The county ordinance applies to all of the county's trails, including other popular skateboarding areas in Hobble Creek Canyon and along the Jordan River.

To Colby Manscill, who rode his longboard down Provo Canyon Wednesday, closing the popular route to skaters would be more dangerous to people who are interested in the sport. Instead of coasting up and down the mountain trail with people who are walking and biking, the skateboarders would be pushed to ride on city streets, alongside much more dangerous vehicles.

"For how many kids that (skateboard on the trail), I don't see why they would ban it," Manscill said. "It's a huge social thing and an easy way to get to know people. ... It's just as safe as anything else."

Kirtley Sorensen, who, with a helmet and a water container, also rode her longboard in Provo Canyon on Wednesday, agreed with Manscill. Instead of banning the sport outright, the county should consider choosing restrictive hours, Sorensen said.

That kind of input is exactly what the county wants to hear, Ellertson says. Though it is not required, the County Commission has opted to hold a public meeting to follow up on the ordinance and gather feedback from anyone in the community who has an interest in the county's trails.

"I'm uncomfortable (enacting the ordinance) without forcing us to include the user groups (skateboarders, hikers, bikers)," Ellertson said. "If (skateboarders) can come in and demonstrate to us that (skateboards and longboards) can be controlled in a responsible way as it pertains to speed, then we'll look at some of the wording and we can change (the ordinance)."

The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 29 in the Utah County Commission chambers, located in Room 1400 in the Utah County Administration Building,100 E. Center Street in Provo.

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