Adealaide - Is riding on paths an issue for haters

[ColinOldnCranky]

I was in Adelaide for the week just gone and took my daily ride or two as I do when at home here in Perth.

On the first morning I had a decent ride into and around the city. Heading back home to Henley Beach I had a bloke walking toward me who, as I passed, asked "Why don't ou ride on the road" which I took to be a jocular comment (you get plenty of these when on a unicycle). But as I passed he added with some melevolence "Isn't the bike lane good enough for you". It was the end of long and hard ride so I jumped off and walked back.

It was quite obviousd that he had an agenda and I happened to have been bundled into his target group. So, back to him with an equal amount of attitude...

"Hey buddy - I am NOT allowed to legally ride on this road (it was Henely Beach Road), it has marked lanes and it is in excess of 50kph. I am not a bike I am a wheeled recreational device - Look it up

"I am not interferign with anyone, I am not affecting you and I am riding with consdieration and care adn will continue to do so.

"Good day".

Anyway, that was the the end of the matter. Or so I thought.

Two or three days later around Westlakes and AAMI stadium I had not one, but THREE pedestrians on two more occasions taking similar offence.

I know that cyclists over here in the west get targeted by motorists not wanting to share space on the roads with cyclists. But not much for riding on paths (and certainly not for a bloke on a unicycle). Is there an even broader zone that the haters in Adelaide have marked out for their frustrations? I've ridden a bit around South Oz in the past and it surprised me to cop a serve on quiet paths three times in a single week.

(Still loved the riding though. A lot of welcome work on some paths since last year too.)

[MisuVir]

I've never seen anyone take offense at a unicycle on a footpath... but then again I haven't seen a single unicycle around the place in the last decade.

Unicycles are classed the same as skateboards, right? I've never seen anyone tell a skateboarder to get on the road, so I don't see what these people are on about. Ignorant and abusive people abound, it seems.

[Dr_Mutley]

There's a lot of hate in SA at the moment, regardless of whether your on the road, or on shared paths... Seems cars own the roads, and pedestrians own the shared paths!

[ColinOldnCranky]

There's a lot of hate in SA at the moment, regardless of whether your on the road, or on shared paths... Seems cars own the roads, and pedestrians on the shared paths!

So, bikes are free to ride the narrow 5 inches of concrete curbing it seems.

[yugyug]

As far as I understand, you're not a wheeled recreational vehicle in South Australia:

from the Road Traffic Act 1961 Version: 10.2.2014
http://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/LZ/C/A ... .50.UN.PDF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

bicycle means a vehicle with one or more wheels that is built to be propelled by
human power through a belt, chain or gears (whether or not it has an auxiliary motor),
and—
(a) includes a pedicab, penny-farthing, scooter, tricycle and unicycle;

Sorry to break it to you ;(

[ColinOldnCranky]

As far as I understand, you're not a wheeled recreational vehicle in South Australia:

from the Road Traffic Act 1961 Version: 10.2.2014
http://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/LZ/C/A ... .50.UN.PDF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

bicycle means a vehicle with one or more wheels that is built to be propelled by
human power through a belt, chain or gears (whether or not it has an auxiliary motor),
and—
(a) includes a pedicab, penny-farthing, scooter, tricycle and unicycle;

Sorry to break it to you ;(

That's interesting.

From the version printed at the top it appears to be a very recent thing. In March 2013 I was still a wheeled recreational device (WRD). And at that time SA, unlike other jurisdictions which do no require me to wear a helmet, had a specific clause making unicycles and (skateboarders too) required to do so. I was riding it in SA a couple of weeks ago, took a helmet and just rode as per previous trips. I only checked as a result of a couple of cops insistent on the legal obligation to wear a helmet when I was in Rundle Street Mall.

