you can that about many things... and people of various physiques and health conditions don't belong on the pavement too... Electrick wheelchairs doing 20km/hr plus, with a pasenger being towed behind.Original Post Deleted
Pedestrians are today inconvenienced in many ways because of the road and pavement planning is "car first in HK"... Most of the transportation solutions out there, bring so many problems that they aren't worth considering between efficient and safety. HK has many walkability problems because it tends to concentrate a lot of pedestrians in crossing and then there are few ways to cross the road for another 500 meters. Eg junction on Pedder Street crossing DesVoux... Unicycles allow pedestrians to become riders and not care about all the flaws and problems that there are in this town... there is a price to pay....
In the past 18 months I have done about 6000Km on electric unicycles, and commute from wan chai my to mostly central, TST, Kowloon, Hung hom. Kwai Hing, Sai Wan ho, Sham Shui Po etc. A great part of these 6000km have been done among the crowds. When needed merge into pedestrian flow and behave like a pedestrianI also avoid congested pavements and generally find non optimal paths that pedestrians won't take so I can ride a higher average speeds. When you are riding you don't care if you are adding a few hundred meters on the path if you can avoid pedestrians and traffic lights I There are lots of pavements that are totally unused where riders could be allowed to ride without having to invest in bike lanes.
I've not had any collisions with pedestrians, or only 2 or 3 people tell me I surprised them. Overall it is pretty trouble free even if there are 4 of riding behind each other. on crowded pavements.
Only in the past 2 months I've had problems after the TVB program on with the Kowloon walking stick rider. We now have "justice crusaders" that come and take out their anger and issues on you. "Its not legal", "Do you have a license" . Recent events have caused a lot mentally health problems in people now in HK. I think people feel powerless so they look for something they thing thay can go after and unleash all their anger. These guys will get histerical and start threatening you and try to get physical even if you are just stopped drinking water and havent ssaid much. This week a taxi driver decided he was going to stop an electric bike rider and got into a big punch up on the middle of the road...
The key issue is not about legality or safety, the key issue how do we train riders not to be nuisance to pedestrians.
How do you teach riders; that pedestrians have equal or more rights, to be courteous, to give way to pedestrians, to dismount when it is too busy and they are going to impact pedestrian flow, to stop when anyone shows fear and let them go past, that if you are getting near a pedestrian to slow down so the speed differential is minimal and they won't actually notice you until maybe they have looked up from their phones... Also a system that if you are jerk and people report the number (sticker) on you wheel, you get 3 strikes and then you lose the license...
I have called the TD, we emailed them etc, and no response... Today is the deadline to register.. we don't qualify..