For those that commute or go into moderately crowded public areas

General
21

There is no one single law. There are numerous Acts of Parliament and Statutory Instruments governing different aspects of law.

The 1989 Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations explicitly include unicycles in the definition of a pedal cycle, which means that the lighting requirements for unicycles are the same as those for bikes.

The legislation that makes it illegal to ride a bike on the pavement (US sidewalk) is the 1835 Highway Act, which actually pre-dates the invention of the bicycle. That Act makes it an offence to drive a carriage upon the footway. Subsequent case law (a court case in the 1870s IIRC, according to an article that I read recently, or it might have been an episode of The Bike Show) has determined that a bicycle was covered by the definition of a carriage given in the Act (the article cited that case as being instrumental in establishing the right of cyclists to use the road).

It’s not at all clear that a unicycle would be covered by the definition of a carriage and I don’t believe there has been any court case to determine this, so AFAICT determining whether or not it’s legal to ride a unicycle on the pavement in England and Wales would require a unicyclist to be prosecuted in a high enough court for the judge to be empowered to make that decision.

IANAL.

22

Challenge accepted :stuck_out_tongue:

I joke, but I’d be genuinely interested to know the result!

23

With correct wheelsize and proper skill, it isn’t too difficult to ride among pedestrians.

As for the “on your left” deal, most ti, es people panic are the worst possible time. On th 10k course at NAUCC this year, a vehicle was stopped by a course marshal, signalling left as I came up behind (on very short cranks, moving fast, downhill). I chose to take him on the rightto avoid him turning into me. I wanted to be known so I shouted “on your right”, which caused him to cut the wheel right and send me into a flying dismount into the ditch. Luckily I walked away only a little muddy and shaken.

24

I think saying “on your right” or “on your left” out of the blue just ends up freaking some people out because they’re either in LALA-land and suddenly someone calls out to them. Some people are also very shy and they’re bad thinking on their feet.

I think saying excuse me like Piece Maker brought up might be a bit better, but I would think in a crowded area that you yelling it out and coming through on a unicycle would cause a bit of a panic and go against what you wanted. Personally, I would like to take the quiet approach, go a bit slower in the back until there’s some space and you slowly ride by.

I’m just a quiet person by nature, I’m the nice bicyclist that waits at red lights and let cars behind me go ahead if there’s some behind me. Not saying I’m the only one but I’m that type. I’m in LALA land a lot too haha…unicycling has kept me much more alert, I enjoy biking in that I am able to relax a bit more than on a unicycle but unicycle I find it challenging and interestingly unique.

One day I want to ride as smoothly and stealthy like this guy in the video:

Darn there was this one video that was this but it was the second part to this video where he was weaving around pedestrians with ease…was so nice.

FOUND IT!!
1:35 mark

I just think that’s awesome, I would love to be able to be that good (he’s on a large wheel too).

25

I read some great great stuff in this post that I can relate to. Two things to keep in mind is that young children may run to you out of curiosity. I had to jump off the Uni to avoid hitting a child that ran in front of me on a bike path. I didn’t hit the kid, but she was upset. Another area to be cautious riding on
are those unprotected bike lanes; we have them in New York. I was hit by a car riding in a bike lane by a driver who drove into the bike lane to go around traffic. The driver just kept going. Luckily, I didn’t get hurt and the Uni was not damaged. He kind of side swiped me. At some point you have to bite the bullet and do it . Be smart about it and do it gradually.

26

After years of bike commuting, I have to agree with you there. Even among other “cyclists” the on-your-left call causes an unfortunate veer surprisingly often.

I’ve switched to “Cyclist behind you. <pause> I’m passing on your left.” It’s surprising how much that extra bit of time and information seems to alleviate the poor reactions.

27

Really? The “on yer left” thing seems to work fine up here… Seems to be the most common bike passing slogan. It’s what I usually say, and seldom have issues.

28

Adult pedestrians are one thing, but it is young children (as Fungip mentioned) that you really do have to be careful around. I’m an experienced commuter and have no problem negotiating large crowds on footpaths, cars at intersections when crossing roads etc. But I am always VERY cautious approaching little kids: 1) when they are facing you, sure they can become a gleeful statue, but they can also become naturally scared and end up going the direction you have decided on; 2) when you are approaching them from behind they can dart very quickly in any direction (again, the direction you’ve chosen) not having the savvy at a young age to consider anything may be approaching from their rear.