I suppose this now takes me out of there realm of a WRD. Which could therefore be better for me. As I can presumably also ride at night time. However I also presumably have to have reflectors, brakes, bell and so forth. And I may not be able to ride on a footpath. I'll have to look bit deeper before November when I am next gonna be over there. Myabe I can now use the cycle lane along Henley Beach Road which is way better than what I laughingly refer to as a path.

It really is a laughable to equate a unicycle to a bike however (and not int he interests of anyone). How we interact with others and what is safe differs massively.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Nearest I can see so far is that a unicyle was defined in 2001 as a WRD but was changed in reprint 29 of the South Aust Road Traffic Act around August 2000.

It makes no difference as far as a helmet. However, unless I can find some specific exemptions then it looks like riding a unicycle in South Oz mostly requires the rider to venture onto roads that would be both dangerous to the rider and an inconvenience to other road users. And there is always the possibility that there are inconsistencies between different acts and regs.

I'll keep looking (beats TV repeats) but if anyone else knows of any specifics I'd love to know what they are.

Someone tell me, are the legislators in South Oz seriously aware of what a unicycle is? Am I supposed to fit a bell and brakes? Am I allowed to (more or less obliged to) ride down multilane arterial roads? (Two abreast? ) I will certainly not be adhering to requirements to comply with dangerous laws when there are safer alternatives not interfering with or inconveniencing others. And i certainly do not want to be deprived of a perfectly legitimate, healthy and harmless activity.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Not surprisingly I have found a South Oz Police publication that is at variance with the legislation.

The South Oz police "Traffic INfo Page" on "POWERED and SMALL
WHEEL VEHICLES" groups unicycles appropriately with WRDs

Wheeled recreational
device (skateboards,
rollerblades, unicycles,
scooters)

But as such I am unable to ride on roads.

Yes I know it is not the legislation.

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct= ... qw&cad=rja

[yugyug]

its certainly confusing - they only reason I remembered this thread was because I was checking out the helmet regulations in SA and saw the (re)classification... if they regs were recently changed that may also explain their lack of precision about helmets for bicycles too.

btw I agree with you about how inappropriate the classification is for unicycle... ridiculous.

[larfinboy]

Just out of interest, what size uni are you rollin'?
If you're on a 24" or smaller then you should be ok on shared paths.
Once you're on a 29er or 36" then you will be motoring & pedestrians might be sonewhat concerned.

We had a buddy tgat used to ride unis a lot and didn't seem to have too many issues.
But he moved O/S a couple of years ago.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Just out of interest, what size uni are you rollin'?
If you're on a 24" or smaller then you should be ok on shared paths.
Once you're on a 29er or 36" then you will be motoring & pedestrians might be sonewhat concerned.

We had a buddy tgat used to ride unis a lot and didn't seem to have too many issues.
But he moved O/S a couple of years ago.

Shared paths are fine for any wheel size as long as we are talking about those trunk routes that are made for commuting distances and where everyone, cyclists and peds, only travel in the direction of the path. Many times I have ridden a giraffe to Perth on them without issues. But on normal shopping and city paths then it's a different story.

Mine is a 24 which is pretty rare for the distances I do. The speed on, say, a 29" wheel is not that much greater. But the ability to move among unpredictable peds on it is compromised significantly and not a good fit for busy pedestrian paths on which people move unpredictably in all directions.

In several thousand rides down busy Barrack Street paths with it's bus queues at knockoff time I have not yet come to grief. Ever. I certainly would have on a larger wheel.
Of course, if a rider is willing to step off the unicycle a lot according to conditions then there is nothing to be concerned about anyone. I just like to stay mounted in all conditions.

BTW I use a 170mm crank. The extra length of it with a 24" means that if I do a UPD forward then the cadence on foot gives close to the same speed mounted or walking. THat way I don't stumble forward uncontrollably into people.

[AJFox]

I've ridden bikes on paths before and never had a comment - I do so usually when there's no actual bike path on the road or when going short distances from a bike path to another (in Adelaide).