I’m not sure if an opinion piece is appropriate here, so please let me know if this doesn’t fit the theme of the community, and I’ll avoid sharing such thoughts in the future....
It wouldn’t. Nor would it be unsafe. These property value fuckers are not just obnoxious but also really stupid.
There’s a neighborhood in my city right next to a light rail station. Literally, some of the houses are less than 20m from the platform. But when the station was being built the neighborhood association specifically campaigned against having any access to the station from the neighborhood. There’s a huge concrete wall blocking it off now. So if the people living in the houses literally directly next to the station wanted to get to the station they’d have to walk (or realistically, drive) over 2km across a highway, along a major road and through busy parking lots. And then, after getting to the station, they’d have to cross back under the highway to get to the actual train platform, because it’s built on their side of the highway despite being impossible to get to from that side.
No, electric unicycles are great. They’re fast, powerful, easy to store and carry onto public transit, controlled completely handsfree, and fun to ride.
I won’t lie to you, the learning curve can be steep at first. It took me two to three weeks of practicing a half hour to an hour almost every day before I got it. Like you, I have no experience roller blading or ice skating.
The journey from starting to staying on it for more than five seconds is the longest part, from that to effortlessly flying down the street is much faster.
It’s like learning to ride a bike but you didn’t do your falling when you were a little kid. And you will fall. Always ride with at least a helmet, wrist guards, and knee pads. And if you’re gonna ride anywhere cars can get to you, that helmet should be an ECE 22.06 rated motorcycle helmet.
All that said, I still think it’s worth it. It’s my main mode of transportation, it’s very practical and fun, and at this point riding is second nature to me.
I would recommend looking for a used entry level EUC on craigslist or something first rather than going for the biggest, fastest wheel right away.
Yeah, an empty parking lot. You might think a field of grass would be better, but in my experience the unevenness of the ground makes it harder to learn more than the softness boosts confidence.
Your falls when learning in the parking lot will be a lot more stumbling and dropping the wheel than anything serious. The wrist guards are especially important because most people’s reflex when falling is to catch themselves with their hands, and that can be a problem even at low speeds without guards. You will also bang your ankles on the pedals, which is painful but not seriously damaging.
First, work on just controlling the wheel with one foot while standing on the ground with the other. Roll it back and forth, get a bit of a feel for how it moves.
You’re going to want to try and hold onto something when you first try to get both feet on the wheel. In my opinion, this is a dead end and doesn’t really help.
Get out away from obstacles and work on stepping your second foot up. The movement you should be going for is a single smooth unhurried step while leaning slightly forward, don’t try to rush. This part can take a while and can tire you out more than you’d expect. It’s okay to let the wheel fall (that’s part of why a cheaper, lighter secondhand wheel is ideal for learning), and it’s okay to take breaks. Getting frustrated doesn’t improve balance or smoothness.
When you manage to get both feet on the pedals, keep your knees bent slightly, your back straight, and your eyes up. Especially at first your balance, and the wheel responding to your balance, will tend to go where you’re looking. Look at the ground, you’ll go to the ground. Look forward, you’ll go forward.
Homeowners Block My Local Passenger Rail
I’m not sure if an opinion piece is appropriate here, so please let me know if this doesn’t fit the theme of the community, and I’ll avoid sharing such thoughts in the future....
When nature takes over. (lemmy.ml)
mstdn.social/
EVs are booming but electric bikes are really cutting emissions (www.theguardian.com)
How to make sure drivers will give way (lemmy.ml)