Toad Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 Axios says Pennsylvania, Florida, etc have declared 12-mph rolling delivery devices "pedestrians". https://www.axios.com/sidewalk-robots-legal-rights-pedestrians-821614dd-c7ed-4356-ac95-ac4a9e3c7b45.html Where do electric unicycles stand in those states? Are we welcome on sidewalks too, or are we second-class to a pizza? But let us look to the positive side. Our legislative strategy, henceforth, is obvious and foolproof: the unicycle is just a rolling person-delivery device. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoGeorgeGo Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 24 minutes ago, Toad said: Axios says Pennsylvania, Florida, etc have declared 12-mph rolling delivery devices "pedestrians". https://www.axios.com/sidewalk-robots-legal-rights-pedestrians-821614dd-c7ed-4356-ac95-ac4a9e3c7b45.html Where do electric unicycles stand in those states? Are we welcome on sidewalks too, or are we second-class to a pizza? But let us look to the positive side. Our legislative strategy, henceforth, is obvious and foolproof: the unicycle is just a rolling person-delivery device. Thats interesting, 12 mph seems pretty fast for autonomous sidewalk robots. Imagine a fleet of people running up and down every sidewalk 24/7, i wouldnt want to walk my dog on that track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toad Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 As a cohesive political bloc, our party line is that it is quite all right for people to move at 12 mph, and the more the merrier. Respectfully, of course. Your dog will be fine. That speed limit was approved by forward-thinking municipalities around the world for the two-non-tandem-wheeled Segway transporters, starting in 2003. And -- let's keep our eye on the ball -- fair is fair! -- whatever limit they approve for Segways and scooters (which in many places is a bit slower than 12 mph nowadays) ought to be OK for unicycles too. You're welcome to ride on the street, but when the street is unsafe, responsible use of the sidewalk is an imperative. The irony, the insult, would be to permit running-speed unattended delivery chests on the sidewalk before permitting actual people trying to get someplace on that same sidewalk. If that's what's happened, someone should ask for an audience with the king. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WI_Hedgehog Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Sidewalks aren't very wide and often have obstructions on each side which I don't want to pile into at 20+ MPH (or any speed, really). Sometimes they have hidden hazards, and sometimes people walk (or bike) onto them without even thinking about looking first. My "favorite hazard" is the SUV that races into traffic from behind a building. (sarcasm) With safety gear weighing me down and impeding my senses it's even more precarious. In northern states we have frost heave making the sidewalks "uneven." I just go slow and am overly courteous so no matter who's looking the observation should be super-positive toward those strange futuristic wheeled things that came straight out of a movie. I save the speed for non-populated areas where people aren't going to crash into me (like when that biker in New York wiped out on the pedestrian bridge and took out the EUC rider). I don't know about robots, they'll probably be common in 7 years when minimum wage is $25 and companies can't afford delivery people, entry level jobs are near impossible to find, and work experience becomes hard to get (keeping EUCs from being easily affordable). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toad Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 51 minutes ago, WI_Hedgehog said: I just go slow and am overly courteous so no matter who's looking the observation should be super-positive toward those strange futuristic wheeled things that came straight out of a movie. I save the speed for non-populated areas ... I trust that the delivery robots will also be polite, at least at first. I'm curious, though, whether any place has legalized delivery bots on sidewalks while neglecting to legalize unicycles on sidewalks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kekafuch Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 10 hours ago, Toad said: I trust that the delivery robots will also be polite, at least at first. I'm curious, though, whether any place has legalized delivery bots on sidewalks while neglecting to legalize unicycles on sidewalks. Delivery robots are predictable. People on riding devices are not. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WI_Hedgehog Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Everything in the USA is legal, unless there is a law saying it isn't. Ordinances and regulations are also restrictions (not "permissions"), though not created by an elected representative. Businesses aren't people so the government acts more like a benevolent dictatorship "for your safety." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GothamMike Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 21 hours ago, Toad said: I trust that the delivery robots will also be polite, at least at first. I'm curious, though, whether any place has legalized delivery bots on sidewalks while neglecting to legalize unicycles on sidewalks. I, for one, welcome our new Robot Overlords. The Beta for Tesla Self-driving cars has been released. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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