What is ‘hill bombing’? Officials install speed dots in California city to stop it
Flowers and candles surrounded the base of a hill in San Francisco as bicyclists mourned the loss of a man who died after a collision with a “hill bombing” skateboarder this week, the San Francisco Examiner reported.
“Anyone and everyone he met, he could always find something to connect with them,” Jonathan Concool, Andrew Sanders’ roommate of five years, told the Examiner. “He’s the most full of life person I’ve ever met.”
Sanders was riding his bike down a steep section of Dolores Street when a skateboarder speeding down the hill collided with him, according to the Examiner. The skateboarder was partaking in an event known as “hill bombing,” where large crowds gather to watch skateboarders ride down steep hills as fast as they can, KGO reported.
The events are not sanctioned by the city, according to KGO.
“For the third time in a little over a week skateboarders have taken over Dolores Street by Dolores Park. I understand kids wanting to skateboard, have fun, and congregate after having had to shelter in place for several months now,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who oversees San Francisco’s eighth district, wrote in a Facebook post. “However, the public safety concerns extend well beyond the possible spread of COVID-19, and serious injuries have occurred to participants, neighbors and passersby.”
In response to the recent accident, Jeffrey Tumlin, director of transportation for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), tweeted the city installed speed dots at the base of the hill to prevent further hill bombings.
“[San Francisco] has a world renowned skate scene I love. So I hate doing this to Dolores. But two pointless deaths. Consulting now with leaders about building stronger skate culture and co-designing Slow Streets,” Tumlin tweeted.
He later tweeted a correction there were life-threatening injuries but no deaths as of July 18. Sanders died the next day, according to the Examiner and SFist.
“The vast majority of skaters who bomb Dolores Hill pay very careful attention to other people,” Tumlin said, according to KPIX. “What was happening on Dolores was attention-seeking thrill-seekers who were not taking care of other people on the street. And we had more than one (with) severe life-threatening injuries.”
Hill bombings are a common occurrence on Dolores hill, usually only occurring once a year, KPIX reported. Skateboarders have said they will continue to hill bomb, if not at Dolores hill then at another location in the city, according to KPIX.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 3:31 PM with the headline "What is ‘hill bombing’? Officials install speed dots in California city to stop it."