BMX Pegs Banned and Overcrowding Targeted at Etnies Skate Park by City Council

Pegs on BMX bikes will be a thing of the past at the after a City Council vote Tuesday.

The council voted 3-0, with Mayor Peter Herzog and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Tettemer absent, to ban pegs from the park, as well as to allow city officials to limit the number of people there at any one time.

The city's newly amended regulation defines pegs as "tubes made of aluminum, plastic or other material, which are bolted, attached or otherwise affixed to the front and/or back axles." They are commonly used to allow BMX riders to slide along hard edges, which often damages concrete, city officials have said.

The peg ban came in anticipation of the completion of a , said Community Services Director Gary Magill.

There are currently no limits on the number of people who can be in the park, Magill said. When there are 45 or more BMX bikers there, he said, the situation can get dangerous.

"We just want to keep it family-friendly and fun for everyone," skate park coordinator Nick Gates . "With the upcoming expansion, we predict the crowds are going to increase dramatically. We want to be ready to go once all the new stuff opens."

Councilwoman Kathryn McCullough said she thought the new regulations, in addition to those already in place that ban headphones and tobacco from the park, were a good idea.

“I went over these, and I’m very pleased with them," McCullough said. "I think these will tighten things up to where I will feel it’s a lot safer."