Santa Maria Adopts Bike Park Safety Ordinance

Wear your helmet or go home. That’s the message Santa Maria City Council wants to send to cyclists using city-owned bike parks. Now, after city council approval, an ordinance will be put in place to require riders to follow the rules. These rules already exist at city-owned skate parks.

Skaters and other thrill seekers show off their skills at the Fletcher Park
skate park. It’s not always safe, but these guys know what they’re getting themselves
into.

“Skateboarding is dangerous no matter what,” said skater Scotty Reed. “As soon as you hop on a skateboard, you gotta expect at some point you’re going to fall.”

That’s why the city has rules that require those at the skate park to wear
helmets and protective gear, although they don’t always do it.

Now, the recently opened bike track at Fletcher Park will have the same
rules. City council adopted an ordinance that requires riders at all city-owned
bike parks to follow the same rules applied to skate parks.

“The idea of having the safety equipment is to provide some level of safety for them and to provide the city some buffer of liability in the event there is an accident,” said Alex Posada, Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Director.

City Parks rangers will enforce the helmet and protective gear rule, first
with a warning, and then with an infraction.

Local riders say, no matter what the law is, they’re aware of the inherent
danger of their sport, even when wearing a helmet.

“I’m 22 and been skating for 10 years and I still fall,” said Reed. “And I still get
scraped up. But you know what? That’s something I enjoy about it. It’s there. It’s part of it and I accept it.”

With city council unanimously voting yes to adopt the ordinance, it will now
go into effect next month.