It's high time skateboarders are allowed to do their thing everywhere around East Lansing.

Skateboarding is not allowed in any parking lot or structure in East Lansing or on the city block on Grand River Avenue between Charles Street and M.A.C. Avenue. These laws don't distinguish between kids ripping up public property and longboarders cruising to class. I'm not advocating property destruction, but skateboarding needs to be recognized as a legitimate form of transportation, especially in a young, college town.

Clearly, this is a simple matter of technicality because people skateboard around town every day without a problem. Everywhere else in East Lansing, besides parking areas and the City Center I Development, skateboarders are free to ride on pedestrian walkways and alleys and must yield to pedestrians.

However, I know people who have received tickets in East Lansing for skateboarding in the wrong areas, and I've witnessed East Lansing police officers dispersing skateboarders in public areas. Anyone caught skateboarding in a prohibited area is subject to a civil infraction and a $60 civil fine plus court costs, should he or she choose to fight the charge, according to the East Lansing Police Department.

The fine is an excessive punishment, especially for a broke college student. Skateboarders should have the right to travel anywhere around the city without worrying about what city zone they're in or whether they're unlawfully cutting through a parking lot.

Skateboarding is diversifying and evolving into a mainstream activity, especially with a popular rise in longboarding - a longer skateboard used more for smooth transportation than for tricks.

From personal observation, it seems the large majority of boarders around East Lansing are choosing longboards over shortboards, meaning they are more interested in a fun form of transportation, rather than pulling stunts.

In fact, as many as 10 students purchase new longboards every week from Modern Skate and Surf, 326 Morgan Lane in the Frandor Shopping Center, to travel around campus, manager Steve Darling told The State News.

Boarders ride slower and, I believe, have greater control over their movement than bikers or in-line skaters, making longboards and skateboards more sidewalk-safe than other modes of transportation.

But the ubiquitous "No Skateboarding" signs around the city center area would suggest differently.

The misguided and outdated stereotypes need to be abolished. Men and women of all ages and backgrounds are picking up the sport. Darling sees all different types of people in the skate shop - while he naturally sells plenty of equipment to the "skate bums" who spend their days doing tricks at the skate park, he also sells to people of every interest, especially from campus.

One nonprofit organization, The Land of Plenty, sells hand-painted boards and distributes boarding equipment to encourage artistic expression and creative physical education among underprivileged and high-risk youths in the U.S.

The organization has opened up nondiscriminatory skate clubs around the country. Skateboarding can cross and destroy social boundaries and can become a tool for social betterment - as soon as people recognize that not all skateboarders fit a mold.

But the moral implications of stereotyping aside, skateboarding and longboarding should be encouraged everywhere as efficient transportation.

On campus, MSU is slowly moving toward a vehicle-free environment, and longboards are great alternatives to cars. They don't need any gasoline, which is perfect for a country with a sick addiction to automobiles and foreign oil.

Students can take their boards into the classroom, which better protects them from the theft that plagues the bicycle world around most college campuses. And, for a country with a rising obesity rate, even among children, skateboarding burns 25 percent more calories than walking. Biking still burns far more calories than either walking or boarding, but all are better options than sitting in a car.

At the core of the growing popularity of skateboarding is the fact that the sport is really fun. It only takes a little balance and a lot of practice to start cruising around.

The board moves fluidly with a person's body and becomes an extension of that person. I'm not that good on my longboard by any means, but some of my best memories involve cruising around the streets with some friends.

Liz Kersjes is The State News opinion writer. Reach her at kersjese@msu.edu.