I’ve been riding the unicycle for several months now and I want to ride on the pavement instead of carrying the unicycle a couple of miles to an off road circuit but my mom won’t let me ride on the pavement because ‘It’s dangerous’ although she doesn’t ride a unicycle whereas I can and have said 1,000 times that it’s not. Do you guys have any idea how I can convince her?
She should drive you, or give you car fare, no matter how much it costs. Guilt trip her into doing this. Maybe that’s the skill you need to develop
Riding on the pavement is not illegal for a unicycle in the UK and due to the low speed it’s not really dangerous for surrounding pedestrians. As long as you are careful and considerate then there’s no social reason to not do it.
From a safety perspective (yours that is) I’d say a unicycle, due to its low speed and inherent “it wants you off anyway” frame of mind is one of the easiest vehicles to get off so you are unlikely to have an issue with going into traffic. In fact the number of people killed by vehicles mounting the pavement would be my only concern. But I’d have that on my radar as only slightly more likely than being attacked by a crocodile, near the post office.
It’s hard to reply without knowing what the traffic conditions are in your neighborhood. I live in a neighborhood with no through-traffic, a 15 MPH speed limit and speed-bumps. Maybe your mom would be happy about you riding in my neighborhood.
My focus, while riding, typically happens within a small bubble, not to mention that I haven’t much practiced my rearward glances, so I’m not super-aware of what’s behind me. When I get to an intersection, I dismount and walk across the street. The chances that the nearest driver isn’t also looking at his cell phone are about 50%, not good enough for me to risk it.
As a parent, I’m sticking up for your mom and giving her the benefit of the doubt. If, however, she thinks the pavement is too hard to fall on, then she needs to get over it.
…sounds like Mum’s abnormally protective, possibly to the point of negligence. I pity you. Tell her you deserve a normal life and that you’re tired of living in a bubble. …yeah, that outta swing her.
Maybe she should walk/cycle or drive along as you ride to see that it is OK.
Tell her you’re bored, and your interest in drugs is growing strong.
Here in Denmark, according to the law, a unicycle is not a bike and is considered a toy. Like roller blades, you aren’t even allowed to ride it on the road, only on the pavement and everywhere where pedestrians are allowed. I believe the UK classifies the uni in a similar way. Just tell your mom that you can only ride on the pavement and she will just have to give in.
Personally I prefer to drive to the forest and practice there, because there isn’t so much traffic there and dirt roads really help keep my balance. I have been riding since June and I do have a muni, which is best suited for forest
Setonix, will I get I trouble if I ride a 26" unicycle on the roads of Ærø island?
doubtful, you can also get there by car When will you be there?
Regularly ride 5 to 10 miles without dismounting. Tell her how good the rides were. One day, she’ll realise.