Park problem: Illegal scooter “offroading” at Solstice Park

James sent photos with this explanation:

I was walking through Solstice Park with my baby and dog and noticed a bunch of skinny-tired donut (360 skid-out) tracks in the groomed gravel of the lookout. Following the tracks, they led to the culprits fixing their scooters up the trail.

He says the riders were 3 male teenagers/young men: “… the broken (scooter) was blue.” One of the other two, he says, had a license plate that starts with 78 and ends in 52; he says some of the ruts left behind in this small park, formerly known as Lincoln Park Annex — uphill east of the tennis courts across from Lincoln Park’s north end, and also home to a P-Patch — were almost half a foot deep.

James says he did call police to report this. Motorized vehicles, including scooters, are prohibited on Seattle Parks trails.

k April 19, 2009 (9:47 pm)

I gotta love camera phones!
Let’s hope their parents see this–
if it were my parents I wouldn’t be able to sit down comfortably for awhile.
And my bike would be for sale on Craig’s List.

Note April 19, 2009 (10:02 pm)

Call the police. It’s illegal and very destructive. If you can take a pic of any identifying licenses etc. the police take this seriously. It’s destruction of public property for one, you and I pay taxes for these parks.

WSB April 19, 2009 (10:11 pm)

As noted in the story, James did call police; he did provide the one exact license plate number that he did see. (We generally do not run full names/license numbers/other complete identifying information if someone has not been arrested/charged with a crime [there are always exceptions, such as a suspect wanted because of imminent public danger], but since we provided the first two digits and the last two, that should be enough for anyone who actually might know or be related to the rider) – TR

cherylc April 20, 2009 (8:14 am)

My husband yelled at these people when they went the wrong way (really fast) down a one way street by Fauntleroy Children’s Center. We then saw them parking in the south Lincoln Park parking lot.

I was arguing with him on the premise that maybe it was an honest mistake. But no, it looks like they were actually being jerks. Also, they were young adults, as far as I could tell. So, parents probably don’t come into it.

brian April 20, 2009 (9:49 am)

Really people? I’m not that old, 30ish. But when I was growing up we’d called this hell raising. Not saying it is right but kids will be kids. And unfortunately destruction is part of that. The typical Seattle whining here sounds like those old people who say “get off my lawn”. My suggestion is get a hobby. The damage is not as bad like spray paint or trenching a yard. Its sand for sakes. Move to a gated community if you are that worried.

Have over worried parents taken over the world?

Matt Durham April 20, 2009 (10:19 am)

Might I suggest a rake?

Understandably the the law was broken but in the big picture unless the assailants were identified or confronted the incident is over. The solution to the existing problem requires a small investment in time; less time than is required to journal the damage.

andrea April 20, 2009 (10:28 am)

I’m not that old either Brian….30 actually, and I have far to many hobbies to occupy my time, thanks…however, while what those ‘young adults’ did on their scooters may not seem like much to you, to those who frequent the park — people, animals, birds — it can and is destructive…what’s wrong with those ‘young adults’ riding their scooters on the street like everyone else? and if it’s OK for them and their scooters per your above inference, then who’s to say whats right or wrong later on when its not just scooters at teh park but dirt bikes, or four by four vehicles, or Harley motorcycles for that matter? rules are there for a reason…maybe you should move to an area where they don’t follow rules or laws or other such frivolities.

Tod Rodman April 20, 2009 (10:29 am)

In Lincoln Park on the trails leading from Fauntleroy to the North Meadow and also into the Western Woods there are marks from small 4 wheeled off-road vehicles – these are fresh tracks found in the early morning. What is SPD’s position on keeping this activity out of the parks? Should be nipped in the bud before it becomes large problem.

brian April 20, 2009 (10:57 am)

andrea-

Maybe I just have bigger things to worry about than some scooters doing donuts in sand. If it was 4-wheelers, dirt bikes or “Harleys”(really Harleys, like the Hells Angels are about to invade West Seattle; what is this a Dennis Hopper movie?) All I can say is it is sand peaple, sand. Dogs, people and strollers can all move over those tracks.

