Local news and opinion reaching the communities of nosara, samarA and Nicoya
Log in |
Return to homepage
home regional community sports entertainment surf nature health en Espa�ol English
     
Archives
December 09
January 2010
February 2010
Water Edition
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 10
October 10
November 10
December 10
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 11
October 11
November 11
December 11
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 12
October 12
November 12
December 12
January 13
February 13
March 13
April 13
May 13
 
Media
Partners
  El Pais
  Inside Costa Rica
  Costa Spirit
  Q Costa Rica
  Today Costa Rica
  El Sabanero
connect
FaceBook
Twitter
 
CLASSIFIEDS
 
community
  Nosara Animal Care
   
  Nosara Info
   
Esquelita de Nosara
  Friends of Nosara
   
  Nosara Civic Association
  Nosara
Wildlife

New Law Puts Skateboarders To The Curb

By Giordano Ciampini


Nicoyan boarders and BMX'ers take a minute to have their portraits made at a local skate spot, from left: Marcos, Henry The Rasta,
Elias Benavides, Maikol, and Yosef.

Costa Rican skateboarders, and in particular those who practice this sport in Nicoya streets, are being singled out in a new piece of legislation aimed at making roads safer across the country.

The legislation, entitled “Law Number 9078,” is an 111-page document making a great number of changes to existing transit law, among which is Article 124, which makes the use of skateboards and “other self-powered devices” prohibited on any public-access roadways, and punishes users with a 20.000 colones fine ($40), as well as confiscation of the board by police until the fines are paid.

“Since the extreme sports festival earlier this year, skateboarding has taken off” said Nicoyan Elias Benavides, 27, the host of the weekly radio show Cultura Alternativa/Alternative Culture, which focus on skateboarding and BMX. “You can't do any skateboarding here now with the new law.”

“[Lawmakers] want to stop skating completely,” he continued. He says that “they're banning us from the road, but not building skate-parks, so where are we supposed to go?”

Benavides can't name any skateboard accidents that he knows of, or any that he's heard of from others in town, but ostensibly the law is about safety. The Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transporte in San Jose also said that they have no details about specific instances of accidents and injuries resulting from motorists colliding with pedestrians on self-powered vehicles like bicycles and skateboards.

“I can understand, it can be dangerous to skate in the street sometimes,” sighed Benavides. “It's dangerous to just put up a rail in the middle of the road, but there aren't any public skate parks here.”

He also argues that by building skateparks and continuing promotion of the sport through festivals, competitions, there could be a lot of opportunities for Nicoyans to cash in.

“We could have skate shops, shoe and clothing shops,” he said. “There could be more commerce and interest in extreme sports. It could be a positive thing, with more jobs here in Nicoya.”

But while Benavides and other skaters may lament the introduction of the new law without any place to ride in the meantime, there seems to be at least one way that something may get done about it, although it's strictly at the municipal level.

The Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (Mixed Institute of Social Service) has plans for a combined recreation space currently up for review, which is supposed to contain a football field, a playground, and a skatepark.

According to Benavides, “I'm afraid that this law can discourage people from physical activity like skateboarding and BMX, and could create a lazy people.”

The MOPT, CSV and Transit Police did not immediately respond to requests for information on the new law.


 

More Sports News

BMX and Skateboarders Air Their Voice on the Radio

The tricks and acrobatics on a bicycle or a skateboard are being transmitted by radio through the bilingual program “Cultura Alternativa” (Alternative Culture). The program is dedicated to sharing experiences about these extreme sports, interviewing the big national and international stars of skateboarding and BMX and listening to the best hip-hop.

 


 

Contact us: NOSARA [email protected] / PUBLICITY and ADVERTISING [email protected]
Copyright 2012© The Voice of Nosara