(old chestnut) UK Law [was: Beginning... Again!]

Sorry for the reoccurring thread. I need to get some things straight.

SammyTheSnake said:- "
[color=blue]> ... unicycles are almost totally exempt from traffic laws in the UK,[/color]
[color=blue]> because a "cycle" is defined as having two or more wheels ...[/color]
"

then Trevor Coultart said:- "
[color=blue]> This _was_ the case until about 1994, when the "pedal cycle construction[/color]
[color=blue]> and use" regulations were amended. A "pedal cycle" is now defined as "A[/color]
[color=blue]> unicycle, bicycle, tricycle, or cycle with four or more wheels"...[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> The result is that on our unicycles we are technically subject to all[/color]
[color=blue]> the same laws as those odd people who ride bikes.[/color]
"

So unicyclists are not permitted to ride on pavements because technically
they're cyclists...

But unicyclists are not permitted to ride on roads because they are
generally not roadworthy since they don't have:-

* brakes
* a bell or horn
* and at night, a rear reflector and front and rear lights

And lets face it, unless you know what you're doing, it's a bad idea to
ride in traffic anyway.

Without brakes, are unicyclists considered to be valid cycle path users?

Aparrently there are several thousand miles of cycle paths in the UK...
Sadly they're not actually joined up. [The record is held by one cycle
path which runs next to a river - it's about 5 metres long. (It was an
"aesthetics test")]

I suspect many of the thousands of miles of cycle paths in the UK are
pseudo-cycle-paths - those nasty 50cm-wide painted sections that run down
the gutter of a busy main road.

I wonder whether unicycling constitutes freedom of expression. Recently it
was accepted that public nudity is supported by new human rights laws.

Andrew Feldhaus xADF

On Sat, 20 Oct 2001 17:36:12 +0100, Andrew Feldhaus
<Reply@thread.pls> wrote:
[color=blue]> So unicyclists are not permitted to ride on pavements because[/color]
[color=blue]> technically they're cyclists...[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> But unicyclists are not permitted to ride on roads because they are[/color]
[color=blue]> generally not roadworthy since they don't have:-[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> * brakes[/color]

Well, fixed-wheel bikes with the pedal cranks directly connected to the
drive-wheel axle are exempt from most of the brake regulations, possibly
all. This is because when the rules were written, they didn't want to make
'ordinary' bicycles illegal.

[color=blue]> * a bell or horn[/color]

Not needed, unless you are dumb. Although a road vehicle must have an
audible warning method, it is permitted for this to be the rider's voice
on a bike.

[color=blue]> * and at night, a rear reflector and front and rear lights[/color]

But they're trivial to fit (or as trivial as to a bike, anyhow). When my
unicycle was my main transport it had front & rear lights & a rear
reflector.

[color=blue]> Without brakes, are unicyclists considered to be valid cycle path users?[/color]

Yes - as above.

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 snails are very tasty.)
http://www.achrn.demon.co.uk/amos.html

[color=blue]> So unicyclists are not permitted to ride on pavements because[/color]
[color=blue]> technically they're cyclists...[/color]

Indeed, technically.

[color=blue]> But unicyclists are not permitted to ride on roads because they are[/color]
[color=blue]> generally not roadworthy since they don't have:-[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> * brakes[/color]

Not required as a unicycle does not have a free-wheeling drive wheel. Our
direct-drive system negates the legal need for seperate brakes.

[color=blue]> * a bell or horn[/color]

Neither is a legal requirement, even on a bike.

[color=blue]> * and at night, a rear reflector and front and rear lights[/color]

Yes, at night. During the day these don't need to be attached.
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> And lets face it, unless you know what you're doing, it's a bad idea to[/color]
[color=blue]> ride in traffic anyway.[/color]

This depends entirely on you level of competence. I personally don't feel
safe on a busy road (due to by lack of skill on the unicycle), but many
regulars in this newsgroup a regular road riders.
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> Without brakes, are unicyclists considered to be valid cycle path users?[/color]

I'm not aware of any problems using cycle paths (and I come from a town
with a reasonable good network of dedicated ones).

