By SCOTT EIDLER
Plandome officials have banned skateboarding and roller-skating on a steep street in the village, after residents complained of an influx of outside enthusiasts slaloming downhill.
A code change approved Monday night prohibits those activities from the top of Longridge Road to where it meets Pinewood Road.
The village had sought to prohibit skateboarding on sections of five streets, but it removed the provision naming the venues and authorized the board to designate bans as it saw fit. Trustees, after passing the law 4-1, unanimously approved restrictions for Longridge Road.
“By having the law and the police enforcement, they’ll disband and not come back,” said M. Lloyd Williams, mayor of the village of nearly 1,400.
Residents and village officials debated the law’s merits, with some worrying a ban was too broad a stroke that would necessitate the installation of safety signs. Others cited skateboarders who arrived from outside communities. Williams said one child was injured and needed to be bandaged.
Laura Geoghegan, a village resident for 30 years, said, “It became an issue of getting out of your driveway.” She said skateboarders had been dropped off by their parents and spent long periods on village streets. “We were worried about the safety of the children,” she said. “They were using it [the roads] as a skateboarding park.”
Officials encouraged skateboarders to use the Town of North Hempstead’s skate park in Manorhaven.
Resident Michael Vetrone said after the meeting that he had concerns about safety and the village’s power to curb supports skateboarding it if grew unruly. “Too much activity in one place on a residential street disturbs the quality of life of anybody that’s living there,” he said.
The Plandome law also bans earphones while skating and requires several safety measures, such as wearing helmets and safety reflectors.
Violators face a maximum fine of $250 for each offense.