Unicyclist sues New York City for $3 million over pavement cycling fine

A circus performer is suing New York City for $3 million after he was issued with a ticket for riding his unicycle on the pavement. Kyle Peterson, from Brooklyn, received the ticket in 2007 for contravening a city ordinance forbidding the riding of a “two-or-three-wheeled device” on the pavement.

It doesn’t take Rumpole of the Bailey to work out the main thrust of his argument.

Peterson also received a ticket for disorderly conduct during the incident, but the city is determined to fight his lawsuit and has filed a motion to have it dismissed, says the New York Daily News.

The newspaper adds that while Peterson may not have contravened the letter of a law aimed to protect pedestrians against cyclists speeding along the pavement, the city believes that he most certainly broke the spirit of it.

"The difference between a bicycle and a unicycle is negligible," insists city lawyer Vicki Zgodny.

"It goes without saying that a bicycle and a unicycle are capable of traveling at high speeds.

"The riding of a unicycle should be reserved for the circus, and not the streets of New York City."

In an earlier court hearing, both tickets against Peterson, who says that police held him for an hour while they ran background checks, were dismissed.

The acrobat, who in the past has performed with the Big Apple Circus, explains that when he was stopped on his unicycle, the police "began singing circus music."

He maintains that he is not after a big payout, but rather that he just wants to be able to ride his unicycle whenever and wherever he wants.

"I disagree that I'm putting anyone in danger by riding my unicycle 5 mph on an empty sidewalk at 3 in the morning," he says.