With Santa Clarita’s restrictive drone laws, R/C enthusiasts have essentially been kicked out of the public square.
I understand and agree with the importance of protecting people who use our city’s parks, but a flat-out ban is both unnecessary and unfair.
Look at a map of Central Park, for instance. There is about 15 percent of the park in two different locations that is unused except for walking trails that go around the perimeter.
Outside of that, it is undeveloped, and drone operators could easily use this location to practice their hobby without endangering anyone in the areas of the park that are used.
Secondly, limiting drone operations to parts of the day where use of the park is at its lowest – like during the week in early daylight hours – would also enable drone use in a safe environment.
Lastly, saying that we should just go to Castaic Lake isn’t fair because the lake represents danger to our own R/C property, as well as the public access to these locations as well.
Lastly, since the FAA has added regulations designed to answer most of these concerns, it’s high time that Santa Clarita’s City Council re-evaluated its regulations for drone use with these in mind.
I understand that the City Council is seeking to get a handle on a hobby and professional category that has exploded of late, but to basically tell drone owners to keep their drones at home is not the answer.
