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Fun way to beat Perth traffic

Chris Muir, left, and Adrian Sue have come up with a unique way to beat Perth traffic congestion. Picture: Ian Munro/The West Australian.

They might look like grown men going for a joy ride through the city but these Perth commuters have found a way around traffic jams and parking fees.

Bicycles are barred from public transport during peak periods, but electric skateboards and gyro-stabilised unicycles are free to roam almost wherever their owners please.

As the State Government pours money into new cycle paths, the infrastructure for such lean, green machines is only getting better.

With his electric skateboard and bow tie, Adrian Sue is not your average dentist.

The 35-year-old rides his skateboard from his Mt Pleasant home to the Canning Bridge train station every weekday.

He carries the skateboard into his dental studio in the CBD, bypassing the Kwinana Freeway traffic snarl and paid parking at the train station or in the city.

"I was actually looking at ways to get from my house to the train station because I’m pretty lazy," he said.

"I’ve done a fair bit of snowboarding so I thought I might skateboard.

"I like the freedom of it.

"It saves you money, saves you time and you can’t really put a price on having fun."

The Evolve Bamboo Series skateboard weighs about 8kg and has a range of more than 40km.

Priced at just over $1000, Mr Sue said it was far cheaper than driving.

He is now eyeing off a new manufacturer, Marbel, which is making an even lighter electric skateboard with Bluetooth technology.

Blue collar worker Chris Muir, 37, prefers to get around on one wheel.

He spends a lot of his time in heavy duty vehicles in the earthmoving industry, so hopping on his 1500W Solowheel is a welcome change of pace.

"I’m not an athletic type of person by any means but I do enjoy it," he said.

"You lean forwards and backwards to slow down, and lean left and right to steer.

"Once you get past that mental block of not having anything to hang on to, it’s easy to ride."

The Solowheel retails for $2365.

Its 16km range and easy recharge capability allow Mr Muir, a Solowheel distributor, to leave his car at home in Girrawheen when travelling to the shops or into the city.

"A lot of other cities around the world have embraced green power, they have charging stations around their CBDs and there are very few cars," he said.

"This is just one option. It’s new, it’s different and it’s a lot of fun," he said.