Which side of the road?

Now I live sorta out in the country, but alot of cars go by on my road, and they go very fast. The thing Im wondering is what side of the road should you usualy ride on when on a unicycle? I know how it works for a bicycle, but how should you do it on a unicyle. I usualy just ride on the oppisite side as the cars, then i go to the other side when I see a car coming, is this the best way to do it? How do you all do it?

Thanks :smiley:

Ride on the same side as the traffic, in your case the right. You don’t really want to be changing from one side to the other risking being hit by cars coming from both directions. It can be unnerving having cars coming by from behind you but you’re such a novelty cars will usually slow down and give you quite a wide berth.

I have always prefered to ride my bicycle on the opposite side, so I can see what is coming at me. I think by law, if you are on a bicycle, you are supposed to ride with traffic but I never did. I don’t think the law says anything about unicycles. I’m not good enough yet to ride my uni on the road with cars anyway! :stuck_out_tongue:

Riding your bike or unicycle the wrong way is a good way to get yourself killed. It also is reasonably likely to cause problems for other bicycles or unicyclists. Ride with traffic if you’re going above walking speed.

If you are cruising on a Coker or 28", then follow the bike rules (same side as traffic). If you are on a 20" or 24" then you may want to follow the pedestrian rules since you are within running speed.

If you act like a cyclist, you’ll be treated like a cyclist.

If you act like a pedestrian, you’ll be treated like a pedestrian.

On the whole.

Country lanes, 28 inch wheel or Coker, ride with the traffic.

If things are so hairy you can’t ridse with the traffic, unicycle somewhere else.

If you have an accident, not only will you get hurt or killed, but there is going to be a strong assumption that a unicycle has no place on the highway - whatever the law of your country or state says.

Virginia defines Bicycles as 2 or more wheels in tandem, but the cops around here tell me to follow bicycle laws, although they’ve hinted that their preference is for me to walk the unicycle.
My preference is to ride in the middle of the road, thus avoiding the lean from the crown of the road, but this isn’t always practical.
Since I can’t yet freemount my 6’ giraffe, I don’t like riding it in the streets anway as I tend to UPD at red lights–if I stop for them, which is rare.
Basically, I say sidewalks all the way, and avoid the cops.
Besides, You can listen to mp3 players/earphones on sidewalks, but not roads.
The main roads around here are 1-way, so in those cases, I almost always go in the direction of traffic.

My rule of thumb is that, when in doubt, follow the rules for bikes.

There are multiple reasons to ride with traffic, not against.

  • You don’t need to see the traffic; they need to see you. If you think they can’t (or won’t), get the hell off the road; it doesn’t matter which side you’re on! Riding facing traffic is not going to help you detect a driver that doesn’t notice you. You shouldn’t be in their path in the first place.

  • If you’re going fast, impact will be greatly lessened if you’re going with traffic.

  • NOT OFTEN CONSIDERED: If you’re going against traffic, you are very likely to be hit at driveways or intersections. Nobody is going to be looking for you approaching from the non-traffic side.

  • If you don’t feel comfortable riding in the road, don’t. If you aren’t confident in your abilities, including the ability to not have the unicycle shoot out into traffic, don’t.

  • If there’s a sidewalk and you feel you are in the above category, use that.

  • If there isn’t a shoulder area or bike lane, ride with extreme caution. I use a mirror for commuting. It attaches to a pair of sunglasses.

Good post. You are much more sensible than I.

And that’s why he’s John Foss :wink: .

Corrolary: If you’re riding on the sidewalk, realize that no one is expecting fast-moving things on the sidewalk. Car drivers, when crossing streets or driveways, do a quick scan of the immediate area for pedestrians, then scan the road to the left for as they pull over the pedestrian area (sidewalk/crosswalk). If you’re coming down the sidewalk at speed, or if you’re heading the wrong way on the road at speed, the driver will definitely not be looking at you.

So, if you’re going to ride fast, you should definitely learn to be comfortable on the road.

I say ride with traffic, but stay on a sidewalk if you are going slow.

One thing to add to John’s excellent list…

The decision should also be based on and consistent with nighttime riding. If you are using a headlight and taillight, which is both sensible and usually the law, then being on the wrong side (facing traffic is the wrong side) would be extremely confusing to the automobiles.

If you are on the correct side, (riding with traffic is the correct side), then you appear to be like a slow-moving vehicle, and are much more understandable.