Skate park warning reiterated for scooter users

Newbury Town Council recently banned the use of scooters on the new skate park in Victoria Park

SCOOTER users have again been told they will ruin the new skate park in Newbury if they use it.

Newbury Town Council recently banned the use of scooters on the new £200,000 skate park in Victoria Park, much to the dismay of the local scooter community, who started an online petition to get the decision overturned.

The council said it took the decision after receiving advice from the skate park designers Maverick and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

It said that due to the scooters' low centre of gravity the tread plates “bottom out” and damage the highly polished concrete surface, while the surface can also be damaged by metal stunt pegs fitted to some scooters.

Although the council cannot officially ban scooters, it has erected signs urging people with scooters not to use the new skate park, which received funding from Greenham Common Trust and the Government's Playbuilder scheme.

And on Monday (August 1), town councillor Howard Bairstow (Con, Falkland) issued a further warning for scooter users.

He said: “Scooter users will ruin it for others if they use it.

“I would ask them to be patient as they could damage it to the detriment of other users.”

The town council's services manager, Granville Taylor, added that the town council was looking to provide an alternative facility for people with scooters, adding that he was concerned about the damage to the new skate park.

He said: “I want to do something for scooter users and if we can get funding we will probably have something on the site of the old skate park.”

Mr Taylor added that a potential facility for scooters was likely to be included as part of the final ‘Parks for People' bid for the Heritage Lottery Fund, which is currently being finalised in preparation for submission at the end of August.