Riding your wheel near pedestrians

[Patton250]

 I am new to this forum and to this hobby. So far I am loving this hobby and I can’t tell you how much help this place has been to me. Its awesome. It’s not good for my wallet though. LOL :-)

 I have a question about safety. Perhaps you guys have discussed this in the past. As I watch videos on YouTube and I think quite a few of them are from people here, I notice riders of wheels going fast and whipping in and around pedestrians. Is this something this group as a whole or even as individuals support?  A person walking, especially a child can switch directions instantaneously.  Well if you are cruising by that person at 15 to 20 mph and passed by them on their right or left by a foot or so it would be nothing for that individual to move quickly to the left or the right and you smack right into them.  I can see this definitely happening more often with dogs too.  When walking my dog she will take off in a millie second to the right or left by a couple of feet.  Where I ride so far it’s not something I have to deal with.  I’m lucky to have streets were very little cars are never mind people walking and then there are also many bike trails I have quick access to.  I guess I would like to hear from some of you extremely experienced wheel riders as to what you feel is a safe speed and distance when riding near pedestrians.  Do you feel it’s more the responsibility of the person walking to look out for their own safety and to expect electric devices flying past them or do you feel it’s more our responsibility as riders to consider the safety of pedestrians? Thanks. 

[Patton250]

 Well it seems no one wants to discuss this so moderators why don’t you go ahead and delete the whole thread. Thanks. 

[erk1024]

Long thread on this here, that you could add on to. Often if you start a new topic, people don't see it right away and you might not get replies. But you should check out that thread because it's been hashed out recently.
 

 

Edited July 10, 2019 by erk1024

[who_the]

Safety of others always needs to be the top priority. Video accelerates speeds and often gives a misleading impression of proximity or situation, so don't judge purely by that basis. In general I believe we should travel at speeds comparable to the type of "traffic" with which we are co-existing. On a sidewalk or shared path, ride at walking/running speed, max. In a bike lane, ride at bike speeds ~ 20 mph. And if you want to go faster, ride in traffic with cars. That's pretty much how we do things here. On shared paths with pedestrians you MUST be prepared for the unpredictable. Kids run in front of me all the time. People make U-turns. Don't look up from their phones. All kinds of crazy stuff. Be prepared and travel at a speed where you can stop and maintain the safety of others around you. Period. And be vocal, "on your left," "on your right," especially as you pass people from behind. The friendlier and more expressive we are the safer and more well-regarded we will be.

[LanghamP]

Can you play music through your wheel?

[Rywokast]

besides what i said in the thread that @erk1024 linked, i will add that you dont ever screw around with dogs... the high pitched sounds a lot of wheels put out will perk them up, and often they might think youre a toy or something idk what it is but i never go near dogs, ive had a few chase me like im sure a lot of people on here have and one actually bodyslammed my wheel once lmao.. dogs are extremely dumb and will have no issue walking directly in front of you, i always ensure the owners see me and have them on a taut leash before i will attempt to pass, and the rule of thumb is always make sure there is enough space for another person to fit between you and the person youre passing... people often wander or can step to the side suddenly, especially if distracted or looking on their phone. thats the one benefit of the motor noise of a kingsong is people always hear you coming lol

[Patton250]

5 hours ago, Rywokast said:

besides what i said in the thread that @erk1024 linked, i will add that you dont ever screw around with dogs... the high pitched sounds a lot of wheels put out will perk them up, and often they might think youre a toy or something idk what it is but i never go near dogs, ive had a few chase me like im sure a lot of people on here have and one actually bodyslammed my wheel once lmao.. dogs are extremely dumb and will have no issue walking directly in front of you, i always ensure the owners see me and have them on a taut leash before i will attempt to pass, and the rule of thumb is always make sure there is enough space for another person to fit between you and the person youre passing... people often wander or can step to the side suddenly, especially if distracted or looking on their phone. thats the one benefit of the motor noise of a kingsong is people always hear you coming lol

 In my area where I ride most dogs are behind a fence and the wheels definitely drive them crazy. However so do bicycles going by.   There’s a good video of a group of guys demoing the KS16X in NYC. (Looking forward to getting that wheel) Anyway if you watch it some of the guys were extremely respectful of people around them especially pedestrians and others were whipping through there like the individual walking people were slalom poles. Lol.  I’ve only been to New York maybe five times and bicyclists do the same thing. :-) It  just seems very dangerous to me.  I really don’t ever wanna hurt someone.  Especially a child or an elderly person.  I think a lot of it is I don’t have the experience so I don’t have the confidence to ride that close to people but you could be the best EUC rider in the world and there’s nothing you can do if you’re going to pass somebody on their right going 10 or 15 mph and that person switches directions instantly on you. You’re going to hit them.  When and if that happens it’s not like we have a EUC insurance. Lol. What’s happens then?  I’m sure bicyclists hit pedestrians and cars every year in New York City. I wonder what happens as far as responsibility and damages if it’s the bicyclists fault? 

