Have you met some aggressive people, while riding a monowheel?

[MrPlugin]

There is this old fella I have encountered for the second time this morning and for the second time he tried to push me off balance by sticking his shoulder in front of me. I just don't get it.

[Polpus]

There is one old man , owner of a bar I use to pass-by on sidewalk at a very slow speed when I get to work.
The first time he came towards me saying something, I passed through as I didn't think he was referring to me .. The second time he saw me and shouted in italian smt like ''what a work'' meaning ''what the f**k'' , I did not stop my self but shouted him back ''Yes, have you seen what a work'' and continued my way .

I'm preparing for my next time for I plan to stop and ask him something , I am going to remain calm but I'll use some firm word .. :o) If he has problems better to tell me the soonest ,  I am curious to hear what he has to say. And as he has some tables staying on the sidewalk, I 'm going to ask if he has the permission to have them there ......

I use to ride extremely carefully , I am kind and don't want people to get mad at me .. so if by no reason someone shouts something .. well .. the 3rd time I must investigate the reason-why !!!

[Xoltri]

Yeah, I had a guy turn in-front of me at a cross walk aggressively.  I was still on the wheel but going walking speed to make sure he'd stop, and once he saw that I saw him he accelerated through the intersection in front of me while yelling something I couldn't make out.  I love that my wheel can go 30km/h so I followed him into the parking lot to confront him.  I don't think he expected that because he was kind of startled.  Basically I asked him why he had to be so aggressive and he said I have to get off and walk.  Then he sped off so that was the end of the discussion.

In the past I would've probably had a shouting and swearing match but I've learned that doesn't get you anywhere.  About a month ago I scared the shit out of this 60 year  old man when I caught up to him at the intersection after he aggressively and closely passed me while I was on my bike.  I was furious, and it showed, and he just kind of stuttered and didn't know what to say, so I told him to have a nice f*#*(#g day.  I felt bad afterwards even though he put me in a dangerous position.  In any case I think he got the message.

Basically  on the wheel I behave and am treated like a cyclist for better or worse. On my bike a couple days ago I had a similar situation again with a white minivan that did the same thing, but this time at a much busier pedestrian/bike crosswalk.  I didn't have time to confront him that time since I had to get to work, but I wish I did. 

I live in a very car-centric city that currently has a lot of discussion in the media about cycling infrastructure, so I'm hoping that it will change for the better.  People get a huge sense of entitlement in a car (even I've been guilty of this too), and it is really unfortunate.  Take nice aunt Betty and put her in a car and she turns into a raging psychopath with a 3000lb weapon and two middle fingers.  It's insane.  It's the reason I rarely drive anymore, I either cycle or take my wheel to work.  I just don't like the anger driving brings out in you and that is the reason I've started to confront people with logic and discussion rather than anger and yelling when they do these types of things.

[MrPlugin]

Thanks for your comments, at least I'm not alone. I ride my wheel extremely carefully specially after couple embarrassing moments, I guess we all had these  while fresh on the wheel.

Completely agree about the car, still can't figure out where was that anger coming from. 

[TremF]

I was riding home from work once and came to a narrow part of the path. A guy was pushing a pram up the narrow area so I slowed right down and moved over for him to get past. He just gave me a right dirty look as he carried on walking towards me. At the last second he turned slightly to go past me.

Another instance a woman was walking towards my direction so I moved as close to the edge of the curb as I could so she would have plenty of room and she gave me a dirty look while walking towards the curb herself meaning I had to drop off the curb and ride down the road until I found another lowered section to get back on.

Generally people are great. I am always polite and friendly and if anyone has questions I will stop and answer them and I am always slow and cautious around people with dogs so I don't spook them. The only time I will travel at speed is if I can see/know the path/road is empty but then I am super alert in case something unexpected jumps out.

My biggest annoyance is comments like "why would you ride something like that around here" referring to the nearby lake that I ride around. People just assume the worst of me because they can't tell by looking at me that I have chronic pain and if I had to walk around there I wouldn't be there because I can't.

