Segway sighting!

[frank9755]

I saw a Segway (ride-on electric scooter designed for the American market to make walking obsolete) in London last week. It was on Hyde Park Corner. The chap was balancing on it, right on the edge of the kerb - clearly confident it wasn't going to allow him to fall forward into the traffic. The lights changed and he crossed. I cycled alongside him across the road - it accelerated smoothly to perhaps 7 mph - before going on my way.
The main detail that I noticed was that the mudguards were extremely close fitting to the wheels - I suspect they might be a pain to re-fit following a puncture!

It was a good week for electric bike sightings, with a Torq also on Hyde Park Corner, on Wednesday evening, (I think) an Ezee Liv at Trafalgar Square yesterday morning, and a Sparta Ion - that I've seen before - going from Shepherds Bush up to Notting Hill Gate.

 

[Ian]

I have seen Segways on US TV programs and they do look very stable and confidence inspiring.

However, the chap riding the Segway in London would be well advised to read what our DfT has to say about them. According to the departments factsheet they are considered to be motor vehicles requiring type approval etc.

Quote:

1. "I have a self-balancing scooter and I want to ride in on the public road, is it legal for road use?"

No. Vehicles must be approved via ECWVTA or MSVA in order to be licensed and registered. Self-balancing scooters would not currently meet the requirements of these schemes so are not legal for road use.

2. "I have been riding a self-balancing scooter on the public footway (pavement) outside my house, have I committed an offence?"

Yes. It is an offence under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835 to ride or drive a vehicle on the pavement.

3. "Where can I ride a self-balancing scooter?"

You can only ride an unregistered self-balancing scooter on land which is private property and with the landowner's permission. The Department would advise that appropriate safety clothing should be worn at all times.

 

[giguana]

so the same goes for electric skateboards, scooters, etc of all kinds. whereas an electric bike is a bicycle.-maybe other electric scooters also have pavement status.

 

[Biker_Bob]

As I understand it. A bicycle (under 200W with 15MPH limit) is the only electric vehicle that is allowed on the roads and that doesn't have to pass any type-approval requirements. The key is that it must have pedals as it's primary means of propulsion.
Electric scooters, skateboards, mini sit on kiddies bikes, trikes and cars and obviously anything powered by internal combustion engines are illegal on footpaths, roads and any land to which the public have access, or even where a member of the public may reasonably be expected to be able to gain access. This means that if you run over somebody's foot on your electric scooter, in your own front garden, you can be prosecuted even though the person in question may be trespassing, onless you can prove that they took extraordinary measures to get in there (climbing a fence etc.)
I'm guessing that sit-on mobilty scooters aren't exempt and that's why some have number plates on, which implies that those that don't have plates are also illegal.
In other words, stick to bicycles.
Incidentally I do have one of those Micro push scooters and it's terrific for short journeys, under a mile or so. I estimate it cuts the journey time by 40 to 50% compared to walking, unless the journey is all up hill...

 

[burncycle]

I hired a segway a Walt Disney World Florida for a few hours.
They are great machines. Easy to ride, though not fast or practical as a method of transport.
They will never be an ebike.
They excel in places like factories or large complexes.
I dont think id ever take one out on the open road.

 

[prState]

Quote:
No. Vehicles must be approved via ECWVTA or MSVA in order to be licensed and registered. Self-balancing scooters would not currently meet the requirements of these schemes so are not legal for road use.

Pretty much covers UFO technology as well. Regular anti-gravity machines fall under that!

 

[kraeuterbutter]

1 month ago i was in Portual, Lissabon..

there the policeman are using Segways..
seems to be the ideal vehicle for the inner city

i saw them several times..
they are faster than walking (or running)
they can be used also on hilly terrain
they can be used in pedestrian-zones with lot of people

another benefit: the policemen are some cm higher than the rest of the people, can oversee the szene better as if they were there only on foot..

most impressive:
i was lying on the big place in Lissabon in town-center (don´t remember name of the place), when two policeman were coming with segways in high-speed..
jumping down 2 relativ flat stairs at fullspeed running over the place...

here in vienna they are rent for tourists (i think guided tours) for exploring the inner city

(today when i was biking i met for the first time a realy big horde of segways, not only 5-6 as usually, but 20-25, even old people..)

 

[Matt]

When I lived in Prague I use to see them all the time as you can rent them out, but they were really expensive. They do seem to go pretty fast and they look very stable.

 

[Ian Harwood]

You can hire them for sight-seeing tours in Paris.