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Drones banned in Medford parks ... well, sort of Saturday Dec 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm Drones, remote-control cars and even model rockets are banned in Medford parks, but that hasn’t stopped some local residents from taking them for a spin. The regulations came many years ago, after radio-control car enthusiasts altered the BMX track in Bear Creek Park, irritating cyclists who maintain the track. “Everybody's been warned from my shop not to go there,” said Betty Skelton, owner of RC Addictions, which sells the cars. “It’s people doing doing stupid things that have brought on these regulations.” Skelton said the closest RC car track to Medford is in Jacksonville, and there's an indoor track in Grants Pass.  The city has had regulations against remote-control devices for many years, but the Parks and Recreation Commission recently recommended adding language that clearly spells out which devices are banned. The commission recommended that the City Council improve the existing ban by specifically applying it to “radio-control devices,” “radio-control drones” and “model rockets.” However, according to a parks and recreation staff recommendation, someone would be cited only if the use of these devices was a nuisance to others. “This decision was based on the fact that if users are not causing any safety issues or negatively impacting other park users or neighbors, they won’t likely be asked to stop,” the staff recommendation stated. “However, the regulation needs to be in place as an enforcement tool should it become necessary.” Remote-control devices will likely be a hit this holiday season, and their increasing popularity prompted Julian Cordle, a parks and recreation commissioner, to search for ways to ease up on the outright ban at Medford parks. “Is there a way we can make this work?” said Cordle. After looking into easing the ban, Cordle said he ran into too many difficulties trying to come up with reasonable regulations that could be readily enforced. For instance, one idea was to limit drones from flying any closer than 50 feet from another person. Cordle said new rules by the Federal Aviation Administration will help control some of the abuses by drone operators. In one case a drone crashed near the White House, and multiple other incidents have been reported around the country, from interfering with aircraft to snooping on neighbors. Starting Dec. 21, the FAA is requiring drones to be registered. Registration is free for the first 30 days, then $5 after that. All aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (about 25 kilograms), including payloads such as on-board cameras, must be registered. Dan Ratty, Parks and Recreation Commission chair, said some of these devices should not be in the parks. But he also thinks it’s important for a dad to take his son to the park to share the new toy. Ratty said he expects the new FAA rules will help curb the number of abuses by drone operators. So far, remote-control devices are not a huge issue for the city, but that could change as their popularity increases and as the devices get cheaper, he said. Ratty said he expects to see more issues pop up after the holidays. “There will be a few instances that will open people’s eyes as to what’s kosher and what’s not,” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @reporterdm.