--
Trevor Coultart

"Rabbit is clever. Rabbit has brain. I suppose that's why he never
understands anything" (Winnie the Pooh.)

"Andrew Feldhaus" <Reply@thread.pls> wrote in message
news:9qs96h$9dg$1@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
[color=blue]> Aparrently there are several thousand miles of cycle paths in the UK...[/color]
[color=blue]> Sadly they're not actually joined up. [The record is held by one cycle[/color]
[color=blue]> path which runs next to a river - it's about 5 metres long. (It was an[/color]
[color=blue]> "aesthetics test")][/color]

Boy I'm glad I'm not trying to ride in the UK. The longest bike path
is 5 metres?

-mg

It's been about a year since I last posted this, so here it is again...

Stuart Allbrighton wrote to the Hampshire police force to get
clarification on how road traffic laws apply to unicycles. Attached is the
response, reproduced with Stuart's permission.

- Richard

Hampshire Constabulary

Paul R. Kernaghan QPM LL.B MA DPM MCIPD Chief Constable Shanklin Police
Station Landguard Road Shanklin Isle of Wight PO37 7HT Our Ref. TMO Tel.
0845 045 45 45 Direct Dial 538514 Fax. 01983 538650

07/11/00 Mr Allbrighton 121,
Sandown Road Lake Sandown
Isle of Wight.

Uni Cycles

Dear Sir,

Thank you for you enquiry regarding the use of Uni-Cycles. The first point
that must be clarified is that by definition this type of vehicle comes
into the definition of a Pedal Cycle under Reg 3(b) Pedal Cycle
Construction and Use Regulations 1993.

Under the Highways Act 1835 Section 72 it is an offence to ride a
pedal cycle on a Foot Path, (the definition of foot path includes
pavement). This means that the vehicle should be used on the road and
not on the pavement.

With regard to brakes this type of vehicle with direct drive would not
require additional brakes.

With regard to the fitting of lights, this is dealt with under Reg 4
(08) Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 which states, (Nothing in
these regulations shall require any lamp or reflector to be fitted
between sunrise and sunset to = Pedal Cycle). However if such a
vehicle is used between sunset and sunrise then it must be fitted
with one front position lamp one rear position lamp and one retro
reflector.

This information should help clarify the position regarding the use of
this type of vehicle on a road.

Yours sincerely

C J Bartlett PC 107. Traffic Management Officer.

Website - www.hampshire.police.uk

Andrew Feldhaus <Reply@thread.pls> wrote:
[color=blue]> But unicyclists are not permitted to ride on roads because they are[/color]
[color=blue]> generally not roadworthy since they don't have:-[/color]
[color=blue]> * brakes[/color]
[color=blue]> * a bell or horn[/color]
[color=blue]> * and at night, a rear reflector and front and rear lights[/color]

Unicycles DO have effective braking. They are a fixed wheel, thats the
braking mechanisium, a fixy bike might have a front brake to give
effective braking on each wheel, but a uni has all the brakes it needs to
be road worthy. The reflectors and lights issue is easily sorted as ad
ons, my coker has red reflector tape at rear, white at front and F&R
lights. Yes I road ride, at night, in traffic. Yes I know what I'm doing,
I've been riding two wheelers in traffic for nearly 20 years.

As for the bell/horn thing, when did you last see a bike sold with a bell!
All you need is an effective audable warning, and a voice is effective, I
ask poeple to look out, or move over or what ever. It works rather better
than a bell as they generally go the way I ask them to.

sarah
--
Unicycle-Meets , Hockey, Basketball, games & workshops Saturday Oct 27th
and Dec 1st Harry Cheshire High School, Habberley rd, Kidderminster
e-mail stevegrain@aol.com for details

Thanks for the response folks. That's cleared up the whole unicycling
issue. (Fixed-drive, I should have thought of that... And shouting,
obvious really.)

