Roller skates, roller blades and scooters will not be cruising through the streets of downtown Langley any time soon.

The Langley City Council approved an ordinance revision that made an exception for police to ride their bikes on the sidewalks, currently banned for the general public.

Police Chief Dave Marks asked the council to consider the exception earlier this month. Discussion quickly turned to consideration of allowing roller skates and scooters in the downtown area, with Councilwoman Rene Neff saying she wanted to make the city more child and family friendly.

Marks stuck to his guns, however, and said it would be a bad idea to mix wheels and pedestrians on the city’s sidewalks.

At the Feb. 17 council meeting, Mayor Fred McCarthy reported that Neff contacted him prior to the meeting — from which she was absent — and said she understood the police chief’s position.

“When you go down the road of trying to control any of these issues, you run the risk of incurring liability,” McCarthy said.

Councilman Jim Sundberg noted that the police currently use common sense judgement when dealing with people on banned modes of transportation.

“It adds a bit of flexibility and has a bit of discretion,” Sundberg said.

Marks said the department is still bound by the ordinance to ride in a safe and orderly manner.