Ben Hay on YOU representing longboarding. When we arrive at a hill or spot to randomly skate, as representatives of the longboarding community, we have to conduct ourselves in certain ways. Skateboarders need to apply a mix of politeness, respect and caution when sessioning hills.

Be POLITE: this form of attitude goes a long way. Smiling to residents, friendly chatting to locals on your walk back up and a simple wave of the hand to passing cars assures locals that we ARE people and not ratbags and we are AWARE of what we are doing and AWARE of what other road users are doing.

Be RESPECTFUL: Firstly respect the road rules; breaching the road rules in front of the general public will assure a phone call to the cops complaining of your loose and out of control behaviour.

Stay in YOUR LANE: If you do feel the need to cross into the other lane, first look forward for what is approaching but also look back. If you've got traffic following you its probably a good idea to stay in your lane for public face value.

Respect the LOCALS and respect the COPS: If asked to move on say ’yes sir”, don’t be cheeky! Respecting your hills also means not leaving your rubbish everywhere, giving neighbours and locals more fuel against you.

Be CAUTIOUS: Always use spotters where needed, obviously wear your helmets and protective gear, be aware of how the traffic works, how it flows and where it stops. Know where other cars may turn, the better you know your surroundings the safer you are. Not only will it be safer to skate the hill, it is easier.

Stay OFF THE ROAD when your not riding your board: Finish your run then get right away from the edge so your not pissing off motorists. The more you generally piss off the public the more the cops are going to spoil your day. The future success of you longboarding down your hills comes down to how we conduct ourselves in the public’s eye on public streets. Portraying a GOOD IMAGE is vital: Once we become a menace and have a negative impact we can no longer fly under the radar. The bigger the impact we have on society the bigger society will impact on us. Skate safe, skate smart, skate free. -Ben Hay (BenBro)