New York Gets Tough On In-Line Skaters

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the City Council may disagree on how to spend $32.7 billion, how to run the city’s public hospitals or how to reform welfare. But they did come to one final agreement Wednesday: how to regulate Rollerbladers.

Taking another step against the urban problems he calls quality-of-life offenses, the mayor Wednesday signed into law a ban on reckless in-line skating and skateboarding on the city’s sidewalks and streets.

“Many pedestrians, particularly seniors, have been afraid to walk our streets for fear of being injured by careless skaters,” the mayor said Wednesday. “This bill will promote the safety of pedestrians and skaters alike.”

Police will issue citations and fines between $50 and $100 to anyone they consider reckless.