Funds have recently been made available by the Department of the Environment to enable local authorities to set up skateparks. These notes are to help you select a suitable supplier who can provide a skating facility for your specific needs.

The industry standard for skatepark equipment is PAS 35, which covers skating, roller blades and BMX. All equipment should conform to this standard. A European standard EN 14974 is to be issued shortly.

Location

The correct location of a skating facility is important. It should be easily accessible by public transport and be on footpath and cycle links. Ideally, it should be far enough away from houses to prevent any noise problems but where it may still be overlooked from a public area.

It is essential to involve local youth in site selection and design at the beginning of the whole process and also with the management of the facility through a user group. The addition of a youth shelter with good lighting, a multi-use games area or a climbing wall will add to the attraction of the site. However, don’t expect all skaters to use the park as street skating is an important sub culture among skaters. Skate parks should not be sited close to playgrounds for young children but if this cannot be avoided and the facility is small, then it should be separated from the play area by a fence.

Design

Companies tendering for supply should be asked for references for recently completed sites. Rather than supplying off-the-shelf equipment and layouts, they should be able to work with you and the user group to provide tailored schemes to your requirements.

The layout of the equipment is important. A good flow helps park etiquette and safety. This can be achieved by ensuring that the skating line, or layout of equipment, is end to end. Where skating lines cross are potential collision points. Distances between ramps should neither be too cramped nor too far to loose momentum. Ramp heights should also give enough height to feed into other items.

Surfacing

There are many riding surface options on the market, including timber, steel, concrete and composite materials, each of which has its own characteristics. Timber will seldom stand up to Irish weather conditions or heavy use and steel is too slippery. A bad riding surface will become unpopular with skaters and may suffer from lack of use. The best general surface between equipment is floated concrete but tarmac may be used if it is sufficiently fine grained.

Most equipment is the free standing ‘street’ type but sunken, sprayed concrete bowls are becoming more popular, as they offer more variety, are safer, quieter and are less visually awkward, even though they may be more expensive to build.

Construction

There should be easy access for construction and maintenance. If suppliers are unable to carry out the ground works they should be able to provide detailed specifications to enable others to do so.

Suppliers should be able to provide fencing, signage to PAS 35, lighting and shelters if required and should be responsible for site security during construction. Suppliers should also be able to offer a RoSPA post-installation safety inspection and risk assessment. They should also have a clear Health and Safety policy and site guidelines.

Maintenance

Potential companies should be able to provide a maintenance package, or include a site hand-over and talk staff through the basic maintenance requirements. You should ask for a maintenance manual written specifically for your facility and a pack of basic spare parts. A reliable after-sales service will ensure that the supplier can provide parts in good time if needed. Responsible suppliers should also provide comprehensive warranties covering their equipment and installation.

Based on an article by Freestyle Skateparks in Public Sector Landscape & Equipment, June 2005.

Links
www.freestyleskateparks.com
www.tribeskate.com
www.ukskate.org.uk

See also: Suppliers