Riding a uni on German roads

Riding Advice
1

Hi Mario,

thanks a lot for your advise. I already tried to figure out the classification
in the StVO. But a unicycle isn’t classified, as a bike is defined as a vehicle
driven by human power with two or more wheels. I already wrote a letter to the
German ministry of transportation about 9 months ago, but they didn’t respond
yet. There are much more problems coming up than a second break (what’s the
first one? Pedaling slower, dismounting or what else?) and some lighting to
build up a bike according to the law. So you have to ride with at least one hand
permanently resting on the handlebar (and this aplies to sport-race bikes too.
By the way these bikes are defined as bikes with a weight of 11kg or less). I
think the handlebar could become a problem on a uni.

Of course it’s safer to ride on sidewalks than on streets, but it’s very
exhausting to jump up and down the kerbs at any crossing (most time they are not
lowered in my area) and I think it’s a bit dangerous and bothering for the
pedestrians. Beside this I don’t know if it is allowed. I’m riding at least as
sure as on a bike, I’m not so fast and I’m much more agile on a uni (have you
ever thought about riding backwards off a crossing by bike if a car appears from
nowhere and there’s no time left to reach the other side before it’s at the
crossing?), so riding my uni on the street (of course no highways or anything in
this way) is not more dangerous than riding a bike. I didn’t have had any
problems with the police (indeed I demanded my right of way against police cars
for several times without any problems), but that’s not the point. Imagine I’m
involved in an accident. No matter who caused this accident, my ensurance
company will spend a lot of time and money for investigations about riding a uni
on the road for not having to pay for injury and damages. So I am much more
becalmed when I know that it is not forbidden to ride on the road.

Bye, Wolfgang

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