State highway skater not breaking rules -- police

State highway skater not breaking rules -- police

A downhill skateboarder, filmed riding at high speed on a state highway, is copping flak from police, but they won't be chasing him down with a ticket.

It looks dangerous; it's certainly fast, but riding the main state highway through the Brynderwyn Hills has Senior Sergeant Ian Rowe from Northland police feeling unimpressed.

"Certainly riding a skateboard down the south side of the Brynderwyns at those speeds is dangerous. It's dangerous to him, and if he makes a mistake and goes on the other side of the road it could be very dangerous to other road users."

Skateboarder Matty Bee posted the footage on YouTube, boasting "even got to chase down a motorcycle".

Police have labelled it stupid, but admit he's not broken any laws.

The use of skateboards on the road is not illegal, so long as they abide by the road rules.

Jestah Carnie has tackled a few highways in his time and says the skateboarder is well in control.

"If we behave like a car, then why not use the road? If police want us to stop then to some degree they have to stop every cyclist or any other road user from doing the same," he says.

Mr Carnie adds that without a dedicated downhill area for skateboarders they have no choice but to ride on the open road.

And while it may look dangerous, he says safety is paramount.

"You don't survive in that environment for any length of time if you start taking stupid risks."

But police are warning others not to do the same; however, for now they're not going to be putting the brakes on his fun.

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