Brisbane Skate Cartel pushes for better skate parks

Rebuffed in their attempts to have a skate park included in the redevelopment of the former Milton Tennis Centre, the Brisbane Skate Cartel continues to champion the cause of skateboarding in Brisbane.

Ex-professional skater Scott Shearer believes that there is power in numbers - a situation that led to the creation of the Brisbane Skate Cartel, with a mandate to represent the views of skateboarders within the Brisbane community and to put pressure on the City of Brisbane to take action on the derelict state of many of the city's parks.

The Cartel has 200 members and with Shearer at the helm and, in spite of the disappointment over the Milton site, is started getting feedback from council.

Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner praised the Cartel for the information Shearer offered on behalf of the group, stating in a letter to the Cartel "I believe the feedback ... is most constructive.

"I requested (that Councillors) give consideration to the Skate Cartel's suggestions in developing a skate park strategy."

Scott Shearer says the strategy is the first step in rebuilding Brisbane's skateboarding reputation, explaining "Brisbane was doing well 15 to 20 years ago, we were leading the way in skate parks but in recent times we've fallen behind."

Shearer says social problems start when parks become too run down to ride and that fixing the parks is the best way to keep them safe for everyone, adding "a few of us got together and did our own D.I.Y repairs (at the Paddington Skate Park) ï¾ we spent weekends and evenings for several weeks down there and nobody from council hassled us about it which was good."

But according to Shearer and other local Paddington skaters including Marcel Lip, more needs to be done.

Lip states "they need to look after them after they build them - they need to scrap (Paddington) and build a whole new park."

Skate Cartel member David Miller says despite some people in the wider community's views, skaters are not usually the ones to cause trouble at the Paddington Skate Park, stating "people causing trouble aren't usually skaters."

Miller says the Cartel's role is to change these assumptions, "the purpose is to bring a positive message of skateboarding to local society."

While the Cartel has done some repairs, Miller says there is always more to fix in a place so special, to so many.

Marcel Lip says the highest ramp at the park is not used by most skaters anymore, since it is covered in cracks and bumps.

The crevices in the concrete make the ramp dangerous to skate and Shearer says it is because the council didn't employ professionals for the job.

Several of the skaters at the park say there is no danger of bullying or anti-social behaviour though, but that it is easy to get hurt on old, broken skate features.

The skate bowls fill with water during heavy rain, making them impossible to skate for long periods after. Skaters say they should have used a different material to build with, or should install a drainage system.

Local skater 'Dart' says the Paddington Skate Park could hugely benefit from a relatively small investment of funds, explaining "they just need to fix the drainage - it'd cost $20,000 or maybe $30,000 to do that."

While the council has indicated it will consider developing a skate strategy, Shearer says the key is in community consultation, concluding "you have to ask the people who are down here skating everyday what they want, what's best for them."

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