jan 1, 2015 - Skateboarding for Transportation by the Numbers: Quantitative Indications of the Use of Skateboards as an Active Travel Mode

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By Kevin Fang

Anecdotal evidence suggests that skateboards are being used not just as a mode of recreation, but also as a mode of travel. But how prevalent is skateboarding for transportation? This paper assembles available data from a variety of sources to finds quantified evidence of skateboard travel in several places in California. Data from college campuses show skateboard mode shares in the low to mid-single digits. The highest mode share was found at the University of California, Santa Barbara where skateboarders (7%) outnumber those who drive alone (6%) among students. Some college skateboard commuters ride from home to campus as a primary mode, but perhaps more commonly skateboard as a secondary travel mode on multimodal trips. Additional evidence of skateboarding as part of multimodal trips has been found by the Los Angeles Metro transit agency who have found measurable evidence of riders skateboarding to rail stations and bus stops. The California Household Travel Survey finds that skateboarders and riders of similar non-motorized devices take approximately 185,000 trips per day covering nearly 48 million miles per year. The presence of skateboarders on transportation facilities present another user for transportation planners to keep track of.

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