Montville Considers Sledding Ban

After banning sledding in 2007, Montville is considering making it an ordinance - equipped with fines and all.

The town policy banned sledding in public parks after a person was seriously injured, News 12 New Jersey reported. Barriers were placed ”to prevent kids from gaining too much speed” but those barriers have been ignored, and now the town manager is considering making the policy a full ordinance.

Montville parents say kids should be able to go sledding and that the responsibility falls on their parents. But township officials disagree, saying the ban is in place over safety and liability concerns.

This wouldn’t be the first time Montville has taken such action.

In 2010, a popular hillside at the park was marked off limits to anyone wanting to slide down its clear terrain, according to nj.com.

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“It’s unfortunate, but our insurance carrier is concerned about the liability,” Montville Councilwoman Deborah Nielson told nj.com.

Montville wouldn’t be the first town, either.

The Associated Press reports that Dubuque, Iowa’s city council banned sledding in all but two of its 50 parks because it “can’t manage the risk at all of those places.”

Dubuque city officials pointed to major lawsuits, like one in Nebraska, where the family of a 5-year-old girl won $2 million after she was paralyzed, according to Time magazine.

Montville and Columbia City, Ind. have banned sledding on certain hills or simply posted signs warning people to sled at their own risk, according to Time.

Photo credit: Gianpaolo Fabiano

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