[Rywokast]

1 hour ago, Patton250 said:

 In my area where I ride most dogs are behind a fence and the wheels definitely drive them crazy. However so do bicycles going by.   There’s a good video of a group of guys demoing the KS16X in NYC. (Looking forward to getting that wheel) Anyway if you watch it some of the guys were extremely respectful of people around them especially pedestrians and others were whipping through there like the individual walking people were slalom poles. Lol.  I’ve only been to New York maybe five times and bicyclists do the same thing. :-) It  just seems very dangerous to me.  I really don’t ever wanna hurt someone.  Especially a child or an elderly person.  I think a lot of it is I don’t have the experience so I don’t have the confidence to ride that close to people but you could be the best EUC rider in the world and there’s nothing you can do if you’re going to pass somebody on their right going 10 or 15 mph and that person switches directions instantly on you. You’re going to hit them.  When and if that happens it’s not like we have a EUC insurance. Lol. What’s happens then?  I’m sure bicyclists hit pedestrians and cars every year in New York City. I wonder what happens as far as responsibility and damages if it’s the bicyclists fault? 

oh yea haha,, yup im always respectable to people around always give them the right of way usually they just smile a lot of people want to know what it is and where I got it.. I used to be really nervous around people and the ability to go extremely slow confidently is the best thing when you're around people, they can tell if you are and they'll be comfortable.. now that I can follow behind someone even going slower than walking speed straight and confidently I have no problem going downtown almost shoulder to shoulder with a hundred people at 5 km/h I think a lot of people have probably seen me a hundred times by now no one really even turns their head downtown now since I live dt and am on an euc multiple times daily for the past 2 1/2 years.. sure I could go and veer in out and around people at 30 kmph if I wanted but that really paints a bad image and is very irresponsible even if I were to feel comfortable doing it.. because of that I've never had anyone have anything bad to say and countless people politely inquire.. I suggest practising going extremely slow is something that people take seriously as soon as they confidently learn to ride because its either that or you should get off whenever you're near people or ride on the road only.. no idea what that would be like as far as responsibility and insurance and don't want to find out lol.. if you ride very responsibly in my experience even police will come up and be like man that's cool what is it how do you ride it etc.. one younger guy even turned on his lights and pulled me over just so he could get out and ask me where he could get one lol

[LanghamP]

4 hours ago, Patton250 said:

When and if that happens it’s not like we have a EUC insurance. Lol. What’s happens then?  I’m sure bicyclists hit pedestrians and cars every year in New York City. I wonder what happens as far as responsibility and damages if it’s the bicyclists fault?

Legally and financially it's cheaper to hit someone with your car than with your bicycle/EUC.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/car-crashes-arent-always-unavoidable/592447/

Tort law is supposed to allow victims to recover for harms caused by others. Yet the standard of liability that applies to car crashes—ordinary negligence—establishes low expectations of how safe a driver must be. Courts have held that a higher standard—strict liability, which forces more careful risk taking—does not apply to driving. Strict liability is reserved for activities that are both “ultrahazardous” and “uncommon”; driving, while ultrahazardous, is among the most common activities in American life. In other words, the very fact that car crashes cause so much social damage makes it hard for those who are injured or killed by reckless drivers to receive justice.

In a similar spirit, criminal law has carved out a lesser category uniquely for vehicular manslaughter. Deep down, all of us who drive are afraid of accidentally killing someone and going to jail; this lesser charge was originally envisioned to persuade juries to convict reckless drivers. Yet this accommodation reflects a pattern. Even when a motorist kills someone and is found to have been violating the law while doing so (for example, by running a red light), criminal charges are rarely brought and judges go light. 

[Mono]

On 7/10/2019 at 8:34 PM, Patton250 said:

I notice riders of wheels going fast and whipping in and around pedestrians. Is this something this group as a whole or even as individuals support?

I certainly do not support passing pedestrians closely at speed on the sidewalk! I guess to some extent it also depends on the local sidewalk culture. There has indeed been a heated discussions around this in the forum.

My policy is that my speed in km/h on the sidewalk shall be less than 5 times the distance to the next pedestrian in m, for example: 0.2m => < 1km/h, 1m => < 5km/h, 2m => < 10km/h, 3m => < 15km/h, 4m => < 20km/h. Children (and dogs, for my own safety) may even get some additional space to play with. This is independent of whether the pedestrian seems to be aware of me or not. When I (need to) approach them I slow down accordingly.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Mono

[Lillian]

On 7/10/2019 at 2:34 PM, Patton250 said:

A person walking, especially a child can switch directions instantaneously.  Well if you are cruising by that person at 15 to 20 mph and passed by them on their right or left by a foot or so it would be nothing for that individual to move quickly to the left or the right and you smack right into them.  I can see this definitely happening more often with dogs too.  When walking my dog she will take off in a millie second to the right or left by a couple of feet.  

I am not comfortable riding in street traffic nor busy street bike lanes on the EUC, so I usually ride on sidewalks that are less crowded and wider. When I come across children, dogs, the elderly or disabled, I will get off of what I am riding. It seems extreme but it's for the reasons you mentioned in your initial post. I especially walk if the dog or their handler/pawrent is stressed seeing me.

I have seen videos of riders (all PEVs) riding fast past little kids in parks and on bikes like one at street events. I was uncomfortable with that. 

Edited August 31, 2019 by Lillian