Helmets are way more bearable than kneepads...
One thing you cats might want to do is organize and start lobbying your lawmakers... which is way easier than one might think.
We did it here in Louisiana, and we're famous for our shitty bureaucracy. Basically, you'll want to fight for a legal statement placed on the books that effectively calls skateboarding a dangerous or possibly hazardous activity... in such a manner that skateboarders assume liability for any injuries they incur while riding. On top of that, this will give other towns/cities in your area an incentive to build even more parks... just as long as the wording of the legislation declares that local governmental bodies (towns and cities) have the ability to declare certain public properties as OK-to-skate areas. That way a town can build a park and not have to worry about a bunch of legal experts figuring out how to deal with potential injuries on the property of a public park. In your case, it would allow you to skate without pads.
Another benefit that might be appealing to some public entities is that with a change in the law, public parks can save money by not having to have park monitors (nannies). The deal is, even if there are laws on the books that declare skateboarding hazardous (removing liability from the government), if a city employee (or city contracted employee) is hired to monitor the skating, then they make the legal condition null and void, since an "agent of the state" is there observing the skating at the park. It's the same thing as having "no lifeguard on duty/swim at your own risk" situation, making it impossible to sue a lifeguard that isn't there, in a place that clearly states that the person using the park is responsible for him or herself.
Note: All of this applies to us down in the states, but I imagine the situation is similar up there.