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You may /want/ to zoom past, but you categorically do not /need/ to. You can slow down, so as not to holler against the wind, say something like "on your left",

You may /want/ to zoom past, but you categorically do not /need/ to. You can slow down, so as not to holler against the wind, say something like "on your left", and be courteously about your way. Also, feel free to use the roads and bike lanes that exist for your pleasure rather than putting yourself through the emotional angst of lamenting the negativity you've put on however many poor pedestrians per day. If you're sharing a space with pedestrians and moving at speeds that defy their reaction times, you're rude at best and dangerous at worst - take that vehicle on the road!

eternityforest 3y ago
As a pedestrian, even saying "On your left" doesn't actually mean anything to me. I'm going to turn around and look, because I can't tell which way is left in less than a second, then jump in a random direction in an absolute panic. There's also a chance I might move right in front of you because I decided to move instead of look and got the directions mixed up.
HanClinto 3y ago
That's fair. It could be that cycling on college campus pathways was not the most efficient. In my case, there were no "roads" to get between campus buildings -- only winding sidewalks and grass. Unicycles don't react to changes very well -- they're highly momentum-based, and bumps affect them much more than bicycles. Passing on the grass is possible, but difficult (especially with a 24" wheel like I used), and was often the source of wipeouts when I would attempt to go around a group of pedestrians that was taking up the entire path. Inevitably, this was a gaggle of cute girls, who would giggle as I faceplanted into the grass. Not my finest moment. But if nothing else, this should certainly cement the idea that I certainly didn't unicycle because it was "cool". :) But it wasn't just pedestrians and unicycles on campus sidewalks -- bikes were extremely common, and pedestrians were used to getting out of the way of cyclists. It's generally that they just couldn't hear me coming.

eternityforest 3y ago

As a pedestrian, even saying "On your left" doesn't actually mean anything to me. I'm going to turn around and look, because I can't tell which way is left in less than a second, then jump in a random direction in an absolute panic. There's also a chance I might move right in front of you because I decided to move instead of look and got the directions mixed up.

HanClinto 3y ago

That's fair. It could be that cycling on college campus pathways was not the most efficient. In my case, there were no "roads" to get between campus buildings -- only winding sidewalks and grass. Unicycles don't react to changes very well -- they're highly momentum-based, and bumps affect them much more than bicycles. Passing on the grass is possible, but difficult (especially with a 24" wheel like I used), and was often the source of wipeouts when I would attempt to go around a group of pedestrians that was taking up the entire path. Inevitably, this was a gaggle of cute girls, who would giggle as I faceplanted into the grass. Not my finest moment. But if nothing else, this should certainly cement the idea that I certainly didn't unicycle because it was "cool". :) But it wasn't just pedestrians and unicycles on campus sidewalks -- bikes were extremely common, and pedestrians were used to getting out of the way of cyclists. It's generally that they just couldn't hear me coming.