Another popular one is "that's cheating" a couple of times I have responded - "it would be if I could walk!" the biggest laugh was a guy saying "that's cheating" to me while he was driving a van! Who's cheating? lol

The EUC helps me massively mentally so I just shrug off the comments and just enjoy my nice relaxing cruise  

[Scully]

Haha, Yes, I've had the 'cheating' comment - from someone on an electric push bike. 

[Tomek]

 

I only had two unpleasant moments. When I was still learning, two construction workers passing in a car shouted something to me about needing to stick a something up my ass to ride it better... needless to say I got really pissed, but sometime later someone showed me this video and I got where the annoying comments came from :

The other time, when I was waiting on a red light, a mother with two kids told me that "these things" are not allowed on streets. I replied that she's probably thinking about "hoverboards", which indeed have been banned here, but that unicycles are legal. She got clearly annoyed and snarked "I hope they'll be banned soon". My guess is that her kids had been nagging her for "hoverboards" and then they see me on a way cooler thing, and I kill her main argument for not buying them one .')

Otherwise people are really friendly and curious. Kids just shout out usual questions behind me (can it try?, how much does it cost?, how fast can it go?...) and grown ups either chat me up on red lights or stare when they think I'm not looking. A colleague told me once he feels like he's with a VIP when walking or cycling next to me on a unicycle, because everyone just stares when we pass.

 

[EricGhost]

I'm almost on the other side as I've 12km commute with 10.5km of bike lane on which my patience is hard tested:

1rst - I do not why but couples of mothers chatting while pushing kids trolleys with kids on board loves bike lanes and loves to occupy the whole width of the lane, as they are so involved in their chatting cannot hear you ringing till last meter.

2nd - Dogs walking looks like the best on bike lanes with the owner of the dog on one side then the rope and the dog on the other side, and this is the lucky situation, the worst is the free dog without a mask that take interest in you  and does not obey the owner's call backs

3rd - The smartphone user with headphones hearing music or chatting and not hearing your ringing while walking the middle of the bike lane but not straight too easy with small changes left or right so you do not which side to pass him

I think bike lanes arte scarcely used by bike in my town and people took them for sidewalk extensions

[steve454]

Twice I have ridden on a bike trail and encountered a woman pushing a baby carriage.  I don't think babies should be taking up the bike path but both times I either stopped or went into the grass and gave a wide berth.  Mothers are very protective of their babies,  to me they have the right of way even if they really don't belong there.  It's annoying, but a minor inconvenience.

[Keith]

23 hours ago, MrPlugin said:

There is this old fella I have encountered for the second time this morning and for the second time he tried to push me off balance by sticking his shoulder in front of me. I just don't get it.

I've only ever had one negative experience and that, too, was an old guy who stated: "You shouldn't be on that thing!" and attempted to push me off with both arms. I kept my balance, replied:"Sod off, it's only got one wheel" which was the, less than useful, first thing to come into my head and rode off leaving him looking confused.

That too was in London, the same guy or a genetic tendency to be a Victor Meldrew (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Meldrew) I wonder?

[EricGhost]

8 hours ago, steve454 said:

Twice I have ridden on a bike trail and encountered a woman pushing a baby carriage.  I don't think babies should be taking up the bike path but both times I either stopped or went into the grass and gave a wide berth.  Mothers are very protective of their babies,  to me they have the right of way even if they really don't belong there.  It's annoying, but a minor inconvenience.

Neither I'm baby killer but "occupy the whole lane" means no wide berth for me just stop descend accept polite sorries remount & restart (for a newby like me quite annoying) once or twice every 5day a week for a month ... As I said hard tested, not broken so far  . I moved to an electronic bell 120 db let's see  

[EricGhost]

Within the billions of human brains there are not a few with conservative/limited attitude, for these guys everything new is bad or illegal! I Still meet people complaning about CAD design against a draw board where "1mm was a mm with this electronic stuff you loose proportion" 

For this people you're new/different, you're bad/evil, for them sidewalk is for pedestrian, bike lanes for bicycles, and you are out of the rules/paradigm so you have to be fought, because to accept you is to accept their limitations, and the hardest oldest stuff still is "know yourself"

[Tech Nossomy]

17 hours ago, xoltri said:

Take nice aunt Betty and put her in a car and she turns into a raging psychopath with a 3000lb weapon and two middle fingers.

