Skateboarding really is illegal!

Every Wednesday I go to a drop in life drawing class. Well, it's not really a class per say as there is no instruction but rather it’s an opportunity to draw from a live nude model. I live far enough that it’s almost close enough to walk too but it doesn't give me enough time to eat dinner. The bus is out of the question since it either gets me there way too early or way to late (typical Calgary transit). So I decided that my mode of transportation would be my skateboard. I hardly use the darn thing, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to at least feel like I got my moneys worth out of it.

So after one of my recent classes I'm pushing my way home on my skateboard, with my sketchpad in one arm, at 10 o'clock at night on a Wednesday. I see a police officer ahead of me, and at the time I didn't even think anything of it. I mean why would I? I'm not going fast, I'm being courteous to the pedestrians, and I'm not doing any tricks; I'm simply using my skateboard to get from point A to point B. Well as I get closer to the officer, he turns around and yells at me. There was no politeness in his tone in any way. He threw me one of those "you little skidmark, assfuck" looks and ordered me off the board and told me it's a $50 fine for skateboarding on the sidewalk. By this point I had the most dumbfounded looks on my face and I was too tired to argue or ask questions so I obliged walked a few blocks and got back on my board and continued my journey home.

I was furious and I still am perturbed by the whole thing. I looked into it and apparently there is a new bylaw that prohibits skateboarding on the sidewalk. I'm not sure if perhaps my opinion is biased here, but does that not seem a little messed up? The City of Calgary continues to rant and rave about how it is trying to make it easier for the people of the city to use other means of transportation, but for some reason skateboarders are discriminated against. I can understand getting a fine if you are doing tricks on public/private property but why is it illegal to simply use your skateboard as a mode of transportation? The main reason I bought my skateboard is because it is a simple means to go short distances in very little time. The City needs to realize that there are more purposes to a skateboard than simply causing mass destruction to properties and causing grief to those property owners. There really are people out there who use a skateboard for a positive purpose.

That's what infuriates me. I was blatantly using my skateboard as transportation and being courteous to other users of the sidewalk and then I had a police officer treat me like I was some criminal. Seriously go deal with the people who are causing the real problems and let me get to and from my darn art class.