You might have noticed Thomas Lodato zip past you atop his Xsjado skates, en route to his office at Georgia Tech, or Carson Starnes heading to class or just cruising the city.
Weather permitting, in-line skates are the Grant Park residents’ preferred mode of transportation. More than bicycling. More than the car or public transit.
“If it isn’t raining, I skate to wherever I’m going,” said Starnes, a 21-year-old junior at Georgia State University.
Lodato and Starnes are among nearly half a million American commuters who travel less than 5 miles to work or school and skate to get there.
In-line skating as an emerging mode of transportation in urban America dates back nearly 15 years, when AAA first noted the trend fueled by the spread of pavement and advances in skate design.
Not that long ago, college students like Starnes who skated to class might have been considered unusual, even eccentric, said Tom Hyser, product marketing manager at Rollerblade, maker of in-line skates.
“Not so much anymore,” he said.
To find out why, click here: www.myajc.com/news/lifestyles/fitness/for-some-people-in-line-skates-put-thrill-into-com/ngNWH/
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