Boarding Blues

I am currently enrolled as a freshman at the UA. In prior years, I have come to the UA to study in the facilities and for skateboarding. Shortly before school started, I purchased a long-board in order to avoid rocks and for a smoother ride. However, to my surprise, it was not as easy as I expected. I still find myself falling because of rocks, running into impatient bikers, and having to dodge ignorant pedestrians.

Fact of the matter is, the UA has not made facilities safe for anyone on wheels. I have seen at least two accidents for each day I have been here for the past five weeks. That considered, it is safe to assume there are numerous other collisions happening every day.

I am now aware that the UA staff isn’t exactly receptive of these incidents — despite the frequency.

Firstly, they aren’t taking into account the danger of rocks. Boarders have to dodge rocks in order to avoid stalling their wheels. If a person is busy dodging rocks and clusters of speeding bikers going the same and opposite directions, the boarder is either going to be very lucky or will meet a concrete/wheel-covered demise.

Secondly, some streets are not even smooth enough to ride on. My wheels — along with every other board wheel on campus — are damaged from the horrid quality of the asphalt around campus. A pack of wheels for any sort of board can cost from twenty to fifty dollars! Not only that, but I have fallen three times simply because of the transition from smooth ground to rough ground — and rough asphalt is not a pleasant companion to one’s skin.

Lastly, the bike lanes and UA Mall are disastrous. Pedestrians will walk into a full bike lane without a second thought, bikers speed past other bikers in the opposite direction and jeopardize the safety of everyone around, and there is no general enforcement of these lanes and sidewalks. The only enforcement I’ve witnessed is people yelling, “”GET OUT OF THE WAY!”” and then a collision. There is no safety for those who choose the almighty wheel as a way around campus.

Help me and all other UA students avoid excessive problems such as these.

Gregory Gonzales

pre-business freshman