> Once while i was out riding just a few blocks from my house there was
> an old woman standing on the sidewalk at a bus stop. She saw me coming on
> my 24" racer and just about fell over trying to run off the sidewalk into
> some bushes to avoid me. As i came closer she yelled to me that i shouldn't
> be riding that damn thing on the sidewalk cause i was going to kill someone.
It happens, and it's usually pensioners who act most scared and who
actually say anything. If you have time, it's always worth discussing with
them the differences between unicycling and bicycling and the similarities
between unicycling and walking. They're usually quite understanding
(I have to take my shades and traffic mask off first though, to make
me look less threatening).
I remember one old guy in particular who knocked me off sideways as I
rode past. I went back and confronted him and he told me I was likely to
knock some poor old biddy over. But, we had quite a friendly
conversation and I think I persuaded him that there was no reason I
shouldn't be there.
People often imply by their actions that they think I'm riding out of
control without due care and consideration for the safety of others. I
find this implication deeply offensive, but of course I have to be
careful how I react.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Danny Colyer | bs1dwc@bath.ac.uk | To drop is human, |
| University of Bath | ----------------- | To juggle is divine. |
-------------------- http://www.bath.ac.uk/~bs1dwc/ --------------------