Ok, here’s a fun question. I live in St. Augustine, FL, and there’s a pedestrian street here. That means there are signs for “No Bikes”, “No Skateboards”, and “No Rollerblades”. So, naturally, I ride my unicycle down the street without even a tinge of guilt. Few weeks ago, a bicycle cop (why the hell does HE get a bike) threatened to ticket me. So, where do uni’s fit in the grand scheme of classification? Do I get to force my town to put “No Unicycling” signs up?
Re: The Legality of One Wheel
The St Augustine city code is online. Throw unicycle in and you get no hits. Throw “pedal” in as in “pedal cycle” a commonly used expression for all human power pedaled vehicles, and you get no hits. Skateboards and roller skates and bicycles are specifically prohibited on sidewalks and in specified areas.
Do your own research, i.e. don’t trust my quick look, but based on what I see of the St Augustine codes, you’re on good footing riding your unicycle technically speaking. Print it out and show it to an officer next time. Be nice about it, not smug. Let them know that it appears that unicycles are not covered in the code.
What you do depends on how much trouble you want to make for the police and and for them to make for you.
Report back here on your experiences, please.
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
You think it’s bad the cop that caught you had a bike? While riding along a pedestrian mall last weekend I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop. Dear god the irony.
best of luck,
Zac
Our city cops hang around the schools monitoring traffic. When I was in 7th grade my mom stopped in a red zone (not parked). She was just leaving when a bike cop stopped her and wrote her a ticket.
sounds to me like you need to pick yer battles. i’d just listen to the nice police man, and ride on the sidewalk. also, the cop’s got a point. yer a lot slower than bikes, so you would slow down cars in the street.
Someone posted something in here about city codes in California, and it said that the legal definition of a bike involved the use of gears, which means that a giraffe would be in violation, but a standard uni would not be.
Legally, unicycles are more closely related to wheelchairs than to bicycles and skateboards, which would make the rider a pedestrian, and thus legally belongs on pedestrian streets.
At least that’s what I remember.
You’re not going to like this, but here’s my rule:
When in doubt, be a bicycle.
You’d be amazed at how much trouble it will save you. You can ride everywhere the bikes can ride, and probably don’t need to ride where bikes can’t.
The cop can ride on the pedestrian street because he/she’s a cop. I’m sure they can ride a motorcycle or drive a car there too.
If you feel all unicyclists, regardless of skill level (not just you of course) should be allowed to ride on that pedestrian street, the establishment of a legal precedent will probably start with you getting a ticket, then fighting it and getting them to make a ruling. Be prepared to live with the result…
See, but that’s just the thing. St. George Street is a pedestrian street, so therefore classified as a sidewalk. There are no cars to slow down!
To be honest, I’m not trying to be a jackass. I just really, really want to see a little “No Unicycling” signpost by the “No Biking” sign. That would make my day. 
not really, this definition leaves room for interperation. a “geared vehicle” does not nessesarely (forgive my poor spelling)
mean cogs and chanes. Technically anything with a mechanical advantage (leverage) is geared.
your standard unicycle has a tiny mechanical advantage. for example, when you are riding a coker, and take one pedal you will travel much further than you would if you took two crank lengnth steps. this is true for any unicycle. The only exception would be if the diameter of your wheel where exactly the size of your cranks.
call me ignorant, but I don’t care. I will ride anywhere I want. honestly, places where “no skateboarding, bicycling etc.” signs are more attractive. It feels like I am beating the system. The worst anyone can do, is kick me out. If I came across a “no unicycling” sign, which I dout will happen in my lifetime, it woulden’t change anything, I’d still ride there.
Right now, my whole draw to unicycling, is street riding and skatepark riding. alot of the street spots that are great to skate, are perfect for unicycling.
Take care of youreself, and each other,
mike
link with a link.
thats why you ride at night when no one is around to hassle you or call the police.
mike
-eh- seen the wax part?
It wont take long the cops will find out unicyclist may grind to.