in other states,” Hartman said. “We’re offering solutions to problems instead of an all-out ban.”