We all at some point in time have faced the angry neighbor confronting us for skating the roads of their neighborhood. First and foremost you need to see their perspective. They have worked, saved and slaved to afford their home and mortgage. This is their solice and castle and see skaters in a light of negetivity that skaters themselves have portrayed and upheld.
First and foremost on the hill is to conduct yourself in a mature manner. The home owner that is totaly against you and calls the police the minute your foot hits the pavement will never be impressed so just ignore them, NO MATTER WHAT! It's the ones that are cool with you skating that we need to impress with our manners. If you bail hard, throw your board and cuss like a drunk sailor you will alienate these neighbors real fast and alighn them on the side of Mr. Hater Neighbor. So keep your cool.
Don't park your cars on the grass. It's a small thing but it will show thoughtfulness and awareness of their space. It would also be thoughtfull to park cars as not to block, slow or impeade traffic. Notice if parking is allowed on one side of the street or not. Dont block or make it hard for neighbors to enter or exit their driveways. If you have skate bags and skate gear, dont lay it all over someones yard without permission. Needless to say, clean all water bottles or trash you bring to the hill.
Check with the municipality of the hill and find out what the ordinance is for skating there. This is only for public roads in subdivisions. If the hill is in a private subdivision you will need to check with the home owners assosiation. Knowing the legalities of the ordinance will let you know exactly where you stand with authorities if such a case arise.
Skate in small groups. We all like to skate with people and larger groups are fun but the last thing the neighborhood needs is to think they are being invaded by Vans Warp Tour. Smaller groups of three to five people keeps the neighbors calm and at ease with shareing their space. If you roll up on the hill and people are there, go skate another spot.
We all want to keep these gems skateable. If we dont work together we wont have them. Remember, skate like a ninja, not like a pirate.
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