In article <7b0k7p$gji$1@pump1.york.ac.uk>, Steve Carter wrote: >Sarah Miller <sarah@vimes.u-net.com> wrote: >: chris (chris@bitstrea.net) wrote: > >: I live in the UK and ride on the road on the left just like the other >: traffic. I ride according to the highway code for bikes ( more or less), > >Incidentally, a unicycle is not a cycle by British law – it runs along the >lines of “An unpowered vehicle having two or more wheels”.
But local bye-laws may be phrased in such a way as to include unicycles in
the definition of cycles. So, traffic-wise it’s not a cycle, but with repsect
to (say) pedestrianised shopping centers or permissive paths on private land
it might be.
regards, Ian SMith
|\ /| Opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do
|o o| not reflect the views of Amos, my mbu puffer fish.
|/ | (His view is that small snails are very tasty.)
Amos now on the web at http://www.achrn.demon.co.uk/amos.html
>Which side of the road should I ride on when unicycling? I usually bicycle on >the right (I got a ticket when I was younger for biking on the left). I’ve been >unicycling on the left because of the slower speed and so I could make >adjustments for oncoming traffic.
When I asked my local police, they said that the sidewalk was the best place for
me. When I asked about where there was no sidewalk, they said I should ride with traffic, which means on the right in the US.
> When I asked my local police, they said that the sidewalk was the best place > for me. When I asked about where there was no sidewalk, they said I should > ride with traffic, which means on the right in the US.
I agree with this. If you’re going slow, or don’t ride straight enough to be
predictable by drivers, don’t be on the road. But if you have no choice, or if
you’re going faster/straighter, generally you should follow the applicable rules
for bicycles. Which means, in case you didn’t know, to ride with the traffic,
not against.
In California a unicycle is not a bicycle but a giraffe is because it is
powered “through a belt, chain or gear”. Here are the definitions from the CA
Vehicle Code:
Division 1 Words and Phrases Defined Sections 100-680
A “Bicycle” is a device upon which any person may ride, propelled
exclusively by human power through a belt, chain, or gears, and having one
or more wheels. Persons riding bicycles are subject to the provisions of
this code specified in Sections 21200 and 21200.5.
(a) A “Pedestrian” is any person who is afoot or who is using a means of
conveyance propelled by human power other than a bicycle.
The idea is that the belt, chain, or gears creates the mechanical advantage to
generate speed and the Vehicle Code tries to segregate users by speed for
safety. Two examples of this definition not working well are 5mph giraffes
legally riding with traffic and 20mph inline speed skaters being considered
pedestrians and relagated to sidewalks or against traffic.
Thus whether I am on a bicycle, unicycle, or inline skates, I ride responsibly
and in the safest place based on my speed, traffic and other conditions, which
is usually in the road with traffic.
Foss, JohnX wrote in message
<99BAA0EF4B10D211AC4000A0C95BF940C009A7@fmsmsx45.fm.intel.com>… >> When I asked my local police, they said that the sidewalk was the best place >> for me. When I asked about where there was no sidewalk, they said I should >> ride with traffic, which means on the right in the US. > >I agree with this. If you’re going slow, or don’t ride straight enough to
be >predictable by drivers, don’t be on the road. But if you have no choice, or if >you’re going faster/straighter, generally you should follow the applicable >rules for bicycles. Which means, in case you didn’t know, to
ride >with the traffic, not against. > >Stay on top, > >John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone http://www.unicycling.com