By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — Parents are worried playmats in Inwood Hill Park's new Indian Road Playground could get so hot in the sun they might burn children.
Rubber mats that have been laid out for kids to play on are reaching searing temperatures even before summer has even arrived, parents say.
Nearly two weeks ago, a group of parents stood in the park testing temperatures.
"This is dangerous," said Yolanda Vasquez, 27, pointing to the red mat.
Parents on a Facebook page for the playground also complained about the mats.
One parent remembered her child burning his hands in just 66 degree weather.
"I took off my flipflop and placed a bare foot on super hot rubber," she wrote on a parenting site. "This surface won't be safe to fall on this summer."
Another parent lamented the lack of foliage in the newly renovated playground. "The children are miserable barefoot and without the trees, there is little relief," the parent wrote.
"Disappointed that the Parks Dept. didn't take our warnings of this possible problem seriously back when we brought it up."
Parks spokesman Phil Abramson admitted the "rubber mats can get hot when under direct sunlight," but defended the use of the padding.
"New York City's playgrounds are the best and safest in the country, thanks in part to protective safety surfacing that meets all industry and regulatory codes, saves lives and have prevented countless serious head injuries and broken bones," he said.
Patrons are urged to "wear shoes and appropriate clothing when it gets hot," Abramson said.
"Parks staff have observed some barefoot children on the playground and have been reminding them and their guardians to wear shoes," he said.
According to Abramson, Parks officials have not received complaints about the mats, but a group of parents said they plan to contact the department to see if any changes can be made before the weather gets warmer.
Some parents expressed concern about other areas of the playground when it first opened in November, including a sprinkler area ringed by large boulders, a webbed climbing wall and a slide that lacked protective railings.
Parks placed signs on the metal gate closest to the slide to show children and parents how to use the structure.
In Union Square last year, Parks added a canopy to cover a metal climbing dome in a new $3.8 million playground after parents complained it was too hot for children. The department also removed a spinning dish at that playground, because it rotated too fast.