I have not seen a study that actually addresses the root cause of road rage. I dont think it has to do with people, nor with the mode of transport. The more I look into it, I think it has to do with environmental issues: the layout of the road, waiting times for traffic lights, obstructions, noise levels, the actual condition of the road etc.

Once cars and EUCs become self-driving, these problems will go away.

[EricGhost]

With an honest analisys of my behaviour I think the source of road range are "cumulating illegals behaviours". 

I'm at stop light it's becoming green but the guy in front is SMS or sleeping and does not start

your lane has two car width but the old guy in front of you drives in the middle at 30kmh because he is not seeing or perceiving depth properly any more

like above the young one with the smartphone in his hand against his ear

the one in front of you suddenly decelerates, then stop by the side and puts out the emergency ligths descend and goes to the pub for his cappuccino

or the one that slow down and later put the arrow just on the turn

the pedestrian with smartphone (hunting pokemons ?)  walking the cross lane at yellow light, and then full red light when he is in the middle of the road, the perfect target

and so on and so on .......

what is your limit 20-30-50-100 before you start feeling that you want to take justice in your hands  

[Frode]

4 hours ago, Tech Nossomy said:

Once cars and EUCs become self-driving, these problems will go away.

Riding a self-driving EUC will (after the first few times) be as interesting as taking the elevator.

[Tech Nossomy]

3 hours ago, Frode said:

Riding a self-driving EUC will (after the first few times) be as interesting as taking the elevator.

Sure, I meant to say that self-driving EUCs wouldn't require a person to be present: deliveries, shuttling people from one place to another, first responders, distributions on an industrial complex, the list is endless. The fact that they haven't been invented yet does not harm my central argument.

[Frode]

It is actually here already :

 

[esaj]

3 hours ago, Frode said:

It is actually here already :

 

Damn, now I need a CNC-mill AND a 3d-printer...

[LEO_LEO]

 

...sure! It always happens with my wife ...but I fly away

[Peter Harrison]

I got a good old shouting at by some dog walkers.  They walk a bunch(about 4 each) of greyhounds twice a day.  

First time I saw them, I found a dropped curb so I went onto the road.  

Second time, no dropped curb so I slowed right down while they get their dogs under control and then passed them.  I must not have sad thank you assertively enough as they shouted at me to tell me that :

1) I should say thank you

2) I shouldn't be riding that thing. 

 

[Paddylaz]

Haven't really met any 'aggressive people' when I'm simply riding past, however I've noticed that there's a minority of people that get visibly upset/angry if they ask you for a go and you say no (giving the reason that it's very hard.)

They start sort of aggressively giving  you their sporting 'cv/resumé' of what they can do (snowboarding/skating/skiing/athletics) as if that sort of makes some difference ?

 

I used to love giving people a go but got tired of them wiping out on my (now sold) wheel meaning some extra painting-over-the-scratches when I'm back home.

[Pingouin]

I had a guy who yelled and me "can't he ride forward" when I was riding backwards (but safely and not going towards him, I was on the bike lane), also some people saying that I am a slacker.

[Alien Rides]

I've gotten called "lazy" several times. Even once by a person in a wheelchair. People don't understand that riding is something that is done instead of riding a bus/public transport or sitting on the couch at home.

[MetricUSA]

Cars go right up to you and then blow horn or yell get off the street.... I will go anywhere a bike is allowed...fuck you....but there are a couple of asshole diesel uptrucks that will gun the engines as they pass leaving thick unbreathable black clouds....

[mhpr262]

"Rollin' coal" on an electric unicycle ... that must be the first time I have heard of that. It is normally done to Priuses and spandex-clad racing bicyclists.