A man who spent three days in jail after riding his unicycle is joining calls for electric skateboards, e-scooters and other personal electric transport devices to be allowed on South Australian roads and footpaths.
Justin Coppock, 46, of Modbury, was riding his unicycle in the inner-east Adelaide suburb of Norwood on December 23, when he was pulled over by police.
He was arrested and was at the Adelaide City Watch House for three days, until December 26, when a magistrate granted him bail during a special court sitting.
"It was pretty uncomfortable, pretty harrowing," Mr Coppock said.
"The jail was quite full in there, so there was a lot of commotion and a lot of things going on."
Mr Coppock was charged with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, as well as not wearing a helmet, disorderly behaviour and refusing to give his personal details to police.
SA Police said he was given the opportunity to apply for bail on two separate occasions before Boxing Day and instead waited to be freed by a magistrate.
New laws in the works
Electric unicycles, privately owned e-scooters and other personal electric transport devices cannot be registered as road vehicles in South Australia — unlike in states like Queensland, which introduced strict laws around them last year.
The South Australian government has promised to review the laws on the devices this year.
Under the state's current rules, e-scooters can be bought to be used on private property, but can only be used legally in some council areas when hired from a private operator.
In November, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the current laws were confusing and police would generally only fine e-scooter users if their behaviour was "quite extreme" or put them and other people at risk.
However, a spokesman for the police minister said any review into e-scooter laws was "a while away".
Mr Coppock said he was not driving dangerously, and not having his electric unicycle had hampered him getting around Adelaide.
"It's been detrimental to every aspect of my life," he said.
"I can't get around at night-time especially, there's no buses or trains.
"I can't afford Ubers or taxis or things like that, so it's absolutely been detrimental."
The South Australia Electric Skateboard, EUC and Onewheel Club (SAESK8) held a come and try and public safety day on private property at the old Mitsubishi factory in Tonsley on Saturday that was attended by Police Minister Joe Szakacs.
"These devices, they have an immense positive impact on both the environment and the mental health of users," club coordinator Michael Page said.
"Myself, personally, it's transformed my life."
Fun, but also good for commuting
Mr Page said unicycles and other similar devices were not just for fun but also useful for commuting.
"They're great for recreation, but as the battery technology has accelerated, they're much better for commuting," he said.
"So people are leaving the car at home, which is cutting emissions, and we think that's fantastic."
Before it was impounded, Mr Coppock said he used his electric unicycle to get to TAFE and other destinations in a way that used less carbon emissions than driving and reduced traffic in the city.
He said it wasn't the first time he had been fined, he was hit was penalties totalling $1,430 for riding an uninsured and unregistered vehicle in Ingle Farm last September.
He is due to appear in court again next month.
