Recently there has been an increase in enforcement on the skateboard policy around Mesa College Campus. Still, many students persist to ride skateboards to travel across campus. Officers are now handing out citations, and skaters are not taking it too well. Many students and staff feel it’s necessary due to safety hazards that need to be addressed, while skaters see the law as a inconvenience .

84.12 e is a municipal code that bans skateboarding on campuses in San Diego county. The campus has a policy which makes students sign a contract saying they will abide by this rule. Lieutenant Diana Medero of the San Diego Community College Police Department stated “citations range from 20 dollars to 200 dollars.”

Multiple collisions have occurred via pedestrians, vehicle, and other skaters. Lt. Medero stated that “three of the collisions last Spring involved vehicles and resulted in minor injuries.”

Most students claim that skaters are not cautious of their surrounding and fail to make their presence known, which results in close-calls and collisions, but Articulation Officer Juliette Parker has a different view. Parker stated ”While at SDSU, I noticed there were designated lanes/routes for skateboarders and bikers. Therefore I am not opposed to skateboarding at Mesa as long as lanes/routes, similar to SDSU, are available for skateboard use. I believe having lanes/routes for skateboarding will accommodate student needs in a manner that is safe for everyone.

Some skaters view the campus as a massive field that is crowded with people, and their skateboard is the perfect vehicle to navigate through it. Izay Harris, a Mesa college student, asserts” that he is aware of the law that bans skateboards on campus, but college campuses should not prohibit student from a quick form of transportation around campus. Most students travel from department to department, but the most notorious trip is from the Allied Health Education building to the Math & Science building which is 1.1 miles.

Two solutions were formulated from interviews, one was creating lanes on campus designated for skaters like at San Diego State University, which has created lanes and areas for students to use different forms of transportation. Parker stated “that she observed no collision when she worked on campus last spring.” The second solution was to create a public service announcement that addresses why and when the skateboard law was put into effect. Until a solution is voted on, just remember a quick ride means a quick ticket.