Novice skaters are really quite harmless. You see them on weekends, clinging to parking meters and street signs, in desperate attempts to remain upright. A lot of intermediates have difficulty stopping and controlling their speed. Perceptive pedestrians have learned to try and stay out of their way. It’s the experienced skaters who are the real problem. They seem oblivious to traffic regulations, breezing through red lights and skimming down the wrong way on one-way streets. More than once, when I thought it safe to cross a street with the light in my favor, I’ve had a skater whiz by, yelling, “Watch out!”
When skaters’ skill increases, so, it seems, does their arrogance. It’s terrifying to watch them weave in and out of fast-moving traffic, as it must be for drivers trying to avoid them. While Bonnie Blair’s skating style is admirable in a huge arena, an Olympic-form contest is out of place on a city street.
I’m a community-health nurse, and I can’t help thinking about the public-health implications of the in-line skating craze. Emergency rooms are now keeping track of injuries sustained by Rollerbladers, and the number is soaring. What about injuries to nonskaters caused by careless bladers? Those stats should be kept, too.
I’ve seen the elderly, especially those who move slowly, frozen in terror as skaters barrel along the sidewalk. Rollerbladers who fall may end up with bruises, sprains and fractures, but most of them enjoy the recuperative powers of youth. A senior citizen who falls after being struck by a skater may suffer a broken hip and be crippled for the rest of his or her life.
The other day, when I was picking out tomatoes at the market, a skater crashed into the vegetable display beside me. As the peppers tumbled to the floor and the clerk hurried over to pick up the mess, the skater showed no embarrassment and offered no apologies for her clumsiness. She merely looked annoyed, as though the obstruction should not have been in her path.
When I roller-skated as a child. I never considered skating into a store. My parents told me. in no uncertain terms. that skates were for outside wear only. Shopkeepers did not have to ask me or my friends to remove our skates at the door. We did so without being told. Of course, our skates fitted onto our shoes. But why would an adult, who planned to shop or eat out after skating, not have the foresight to put shoes into a shoulder bag or backpack? Perhaps carrying a pair of shoes detracts from the thrill of the skating experience. or maybe people want to be seen wearing in-line skates because they are trendy and expensive.
My husband manages an antiques store that specializes in lighting fixtures made of fine crystal. When he posts signs and tells people NO SKATES ALLOWED, Rollerbladers argue with him about their “rights.” Store owners should be able to conduct business without having to worry about skaters damaging merchandise or holding the owner liable if they’re injured (or cause injury to someone else) on the premises. R is right that businesses accommodate wheelchair users, allowing them to shop or browse in stores. But Rollerbladers are not dependent upon wheels for their mobility.
On a recent visit to Penn Station, I watched a young couple on skates descend the steep flight of stairs leading to the trains. The tearful look on the . woman’s face showed she was afraid of falling. Her boyfriend coaxed her down by going ahead and minimizing me I danger: “It’s OK . . . You can do it.” The two boarded the train safely, but other people had to crawl past them while they completed their descent. Passengers complained to the young man about the danger they posed to others as well as themselves. His only response was irritation. At another time, I saw a kid using the station’s mezzanine concourse as his personal playground-leaving only exasperated travelers to mutter about the nuisance. Transit systems and commuter lines should outlaw the wearing of skates on trains and in stations.
Since many skaters don’t show even a hint of courtesy toward the rest of us, I believe it’s time for local authorities to intervene. Perhaps they could pass laws prohibiting skates in stores, bars and restaurants. A drunk on skates might be amusing on TV. In real life, it wouldn’t be so funny if an accident resulted from imbibing on wheels.
Skating is a wonderful form of exercise and relaxation, and I’m not advocating that it be banned from streets and sidewalks. All I am asking is that skaters slow down on crowded thoroughfares and show consideration for those of us on foot. If they won’t do it voluntarily, then they should be required to by law.
New York City has plenty of parks and less congested areas where skaters can enjoy the exhilaration of speed. There are skating groups in the city that offer free courses on safety for bladers in Central Park; perhaps these courses should include courtesy and guidelines for encountering pedestrians on the same route.
There must be a way for us foot soldiers and skaters to learn to coexist and respect each other’s space. It there isn’t, then it’s just a matter of time before we see the newspaper headline FURIOUS PEDESTRIAN BEATS UP SKATER AFTER COLLISION. It could lead to a new form of urban warfare.