The other thing that develops with time is the ability to read pedestrians. You are able to assess at short notice how the person is moving, their apparent course within the stretch of footpath the are travelling on etc. Once you have this skill the natural flow becomes easier. My advice would be, decide on your course around somebody then go for it in a really positive motion. Getting past someone quickly is actually the safest way in a sense: the uni is actually more stable when at that sort of velocity and its all over and done with in the blink of an eye.

If your skills aren’t yet up to riding in foot traffic, try getting some mates together and ask them to form a loose walking groupand ride through, around them etc. Another tip would be to head out early to locations where other early birds are out walking but in far less numbers. You will develop your skills in a much less anxious situation.

Build up your ability slowly, but in the end, as others have said, you just gotta take the plunge and find out it aint as bad as it may seem. Good luck!

29

I agree with you Killian. It works fine here. It is only the very occasional exception. The exceptions are usually with those who are day dreaming or are heavily in conversation. In which case ‘excuse me’ will have the same reaction. Either will startle them.

Excuse me also requires the walker to look to see if they need to get out of the say. ‘On yer left’ lets the walker decide. “Is there enough room on my left? Maybe I will move over a tad.” Plus they can keep walking. It is just a heads up that I will be passing you - slow or fast - don’t be startled, and please don’t decide to suddenly go pick the flowers on the left. I get a lot of thank you comments as a pass. It is better then startling them by whizzing by without warning and it doesn’t require them to do anything. I also thank them if they make any effort to move to the right.

When I pointed out these two exceptions, those were two rare exception. In the years that I have been using it, in the 5 different states I have lived in, those are the only 2 exceptions. Maybe it is because here in Maine many people are used to cyclist just whizzing by with no warning. Being talked to maybe surprises them. But it seems to be a universal choice on the bike/pedestrians paths in the states. One place I even rode on had it on a sign as a suggestion when approaching pedestrians.

Those 2 were just rare exceptions - in the 30 plus years of using it. But they are the only 2 where I had close calls on the unicycle. Which was the question. So don’t read too much into it. Probably 5% ignore it all together (maybe ipodd wearers). A very very very very tiny do something unexpected - like move the wrong direction.

I don’t know why ‘excuse me’ would be considered any better. It requires the walker to do work. “Where is the person saying excuse me? Am I in the way? I guess I have to look?”

30

Just one more piece of evidence that folks down here is SLC are just a bit slower on the uptake than he folks up there in O town. Either that, or the people down here are a bit more self involved. :wink: No idea where that might come from…

I do have to say that out of urban/pedestrian areas, the problems with “On your left” seem to be fewer. As soon as I get into areas with lots of pedestrians and casual riders, I have way more problems. I have had some spectacularly close incidents with “hardcore” riders on bike paths though. Hence, I’m cautious. I’m too old to be involved in any more accidents on bikes or my uni.

31

Good point, we don’t have near the amount of people, and I bet if I rode through the gut of Ogden, I’d run into the same thing. Most of my riding is on trails and the skirts of the city where I’m less likely to run into the less intelligent I guess. :smiley:

32

My only encounters with pedestrians so far is riding around my local nature trail…the paths are super wide which makes it easier for me to get used to navigating them but I do find that, as I slow down (to make sure I can UPD if necessary) I become more wobbly which must make a few pedestrians nervous and makes navigating them harder.
It’s a popular spot for dog walking and kids…I’ve found the kids are fine but most owners don’t have control of the dogs so I tend to dismount to be on the safe side. If it’s the first time a dog has seen a unicycle they can sometimes be a bit excitable/scared in which case it pays to be on your feet. It also gives me the opportunity to introduce all the local dogs to my unicycle so they know it’s not a monster!
As for riding up behind people…I’m normally knackered and deep breathing like a sex pest so people tend to hear me in plenty of time to work out how best to get out of my way. I guess as I get better I may fit a bell just for the novelty of it.

UL

33

I commute on my 36 through varied environments. There are some sidewalks that are narrow with peds. I am comfortable enough to be able to navigate fine without having to dismount (usually).

I once almost crashed into a kid coming around a blind curve. Could have happened on a bike. In fact, it probably would have been worse because I probably would have been riding faster. Luckily I was able to dismount before hitting the kid.

The key here is riding experience on your chosen unicycle. If you are not very very comfortable without peds and cars, you won’t be comfortable with. I don’t recommend practicing with peds and cars if you are not comfortable. Instead I recommend getting more comfortable in a safe setting first. You don’t want to “practice” getting hit by a car, or hitting a ped.

34

I’d like to ask some questions, just to make sure…and one off question because I don’t want to make another thread (since I’ve made a few threads already, didn’t want to overdo it).

