It was supposed to launch a revolution in personal transport but has been
stopped in its tracks by a strict interpretation of a 170-year-old law.
The Government has declared that the Segway Human Transporter — a £3,000
self-balancing scooter — cannot be used in any public place.
The scooter, which has been described unkindly as a Pogo stick on wheels or a
motorised Zimmer frame, arrived with great fanfare in 2001. Dean Kamen, its
American inventor, suggested that it would be the solution to all transport
woes. Queues of exhaust-belching cars would soon be replaced by squadrons of
Segway riders gliding silently along at 12mph.
Mr Kamen said then that it “will be to the car what the car was to the horse
and buggy”. The hyperbole provoked a backlash in the media, which largely
ridiculed the invention and ignored the technical genius of the gyroscopes
and microprocessors that keep it upright.
However, after a slow start, sales have picked up in dozens of countries.
France, Spain and most US states permit it on pavements; Austria and the
Netherlands allow it on cycle paths, and in Italy it can trundle on both. On
pavements, the limit in Italy and France is 6kmh (3.7mph).
In Britain the Department for Transport has welcomed the scooter with a
double- whammy, invoking the Highway Act of 1835 to ban it from pavements
and EU vehicle certification rules to keep it off roads.
In a document, Regulations for self-balancing scooters, the department
says: “You can only ride an unregistered selfbalancing scooter on land which
is private property and with the landowner’s permission.” It rejects
proposals that the Segway should be treated like the faster electric
bicycle.
It says: “A self-balancing scooter does not meet requirements [for electric
bicycles] as it cannot be pedalled.”
The document also advises Segway users to wear “appropriate safety clothing at
all times”.
Bae Systems, which developed the Segway gyroscopes at its Plymouth research
centre, accused the department of failing to test it properly. Andy Hughes,
a spokesman, said that four officials attended a testing session, three of
whom refused to ride it. The fourth travelled only 100 yards.
“The department seems reluctant to accept new technology and there is a degree
of arse-covering in the regulations,” he said.
Those regulations have also angered a small but determined group of Segway
commuters, who insist that they will continue to ride to work, saying they
pose less risk to pedestrians than a clumsy jogger.
Isidore Margaronis, 56, the director of a shipping company, has commuted by
Segway for the past three years from Notting Hill in West London to his
Piccadilly office. He said: “The department is taking a bureaucratic and
pernickety attitude. If we have to wear protective clothing to do 12mph then
joggers should have to wear motorcycle leathers.”
His journey takes 20 minutes by Segway or 40 minutes by bus or Tube. “I prefer
the Segway because, unlike with a bike, you don’t arrive in a lather. I can
wear a suit and go straight into a meeting, taking my Segway up in the
lift.”
Jeremy Greaves, an executive for EADS, the aerospace company, said: “How can
Tony Blair trumpet Britain’s environmental commitments when the Government
tries to stop people using such a clean and sustainable mode of transport?
I’m going to carry on using it.”
Mr Greaves, 38, added that the only requirement for riding a Segway was to be
thick-skinned. “Some people sneer but they are probably jealous that I am
getting to my destination faster and having fun.”
A study by Kaiserslautern university in Germany found that it took a few
minutes to grasp the basic skills of Segway riding and three hours to become
proficient. A rider simply leans forward to move forward and back to stop.
On the original model, steering is controlled by twisting a handlebar grip.
On a newer version, riders push the column left or right.
The German study found that learners had a slight tendency to topple backwards
if they stopped too quickly.
A department spokesman hinted that the regulations might be reviewed, adding:
“We are still in contact with the company and keeping up to date with
developments.”
Cyclists failing to take cover
MOST cyclists who regularly ride to work or for pleasure do not have proper
insurance cover, research has shown. Only 2 per cent of the five million
adults who regularly cycle were covered by a specialist insurance policy.
CTC, the cycling group, has cautioned cyclists that they face claims for
compensation if involved in an accident. Kevin Mayne, a director, said:
“Most cyclists simply don’t give the issue of third-party insurance any
thought and, although cycling is safe and healthy, it’s dangerous to ignore
the threat of legal action in the event of an accident.
“Although some household insurance policies offer a degree of third-party
cover, many exclude road traffic accidents.”
