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Caught on video: Near-miss between cop, longboarders now under review

Longboarders have near-miss with West Vancouver police

For most visitors to Vancouver who gaze across Burrard Inlet to the North Shore, it's a view filled with leafy neighbourhoods marching halfway up the mountainsides of West and North Vancouver.

But longboarders see something else: Heaven, the longboarding equivalent of surfing meccas such as Australia's Gold Coast or Hawaii's Pipeline.

West Vancouver is especially attractive, with posh homes lining steep, twisting streets that see little traffic. Residents have to keep a wary eye for longboarders whizzing by at speeds sometimes approaching 90 kilometres an hour.

Longboarding is illegal in the municipality but the $45 first-time-offender fine hardly seems to discourage enthusiasts.

West Vancouver police have tried persuading longboarders to stop these clandestine runs, even participating in a meeting last year to look at the possibility of temporary road closures to accommodate the sport.

[ Related: Longboarders at Higher Risk for Injury Than Skateboarders ]

But I suspect part of the thrill is the risk involved in longboarding on public streets and recording the exploits to post on YouTube.

A couple of West Van boarders got more than they bargained for last week when they ended up in a confrontation with a West Van cop who literally got in the way of their run.

The incident, of course captured on video, shows a police SUV moving into the lane being used by the boarders, who were forced to take evasive action and crash off the road to avoid colliding with the truck.

The group then got into a finger-wagging confrontation with the officer, castigating him for swerving into "our lane."

The cop, equally mad, reminds them it's not their lane, since boarding on public streets is illegal.

"I'm sick and tired of dealing with you guys," he says.

CBC News said the boarder who recorded the incident, which as of Tuesday afternoon had almost 350,000 views after being posted for two days, identified himself as Danny Carlson.

[ Related: Crash results in second longboarding death this month ]

On his Facebook page, Carlson called the incident "super scary. I'm glad no one got creamed by this idiot!"

The responses Carlson got were mostly sympathetic.

"Wow dude. brutal," said Lorleen Langhorn. "glad u got it on video. i certainly wouldn't let somethin like this go.."

No one's letting it go, apparently, including West Van police, who said the incident is under review.

"West Vancouver Police are aware of concerns being expressed via social media regarding the video taped interaction between a WVPD officer and Long boarders on Finch Hill Rd in West Vancouver last week," the department said in a news release Monday.

"The interaction is now under an internal review to determine whether all WVPD Policies and Guidelines were properly followed and whether any further action is warranted in connection with this occurrence."

I suppose it's possible the officer, who told the angry boarders he'd been forced to slam on his brakes, was just trying to avoid them when he moved over, anticipating where they might go. Or he could have been hoping to cut them off so he could write them up.

It's not clear whether the boarders actually got tickets.

There's probably enough blame to go around here, but the fact remains longboarding on public streets is dangerous – sometimes fatal – and, in most places, illegal.

A teenage West Van boarder suffered serious head injuries last May after crashing into a passenger van, the North Shore News reported. It's what prompted city officials to host a forum the following month hoping to find a solution to the problem.

The web site LiveScience reported last fall that a study shows longboarders face a great risk of severe injuries, including brain damage, than those who use conventional skateboards.

"Skateboarders sometimes train in skate parks, while longboarders are more likely to ride on open roads, which introduces obstacles such as moving cars and light posts that can increase injury risk, said study researcher Steven M. Thygerson, an assistant professor of health science at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah," LiveScience said.