traffic question? (fwd)

General
1

Forwarded message:
> From: Qdot@aol.com Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 23:04:11 -0400 Message-Id:
> <950503204640_105902191@aol.com> To: unicycling Subject: traffic question?
>
> Since we unicyclist, pretty much get to make up our own traffic laws; I
> thought I’d pose this question to the group. When riding in the street. Should
> one ride with traffic, as on a bicycle, or facing traffic as a pedestrian.

I ride with the traffic, figuring that a unicycle is just a slow bike (or even
fast. I usually pass some bicyclists when I ride the bike trails).
>
> I did not see this in the faq. My apologies if this question has been discused
> before. I know most of you prefer to ride on the sidewalk, as do I, but this
> is not always possible.

I haven’t put anything on traffic riding in the faq, but I’ll accept
contributions.

I ride on the street on neighborhood streets, and on the sidewalk on major
roads. I’ve seen too many cars drive in the opposite lane to stay away from me,
and I don’t want to cause a wreck.

Beirne

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Beirne Konarski | Subscribe to the Unicycling Mailing List bkonarsk@mcs.kent.edu
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2

Re: traffic question? (fwd)

On Thu, 4 May 1995, Beirne Konarski wrote:

> I haven’t put anything on traffic riding in the faq, but I’ll accept
> contributions.

Here’s a copy of what I posted last time this came up. It will probably
interest British riders if it goes in the FAQ:

>From bs1dwc@bath.ac.ukThu May 4 13:48:15 1995
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 18:31:33 +0000 (GMT) From: Akuma <bs1dwc@bath.ac.uk> To:
Unicycling mailserver <unicycling@mcs.kent.edu> Subject: English Law

Someone recently posted on uk.rec.cycling implying that it is legal to ride a
bicycle on the pavement (US Sidewalk) as long as the wheel size doesn’t
exceed 20". This got me wondering whether it was true, and if so what the
implications might be for unicyclists. So, it was back to the library to look
through the law books.

The Highway Code goes through the cycling laws and makes it fairly clear that
there should be no problem with riding on the road. But forget about The
Highway Code, what it doesn’t give is a legal definition of a cycle. That’s
what I managed to find:

‘“Cycle” means a bicycle, tricycle, or cycle having four or more wheels, not
being in any case a motor vehicle.’

So cycle laws don’t cover a unicycle. There is nothing about unicycles
anywhere in the road traffic legislation. I’m not going to wade through the
whole of English law looking for any reference to unicycling, so if anyone
knows of a reference elsewhere I’d be interested. It seems that it is quite
legal to ride a unicycle on the pavement in England. Does anyone know what
the law says in the rest of the UK?

If anyone fancies getting a copy of this definition (you never know when it
might be useful), my source is:

Halsbury’s Laws of England, 4th edn, vol. 40 (Road Traffic), published in 1983
by Butterworths, London.

| Danny Colyer | bs1dwc@bath.ac.uk | To drop is human, | University of Bath |
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