Moving slightly off topic here, where does that leave other forms of
personal transport as regards to using the pavement - Skate-/Snake-boards,
Roller Skates/Blades, and those awful scooter-things? They're all capable
of freewheeling at speed, they're more dangerous (debatable, I know but
losing control generally doesn't mean having to stop, like on a unicycle),
no direct drive of the wheels but AFAIK no brakes.

No doubt using any of these conveyences in a reckless manner on a pavement
is illegal but just _being_ on a pavement on a unicyle is automatically an
offense capable of resulting in a fine:

Depending on your point of view, if unicycling on a pavement is "Riding
without due care and attention" then it constitues a fine of up to £1000.
If unicycling on a pavement is considered "Riding Recklessly" then the
fine can technically be up to £2500.

Which of these would be more appropriate?

xADF

Andrew Feldhaus <reply@thread.pls> wrote:
[color=blue]> Depending on your point of view, if unicycling on a pavement is "Riding[/color]
[color=blue]> without due care and attention" then it constitues a fine of up to[/color]
[color=blue]> UKP1000. If unicycling on a pavement is considered "Riding Recklessly"[/color]
[color=blue]> then the fine can technically be up to UKP2500.[/color]

Probably neither. IIRC there is a fixed-penalty notice (approx 25 UKP) for
cycling on the pavement. It has only been around a few years and there was
quite a fuss when it was introduced.

Paul
--
Paul Selwood paul@vimes.u-net.com http://www.vimes.u-net.com

"Sarah Miller" <sarah@vimes.u-net.com> wrote in message
news:3bd2b85b.a93@vimes.u-net.com... ...
[color=blue]> As for the bell/horn thing, when did you last see a bike sold with a[/color]
[color=blue]> bell! All you need is an effective audable warning, and a voice is[/color]
[color=blue]> effective, I ask poeple to look out, or move over or what ever. It works[/color]
[color=blue]> rather better than a bell as they generally go the way I ask them to.[/color]

These things vary alot according to local conditions. When I lived in
Japan (and I'm sure it's still exactly the same), just about all bikes had
bells. Riding conditions are ... congested. And the bell is used a lot. We
even put them on ours (and removed them first thing on return to
California). If I were riding my Coker around Tokyo as I used to ride my
bicycle, I'm sure I'd have a bell on it now too.

---Nathan

Sarah Miller wrote:
[color=blue]> All you need is an effective audable warning, and a voice is effective[/color]

That's right. I believe there's actually a legal requirement for cycles to
be fitted with an audible warning device, and a test case has determined
that the rider's voice is sufficient.

I have an air horn and a bell on each of my bikes - I don't like yelling -
but my voice is quite sufficient at unicycling speeds (besides which, I
broke far too many bells by fitting them to the front grab rail of my DM
then dropping it on the floor).

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny )
Recumbent bikes page: http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/ "Make
it idiot-proof and someone will build a better idiot."

Paul Selwood <paul@vimes.u-net.com> wrote in message
news:<3bd2e556.cdf@vimes.u-net.com>...
[color=blue]> Andrew Feldhaus <reply@thread.pls> wrote:[/color]
[color={usenetquotecolor2}]> > Depending on your point of view, if unicycling on a pavement is[/color]
[color={usenetquotecolor2}]> > "Riding without due care and attention" then it constitues a fine of[/color]
[color={usenetquotecolor2}]> > up to UKP1000. If unicycling on a pavement is considered "Riding[/color]
[color={usenetquotecolor2}]> > Recklessly" then the fine can technically be up to UKP2500.[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> Probably neither. IIRC there is a fixed-penalty notice (approx 25 UKP)[/color]
[color=blue]> for cycling on the pavement. It has only been around a few years and[/color]
[color=blue]> there was quite a fuss when it was introduced.[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> Paul[/color]

What Paul wrote sounds right, fixed penalty notices seem to be used for a
lot of cycling infringements (no lights, riding on footpaths etc.), but
just to clarify the "Due care and attention" and "Recklessly" differences
(as I understand it). Had it not been covered by the fixed penalty
infringement above, riding on the pavement would probably come under
"riding recklessly" as you have made a conscious decision to do so. "Due
care and attention" would infer that you weren't really aware that you'd
strayed on to the pavement and if a unicyclist was that unaware of their
surroundings, they'd probably have fallen off well before getting to the
pavement! A more apt situation for a "due care" situation would be running
in to something because you happened not to be looking where you were
going at that moment (for whatever reason).