[B]I’ll start with the off-question. I was looking at some slight wrist protection from UPD. Would this be okay:

Okay, now the real questions is about the law on unicycles. Most in California Bay Area - SF -Downtown Oakland, etc.

Is it okay for me not to wear a helmet, even on the bike path? (I don’t wear a helmet when I bike because I don’t commute very far, I bike pretty slow…and sorry to say but I hate helmets not to mention having to lock or store it up too).

And it’s okay for me to ride on sidewalks, even if the pedestrians have somewhat of a problem with it? (People can be grumpy here…)

I read some posts about laws but I see a lot of mix messages so it’s a bit confusing, that’s why I’m asking to be a bit more sure.

35

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.html/veh_table_of_contents.html

By CVC 231, an ungeared unicycle is (probably) not a bicycle, and therefore CVC 21212, “Youth Bicycle Helmets Minors”, does not apply to unicycles. (I believe the “driven by a chain, belt, or gears” wording in CVC 231 is designed specifically to exempt certain kinds of kids’ cycles, like trikes and Big Wheels, from the rest of the CVC, and it so happens that unicycles fall under the exemption).

If you’re over 18, there’s no helmet requirement unless you’re on a motorcycle.

Sidewalks are generally legal for bikes unless specifically banned by the city. Some cities around here, like Berkeley, ban bikes on sidewalks in the downtown area. I usually ride my unicycle there, though, and from a legal perspective that’s probably OK (unless I’m on the geared uni).

But, be smart. Cops will not know the law, so don’t do things which endanger other people, and don’t give people or cops a hard time, or you’ll find yourself in trouble no matter what the CVC says.

36

I almost always ride my uni in a crowded area, since my city’s downtown is forbidden to cars access, and full of pedestrians. I started to ride there only when I felt comfortable enough, because I didn’t want to hurt anybody!
I’ve never hit anyone, but once a bike hit me! The rider was going very fast, he didn’t slow down while changing his way, and even if I dismounted immediately he didn’t even try to brake… Lucky me, he only hit my uni (and with no damages), but it was really close to hit me too!
Whenever I try to pass a pedestrian, he/she get confused (no matter what I say) and start to move randomly. That’s why, when it’s too crowded for me, I dismount or I hold myself on a friend’s shoulder.
I’m learning to idle, so I’ll have to dismount less often!

37

Yup. How well the “On your left” (as most people say it here) works is very location-based. Mostly I’m on a bike path, where there are lots of bikes but there are also pedestrians and other “stuff” here and there. Like people carrying giant inflatable rafts.

If you do a lot of riding with people and bikes, I highly recommend getting a bike bell. In the appropriate places, most people know what that sound means, and move over without having to look, see it’s a unicycle, and get confused. Mostly it works great and people simply move over.

Those are great videos of urban riding, but I’ll caution everyone that riding among taxis (and everything else) in Manhattan is pretty dang dangerous. You want to have a lot of experience, and confidence. Then all you have to do is trust all the drivers, and hope there are no pothole “surprises” as you round the back corner of the bus!

Same goes for riding in pedestrian-filled areas. No matter how good a rider you are, a small percentage of people are going to either:
a) Walk obliviously into your path, no matter how much noise you make
b) Go into random squirrel moves when they see you
c) Exhibit other forms of completely random motion

Give people plenty of room, and always be ready for those sudden movements.

Usually the really small ones; the ones at the age where parents have to chase them down constantly. Other kids have a tendency to randomly dart in front of you, usually without awareness of your existence. Even little kids on the side of what is obviously a “road for bikes”, with a yellow line down the middle and everything, will sometimes just run across without looking. I always use extreme caution around small children.

I’m pretty sure that’s a felony in the United States. Cyclists get killed by drivers like that all the time. It’s enough to put people off of riding on roads.

Absolutely. Not just pedestrians but cyclists, cars and everything else except squirrels. Squirrels just have a different concept of timing. But I have used what Earl describes forever, especially when driving, but also on the bike path, and any time I’m riding around other moving objects. It’s a great skill to practice.

38

Your best bet to avoid a squirrel is to aim for it. :wink:

39

I did that. For the very good reasons you cite. I still have it. I took it off of my uni, though, since there was only one place I could install it, and that required me to reach under my saddle to operate it by sliding my finger right below the edge of the saddle, and I could only do that when my right foot was at the 12:00 position. Wearing gloves made non-muffled operation a challenge. The only functions it actually ended up performing were to make people ask me what the deal was with the bell and to prevent adjusting the saddle height for shorter riders.

With a touring bar, sure, but I don’t have one of those.

40

Thirded on the bell. I ride through London during the rush hour and it’s essential.