While the battle between bicycle and automobile for a safe lane on Seattle's crowded streets seems ongoing, some skateboarders appear to want a piece of the action too, like the girl in the photo above zipping down Admiral Way toward Alki.

With the growing popularity of skateboarding, not just as a hobby along the beach's sidewalk or at a skate park, but also as a mode of transportation, a new generation of daredevils may develop.

"Legalities aside, skateboarding down busy roads puts drivers in a position to possibly hit the skate boarder, or hit another car while avoiding the skateboarder," said Seattle Police Captain Joe Kessler of the Southwest Precinct.

"We just had two pedestrian fatalities in West Seattle, and while we are still investigating, the common piece of these tragedies is that the drivers didn't see the pedestrians."

Most recently an elderly woman was struck and killed by a car Sept. 22 on California Avenue.

"Drivers can't see fast-moving skateboarders, and both the skateboard and car can't maneuver quickly enough to avoid a crash, and kids can get killed.

"It's a huge issue," Kessler said. "It really bothers me to see kids (on skateboards) on Admiral, California, or Fauntleroy. It's just a disaster waiting to happen. Yes, we can issue a citation, but our goal is to save lives."