The Victoria Park Skate Plaza. Photo / Dean Purcell
The Victoria Park Skate Plaza. Photo / Dean Purcell
Auckland Council has no plans to install lighting at a central city skate park after a teenager died after a night-time accident.
A police spokesperson said emergency services attended the incident at 9.17pm last night in Victoria Park where it appeared a 17-year-old skateboarder had been injured.
“He was taken to hospital, but sadly died. The death has been referred to the Coroner.”
It is the second death at the skate park. Five years ago, the death of a 25-year-old man, Pitiphong Sangsirichat, prompted safety changes at the Victoria Park skate park.
Skateboarding New Zealand co-chair David Read said skate parks should be well-lit, 24 hours a day, where possible, saying it’s a shame many skate parks across the country have little or no lighting which dramatically impacts the use and safety of these spaces.
But the council’s acting general manager of parks and community facilities Martin van Jaarsveld said the council has no current plans to install lighting.
“While lighting has been suggested and considered on occasions over the years since Victoria Park skate park first opened (in 2011), it is not a simple solution to access the park.
“It can be accompanied by perverse outcomes, like antisocial behaviour and personal safety issues, and does not necessarily create a safe skating environment,” said van Jaarsveld, adding it remains light in the summer until at least 8.30pm, offering ample safe time to use the popular park.
A resident from a nearby apartment building, Simon Gardiner, said the accident must have happened close to dark because that is when he saw people running back and forth with torches.
He said there was an ambulance at the park for about 30 minutes, by which time it was dark.
“The strange thing was there were kids scootering around the park … before all the services had left,” Gardiner said.
The skate park in Victoria Park. Photo / File
The police, council and Skateboard New Zealand said their thoughts were with the whanau and friends of the youth who passed away.
Van Jaarsveld said the council was not aware of the specific details of the incident and where on the park, or how, it occurred. The park remains open, he said.
Read said Skateboarding New Zealand has policies for helmet use at events, noting helmets are not mandatory; and van Jaarsveld said the council supports a recommendation to consider making helmets compulsory.
Last year, a report into Sangsiricha’s death by Coroner Tania Tetitaha, found his cause of death was due to head injuries suffered from a fall after he “dropped in” on to a skate ramp from the rooftop of an adjacent building structure.
She recommended that the Ministry of Transport consider a law change requiring skateboarders to wear helmets.
A Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport spokesperson said it is not proposing any changes to existing helmet laws.
“There is currently no legal requirement for the rider of a skateboard to wear a helmet. This is the same for riders of most other small mobility devices including e-scooters, rollerblades and hoverboards. While a helmet is not legally required to be worn, it is highly recommended.”
The spokesperson said the ministry wants everyone to feel and be safe when travelling down the street.
“Injuries resulting from skateboard or e-scooter accidents can be life-changing, and highlight how vulnerable riders can be. It’s really important that people understand the rules that apply to them, and operate the device in a careful and considerate manner and at a speed that does not put fellow skateboarders or footpath users at risk.”
Following Sangsiricha’s death, the council installed razor wire to stop people trying to skate down the wall of a structure linked to central Auckland’s motorways.
The coroner recommended the council consider a design standard for skate parks that prevents or restricts the building of skate ramps on the sides of buildings that are not designed for skaters to drop in on to the skate ramp.
Van Jaarsveld said as a result, the council has worked with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to enhance measures to prevent people from climbing the building, adjacent to the skate park, and to ensure these remain in place, rather than changing the design.
With regard to design standards, the council uses experts in skate park design and works with user groups, he said.