I don’t disagree that they should be riding on the streets. But so what they decided to break a rule. Don’t we all? Or do we live in a Ray Bradbury book?
What I am trying to convey is don’t we all have better things to report to the police than this? If it continues than yes I would agree it is a problem, but can’t we fix this as a community without making a big deal about it? And to reference the above comment before mine. If I had kids and I found out they did this they would both neither have a scooter and wouldn’t be able to sit fondly for a bit. But I still don’t think it needs internet whining and the police involved.

Under_Achiever April 20, 2009 (11:20 am)

Great suggestion, Brian!

When would you like to me meet at Solstice Park with your rake? Should take less than an hour to rake out the sand.

rich April 20, 2009 (11:22 am)

Vicious scooter gangs terrorize West Seattle.

brian April 20, 2009 (11:25 am)

I have no problem raking. If this actually takes a hour I’d be surprised. In fact I’m heading there now.

homesweethome April 20, 2009 (12:33 pm)

This “kids will be kids” line of reasoning is crap – whether its illegal or merely disrespectful – it shows these young folks feel entitled to do as they please and yes, the parents ought to be brought into as they created this attitude.

datamuse April 20, 2009 (12:59 pm)

I don’t know if it’s the same people, obviously, but scooters have also torn up restoration work in the Greenbelt in the past–work that takes many hours of volunteer time and, by the way, is partly done to stabilize a hillside in a landslide-prone area.

As for this particular instance, the concern to me seems less to be damage to sand and gravel, and more that the scooters aren’t supposed to be there in the first place. Whether calling the police is an overreaction or not, I kind of don’t get why “whining about it on the Internet” is a problem, especially if we are, as Brian suggests, to fix it as a community. Isn’t this board a resource for community participation?

WSB April 20, 2009 (1:24 pm)

Yes, it is. And exactly what has transpired in this comment thread is exactly why that’s valuable. I wasn’t even sure this sort of thing was prohibited till I looked it up while doing some extra research before posting this, for example. And it was interesting to hear about it from a concerned community member who happened to be passing by – not even from somebody who has a lot of investment in this tiny little park (like the P-Patch group whose mailing list we also monitor; last year they had to put up with people stealing their crops).
.
It’s anyone’s prerogative not to think this (or anything else) is a problem, but it is difficult to argue with the concept that knowledge is power, for someone somewhere. So facilitating the sharing of knowledge – about matters large and small – is our main mission here. Thanks to everyone who is part of it, and that includes the thousands of “readers” who have not yet found the story on which they MUST leave a comment! :) – TR

J. April 20, 2009 (1:31 pm)

It’s whining because you’re not going to “fix it.” It’s just a minor, silly, random act and it’s no big deal. It’s always rules, rules, rules in Seattle.

cherylc April 20, 2009 (1:49 pm)

I’m not sure how I feel about the damage to the paths, that is, my child gardens at that pea patch and it does irritate me, but I’m assuming that, if caught, these people would receive a ticket and a fine, which seems appropriate. But I’m the person who saw them speeding over the hill outside my kids’ daycare, going the wrong way on a one way street. They came over a hill, so they could have been killed by someone comming up the hill who didn’t see them, and they could have hit children crossing the road. (This is why my husband yelled at them.) My point being that when kids/young adults are “hell raising” sometimes that involves choices that can have long term consequences. I don’t think it’s bad for them to receive a little push back from the police or the community.

RS April 20, 2009 (2:08 pm)

Interesting discussion. On one hand I agree with the “don’t we have more important things to call the police about” argument. But one thing that bothers me about this is that it just contributes (rightfully so in this case) to the resentfulness or suspicion towards two-wheel riders. I hate it when motorcycle riders do something dumb that pisses off a car driver or pedestrian because now there’s one more pissed off person that may take out their anti-motorcycle aggression on me by cutting me off, tailgating, or just giving me the stink-eye. :(

Matt Durham April 20, 2009 (3:00 pm)

First, a big thank you to Brian for taking the initiative to restore the park’s condition with a rake. I wish I wasn’t incapacitate today and could help.
Second, calling the police when a crime is committed is admirable and a civic duty. The damage may be minor, but the chain of evidence might lead police towards solving more pressing crime.
Finally, in the scope of our society’s crimes this incident, as it stands alone, is minor and likely juvinele in nature.