Inline skater turns heads on Hamilton’s Lincoln Alexander Parkway
You expect to be startled from time to time on a busy highway like Hamilton's Lincoln Alexander Parkway by seeing motorists weaving dangerously in an out of traffic or maybe being cut off.
But an inline skater? Down the middle of the thoroughfare?
A person - it appears to be a man - in dark hoodie and dark pants (no helmet) was having what appears to be a relaxing and leisurely Easter morning skate right along the broken line in the middle of the highway, as vehicles passed by on either side of him.
Is there a patron saint for such adventurers who, despite mothers' protests, decide to run with scissors, play with fire and cavort in the middle of busy streets? Maybe, maybe not. But our Sunday morning blader made it safely off the blacktop, though not without a police escort of sorts.
Josh Lucrezi, on his way to London from the United States, did a double take as his car came within eyeshot of the un-vehicled highway-naut.
It was kind of surreal," says Lucrezi, who captured video of the incident and sent it to The Spectator.
People were kind of slowing down around him but he kept going. At times he seemed to be taunting drivers."
A police car tried to intercept his progress by attempting to get him to pull over. When the skater made efforts to elude the police car, Lucrezi says the cruiser got off at the nearest exit, then got back on at the next one and caught up with him that way.
One of our officers happened to be on the Linc and saw him," said Hamilton Police Staff Sergeant Steve Hahn. The officer responded to the situation and he (the skater) was spoken to about the rules of the road."
Let's just say an inline, unhelmeted skater straddling the lane marker on a major highway is clearly not recommended behaviour.
It's a matter of public and traffic safety," said Hahn. Getting him safely off the road was a preventative measure."
We're happy no one was injured."
No charges were laid.
Jeff Mahoney is a Hamilton-based reporter and columnist covering culture and lifestyle stories, commentary and humour for The Spectator.jmahoney@thespec.com