Have fun!

Graeme

In light of all this useful information for us UK citizens, maybe Mr.
Gilbertson could update the relevant section in his FAQ on unicycling.org
[color=blue]:-)?[/color]

xADF

In article <9qufb5$2rj$1@news5.svr.pol.co.uk>, Andrew Feldhaus wrote:
[color=blue]>Moving slightly off topic here, where does that leave other forms of[/color]
[color=blue]>personal transport as regards to using the pavement -[/color]
[color=blue]>Skate-/Snake-boards, Roller Skates/Blades, and those awful[/color]
[color=blue]>scooter-things? They're all capable of freewheeling at speed, they're[/color]
[color=blue]>more dangerous (debatable, I know but losing control generally doesn't[/color]
[color=blue]>mean having to stop, like on a unicycle), no direct drive of the wheels[/color]
[color=blue]>but AFAIK no brakes.[/color]

mini scooters have brakes, as do rollerblades (inlines) and rollerboots
/ skates, so I guess they're safe on that front, but skate / snake
boards don't...

Cheers & God bless SammyTheSnake
--
Sam.Penny @ Ntlworld.com | Looking for a computer related Linux,
Hardware & Juggling specialist :-) | job, if you can help, e-mail me
Wheels: bike, 'ickle bike, and unicycle. | /o \/ Working on ball & club
tricks, Boxen: K6-266@300, dual Celery500 & Nx486 | \__/\ 6 balls and
7/8-ball exercises

In article <3bd2b85b.a93@vimes.u-net.com>, Sarah Miller wrote:

[color=blue]>The reflectors and lights issue is easily sorted as add ons, my coker has[/color]
[color=blue]>red reflector tape at rear, white at front and F&R lights. Yes I road[/color]
[color=blue]>ride, at night, in traffic. Yes I know what I'm doing, I've been riding[/color]
[color=blue]>two wheelers in traffic for nearly 20 years.[/color]

what about the rules about the angle at which the lights point? IIRC the
rear light has to point parallel to the road and the front light has to be
2-5 degrees downward (or something of that order) which is pretty much
impossible to ensure on a 1 wheeler...

JAT (Do we have any legally versed ppl in this NG?) Cheers & God bless
SammyTheSnake
--
Sam.Penny @ Ntlworld.com | Looking for a computer related Linux,
Hardware & Juggling specialist :-) | job, if you can help, e-mail me
Wheels: bike, 'ickle bike, and unicycle. | /o \/ Working on ball & club
tricks, Boxen: K6-266@300, dual Celery500 & Nx486 | \__/\ 6 balls and
7/8-ball exercises

In article <2CnA7.126$bl5.193193@news.uswest.net>, Michael Grant wrote:
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>"Andrew Feldhaus" <Reply@thread.pls> wrote in message[/color]
[color=blue]>news:9qs96h$9dg$1@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...[/color]
[color=blue]>> Aparrently there are several thousand miles of cycle paths in the UK...[/color]
[color=blue]>> Sadly they're not actually joined up. [The record is held by one cycle[/color]
[color=blue]>> path which runs next to a river - it's about 5 metres long. (It was an[/color]
[color=blue]>> "aesthetics test")][/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>Boy I'm glad I'm not trying to ride in the UK. The longest bike path is[/color]
[color=blue]>5 metres?[/color]

(quiet voice) "erm, I think he means the _shortest_, dude"

HTH Cheers & God bless SammyTheSnake
--
Sam.Penny @ Ntlworld.com | Looking for a computer related Linux,
Hardware & Juggling specialist :-) | job, if you can help, e-mail me
Wheels: bike, 'ickle bike, and unicycle. | /o \/ Working on ball & club
tricks, Boxen: K6-266@300, dual Celery500 & Nx486 | \__/\ 6 balls and
7/8-ball exercises