Segway fans are trundling mad today, following a magistrate's ruling that the two-wheeled wobblers can't be ridden on the pavement.
The ruling concluded a test case that saw an unemployed factory worker, Phillip Coates (pictured right), fined £75 for riding a Segway on a pavement in Barnsley. Coates was also slapped with a bill for £265 in costs.
The case hinged on whether a Segway could be described as "a mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads". The judge in the case decided they could be described thus, particularly as Coates told the police he'd consider riding his on the road when the pavement was full.
Segway supporters -- including ludicrous former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik -- are royally brassed off about the judgement, as the comical, self-balancing transportation devices are already banned from use on the roads. That's because they don't meet basic safety guidelines, what with their lack of indicators and the like.
As such, law-abiding Segway riders can now only get their 12mph rocks off on private ground, with the landowners' permission. Suitable areas could potentially include golf clubs, warehouses and shopping centres, according to the Department for Transport, although ice rinks might also be a laugh.
After the ruling, Coates' solicitor said he would be considering whether to appeal the verdict. A successful appeal could pave the way for Segways to be used on the roads, pending mechanical improvements. That's something advocates of the environmentally friendly, electric devices are all for, judging by the overwhelmingly positive response to last year's government consultation on the matter.
Honestly, first it's mobility scooters on motorways, and now it's Segways on pavements. Is this ruling another example of transport regulation gone mad, or have Segway riders received their just desserts? Let us know in the comments section below.
Photo credit: Ross Parry
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Comments 13
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Anonymous 19 January, 2011 18:15
This is a fine example of the law being an ass. It reminds me of that famous Not The Nine O'Clock News sketch where the judge has never heard about any of the items the alleged offender is supposed to have stolen, until the solicitor mentions the stolen blow up doll !! - which the judge knew all about.
The Segway should be allowed on road or pavement. It is environmentally friendly and heads what undoubtedly will be a slew of similar devices being developed for personal transport. Traditional forms of transport have got to make way for futureproof modes such as the Segway and for the judge and the government not to be on top of this (like 30 US states and a load of EU countries) is purile. The judge wants locking up and I think we should all have a whip round for Mr Coates.
anonymous 19 January, 2011 18:36
no road tax, no insurance, no value added tax on petrol.. i can see why they would want to curb this...
where mobility scooters are used by a niche that consists of the elderly or the morbidly obese the segway would be used by a larger demographic.
KoumasInDisguise 19 January, 2011 19:52
How did an unemployed factory worker afford a segway?
billfred 19 January, 2011 20:25
1st, yes. How on earth did he buy one of these?!
And secondly, I thought it was pretty well known fact that it was illegal to actually use these anywhere useful here in the UK...no?
alexandrorlov 19 January, 2011 21:53
so whats the difference between them and an electric bike scooter or the like, hope he does take action and appeal the case, if it goes to the european courts it will win coz its all over mainland europe from paris to milan, heres hoping, or should i say heres riding
EvilJoe39 19 January, 2011 23:24
and bicycles meet safety guidelines what with their abundance of indicators and the like..... maybe we can ban them too
Anonymous 20 January, 2011 04:17
1) Segways are NOT environmentally friendly. Making and disposing of the electronics and the battery is better for the environment than getting your lazy fat butt up and walking? I doubt it.
2) The open wheel design is dangerous to be anywhere near, especially in a crowded area like a sidewalk where you can't dodge. My next door neighbor found that out when an idiot ran him over and dislocated his hip.
3) THE OWNER OF THE SEGWAY COMPANY DIED ON ONE OF THE THINGS!!! How safe are they again? Even a quick search will show dozens of videos of people wrecking on them. Not trying to do stunts or tricks, just trying to stay upright.
Personal freedom is one thing, but seriously, these things are just a bad idea. I don't want to be anywhere near one.
Anonymous 20 January, 2011 11:50
I have used a Segway and you would have to be an idiot and going too fast to fall off one - just like idiots going too fast crash cars. Electric cars are not environmentally friendly either but that is missing the point - it is BETTER than using a car, even an electric one, on a short journey. Until you have tried one and seen how good they really are you cannot comment on them. Everyone I know who has tried a Segway has come away being nothing but completely impressed by them.
The owner who died on a Segway went over a cliff - it wasn't the Segway that killed him it was the fall. The poor guy was on his own land - there aren't many cliffs near public areas that I know of that aren't fenced off.
Why do Segways come in for derision when electric cars don't? is it because Segways don't accelerate to 60 mph in 4 seconds and are unlikely to kill anyone they collide with?
On the continent and in the USA the police use Segways for patrolling and very effective they are too because the extra height allows a greater view over heads and can go faster than someone running, for longer and in more places, between bollards and down alleys.
My father in law has asthma and can't walk far - he's not wheelchair material but a Segway would allow him to get about and it would be far better on pavements than an electric scooter - at least it affords the dignity of standing rather than sitting.
While we are on the subject - why has no one yet been prosecuted for using an electric wheelchair on the pavement or on the road?
Anonymous 20 January, 2011 17:09
"it wasn't the Segway that killed him it was the fall"
You must be an NRA member.
chrisp666 21 January, 2011 13:25
Thank god they were banned. The pavements of London are perilous enough as it is with kamikaze cyclists roaming free. I think the Segway is great, but we don't have the infrastructure for them.
Anonymous 21 January, 2011 13:43
Perhaps allowing on roads only in built-up areas (30 mph zones) could be a solution to see how safe they are.
Anonymous 21 January, 2011 14:09
I think these are no more dangerous than a mobility scooter or bicycle. Small personal transport does need to move forward for obvious reasons and a segway is a very compact eco friendly example (which will probably continue to become even more eco friendly if it grows in popularity).
Not everyone has the luxury or energy to spend hours walking every day - some people have busy jobs etc and for those journeys where it's just that bit too far to walk every day we do need an alternative like the segway especially in places like london. Other capital cities use smaller transport than cars too - it's just naturally going to progress in that direction wether people like it or not.
I'm fairly certain that an idiot on a segway is no more dangerous than an idiot on a bike.
anonymous 23 January, 2011 11:59
I am fascinated by the progress in technology!