Cracks and deteriorating surfaces will soon be a health and safety risk at Dunedin's skateboard and scooter facilities.
An audit presented at yesterday's annual plan hearings showed 10 out of 13 skate spots in the city need some work, co-author William van der Vliet said.
There were cracks in concrete ledges, tufts of grass growing through surfaces and unstable asphalt at a lot of the facilities, all of which had the potential to cause an accident or make it difficult to skate.
Instead of leaving things until they became a health and safety issue, the council should be more proactive by budgeting for annual maintenance and upgrading, he said.
"We'd like to see the council tagging some money in an annual schedule to repair a lot of these places or if it is a design issue, replace it with something better."
Many other towns and cities were looking at upgrading their skateboarding facilities and he did not see why Dunedin could not improve some of its facilities.
It would also be good if the council could investigate extensions to the Thomas Burns skate park to allow for the demand from both skaters and scooter riders, Mr van der Vliet said.
"It is the biggest playground in the city. It is used a lot more than any other playground."
