Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Two-Hoop Basketball?


Hillsborough parents have developed a habit of placing portable basketball hoops along the curbs of public roads.

I don't know who first thought "Wow! Having my children play basketball in the road is a great idea! They can not only put themselves in danger of being struck by a car, but simultaneously block traffic. And, for a triple play, the poles make it difficult to park and anyone who does park there can damage their car doors!"

Gee, if they really work at it maybe the kids can ding a passing car! Or cause a driver to swerve and hit a curb or another child or car!

To get even more bizarre, look at the picture above. These are two adjacent hoops. Same height. Not only on a roadside, but less that 100-feet from an intersection. And there is a beautiful Hillsborough Township park directly behind these houses that contains - tah-dah! - a marked half basketball court with a hoop and benches.

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The question of liability looms large...Just try Googling a few combinations of basketball hoops, public roads, hazards, etc. They have hazards I hadn't even thought about - i.e. overhanging nets and damage to road maintenance equipment such as street sweepers.

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