Young longboarders and skateboarders need a lesson in safety and now is the time to get it.
Prince Rupert RCMP, Loaded Sports and the City of Prince Rupert will be hosting a meeting on longboard, skateboard and bicycle safety later this week after both the city and RCMP received numerous complaints of unsafe behaviour of young riders in the past several months.
The aim of the meeting is to educate young boarders on how to properly use roadways to avoid getting tickets or having their boards taken away, and most importantly to prevent any serious injuries or fatalities. The meeting will include presentations and safety information, providing youth with an understanding of the Motor Vehicle Act and city bylaws.
"We want to [teach youth] that there are certain conditions they need to follow [so they are not] frowned upon," Marc Page, owner of Loaded Sports, said.
Const. Maury Tyre of the RCMP said the key message will be safety.
"What we're looking at is a system of risk mitigation to try to teach them some more responsible actions they can take out on the board ... and that here are some things that if we see them doing it, there will be enforcement action taken," he said.
Parents are also encouraged to attend the meeting, which will inform them of the common problems associated with longboarding and skateboarding and what they need to make sure their kids are doing if they're using roadways to ride.
To help entice young people to attend, organizers will be giving away a number of door prizes including free longboards and other longboard-related products from brands like Landyahtz, Santa Cruz and Sector 9 Longboards.
The Longboarder, Skateboarder, Biker meeting will be held on Friday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre. The free event is open to people of all ages.