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North Ridgeville parent urges council to reconsider enforcement after daughter cited for rollerblading
Summary
Resident Heather Lowe told council her 16-year-old daughter, who uses rollerblading for exercise and mental health, has been repeatedly targeted by a neighbor and told by police that future rollerblading could result in a citation; Lowe asked council to consider safety accommodations or relaxed enforcement on her block.
Heather Lowe, a North Ridgeville resident, told City Council on July 7 that her 16-year-old daughter has been repeatedly singled out for rollerblading in their low-traffic neighborhood and that a neighbor's complaints escalated to police contact and a possible citation.
Lowe said her daughter is a "a 4 student, a proud member of the school marching band," participates in community events, "loves to garden, and she struggles with anxiety." Lowe said rollerblading "has become a lifeline for her mental and physical well-being" and described the neighborhood sidewalks as uneven and sometimes blocked by driveways and other hazards that make the street a safer option for her daughter.
Lowe asked council to "reconsider the current enforcement and permit rollerblading on our block provided clear safety requirements are in place, or possibly consider a dedicated lane for shared use or a slow street zone during selected hours." She said she supplied a high-visibility light to address the neighbor's visibility concerns and called the enforcement "selective," noting adults sometimes walk in the street without consequence.
Council thanked Lowe for bringing the matter to their attention; no specific directive or formal action was recorded during the meeting.
