Penny board

A Penny board is a type of plastic skateboard, known within the industry as a short cruiser. The term "Penny" is used to describe all small plastic skateboards. Penny Boards pair a plastic deck with cruiser wheels and trucks. This combination now epitomises a "Penny board" in generic terms.

Penny board

Penny skateboards on sale at a shop in Shibuya, Tokyo
Type	Skateboard

History

Some of the earliest plastic skateboards were created in 1978 by Larry Stevenson,[1] a former Venice Beach lifeguard, who developed a line of plastic boards for his brand Makaha. In the 1990s, other plastic skateboard brands such as Stereo Skateboards, Krooked Skateboards and Globe emerged on the plastic skateboard market.

Characteristics

Penny boards are distinguished by a plastic deck, offered in different colors.

Transportation

Unlike skateboards which are often used for performing tricks penny boards are usually utilized solely for transportation. Simply riding a skateboard without any tricks is referred to as cruising. Both traditional skateboards and penny boards have a close relationship with transportation, especially transportation to and on university campuses. A United States census found that the highest rates of non-motorized transportation is seen in between the ages 16–24 year-old.[2] Thus it can be reasonably suggested that skateboards, usually penny boards, for various reasons, have an increased presence on large college campuses. Students are seen cruising between classes and resting their boards against the walls of lecture halls. These non-motorized modes of transportation are so popular that according to the California Department of Transportation, travelers such as skateboarders, roller skaters, and scooter users ride nearly 50 million miles per year.[3] Moreover, a survey at University of California, Santa Barbara found that 7% of students skateboard to class compared to the 6% that drive a vehicle to campus.[4] Skateboards are a hugely popular form of transportation, yet many schools maintain policies prohibiting their use on campuses, claiming they are disruptive and harmful to the campus.[5] However, penny boards compact size, convenience, aesthetic, and fun nature are what continue to draw thousands of students to these boards.

References

1. Rice, Joel. "THE REBIRTH OF PLASTIC SKATEBOARDS". X Games. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
2. Jackson, Brynne M.; Ekins, Taryn E.; Low, Joshua; Chaney, Robert A. (1 July 2018). "Skateboarding Policies on College Campuses in the United States: A Look Toward Promoting Use of Active Transportation". Health Behavior and Policy Review. 5 (4): 30–38. doi:10.14485/HBPR.5.4.4. ISSN 2326-4403.
3. Fang, Kevin; Handy, Susan (February 2019). "Skateboarding for transportation: exploring the factors behind an unconventional mode choice among university skateboard commuters". Transportation. 46 (1): 263–283. doi:10.1007/s11116-017-9796-9. ISSN 0049-4488.
4. Fang, Kevin; Handy, Susan (February 2019). "Skateboarding for transportation: exploring the factors behind an unconventional mode choice among university skateboard commuters". Transportation. 46 (1): 263–283. doi:10.1007/s11116-017-9796-9. ISSN 0049-4488.
5. Jackson, Brynne M.; Ekins, Taryn E.; Low, Joshua; Chaney, Robert A. (1 July 2018). "Skateboarding Policies on College Campuses in the United States: A Look Toward Promoting Use of Active Transportation". Health Behavior and Policy Review. 5 (4): 30–38. doi:10.14485/HBPR.5.4.4. ISSN 2326-4403.

Further reading

• Brooke, Michael (1999). The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding. Warwick Publishing. ISBN 1894020545.