[trowUrillioth]

Schadenfrau's source is excellent - here's the text:

The New York City Inline Skating Guide:
New York City Law

In spring 1996, the city council passed Local Law 1996/043, making it illegal to skate recklessly, this being defined as skating in a fashion such as to threaten the health or possessions of another person. The fine is $50 to $100. (The law was signed by Mayor Giuliani in mid-June and went into effect in August 1996.) The law is on the books as:

• New York City Administrative Code S 19-176.1

The reckless skating law was a compromise version of a proposal which originally included a ban on skating on the sidewalks by any person over age 14. Happily for skaters, that provision was removed. Nevertheless, city and state politicians have been known to advocate such a ban, including laws proposed in the state legislature. Skaters are thus enouraged to keep their heads screwed on and to skate no faster than a walking pace while on the sidewalk, lest there be an incident which would provide fuel for hostile politicians.

Preliminary signs seemed to indicate that the police would active enforce the reckless skating law, along with the various state skating laws. Among these signs was a spate of reports of skaters being stopped by police in early August 1996 (including the author of this skate guide) and given warnings that something that they had just done would in the near future warrant a ticket. However, since that date, the only known consistent effort by NYPD to enforce skating laws was during August 1998, when they patrolled Central Park on the weekends, looking for violations of the reckless skating law.

But this isn't to say that the police will always ignore your skating infractions. There have been periodic police crackdowns on illegal cycling, usually at the precinct level and occasionally borough- or city-wide. All it takes is a city councilmember who's been receiving complaints from his constituents, or just an irritated police precinct commander, to result in the police getting busy and giving offending skaters lots and lots of tickets. So skate legally as much as possible, be courteous to all pedestrians, and things should be cool.

On Sep. 16, 1996, the city council held a hearing for discussion of three proposed Local Laws (aka "Intros") which would affect cyclists and skaters. In particular, Int. 0844-1996 would have required that all inline skaters in the city to wear helmets. The proposed law was the immediate result of the death of a skater in Central Park in August following a collision with a cyclist. Although there were rumors that Int. 844 had passed, the city council website would seem to indicate that it did not.

A couple other Intros which were proposed to the city council but which also never passed were Int. 1042-1997, which would have made it illegal to be using earphones while skating or cycling, and Int. 0631-1999, which duplicated the state's existing requirement for reflective clothing when skating after dark.