IT HAS been mocked around the world as the over-hyped gadget that nobody wanted, but the Segway may at last have found a role on the postman’s round and the policeman’s beat.

Royal Mail has been testing two of the self-balancing scooters at its distribution centre in Swindon, with a view to speeding up postal deliveries. The Police Federation has also tested them and has written to the Home Office recommending that they be used on patrols.

Standing on a Segway raises the user by eight inches. The federation believes that the elevated position would give officers authority, especially now that forces have abandoned minimum height requirements, but the American firm that makes the electric powered “human transporter” will first have to persuade the Government to change the law to allow it to be ridden on pavements.

Road safety officials at the Department for Transport tested several Segways last week and were impressed that they tend to remain upright when stopped abruptly. Earl Attlee, the Tory peer, has tabled amendments to the Road Safety Bill that would allow Segways to be used on footpaths, cycle lanes and bridleways.

Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation, said: “The Segway could provide improved accessibility for officers in locations where alternative methods of transportation may not be appropriate.”

While a speed limiter can be used to restrict the Segway to 5mph on pavements, it has a top speed of 12.5mph. The batteries have recently been improved to double the range to 24 miles on a single charge.

Panniers can be fitted to the sides and front with a total carrying capacity of 75lb, more than adequate for the heaviest postal round.

Living Streets, formerly known as the Pedestrians Association, is opposed to allowing Segways on the pavement because, it says, they will intimidate groups such as the elderly.

Nic Dallatana, Segway’s European manager, admitted that users needed to be trained to use the devices responsibly, but he said that even if there were collisions with pedestrians, the consequences would be far less severe than being hit by a cyclist.

However, while the retail price remains as high as £3,000, the pavements are unlikely to be filled with Segways. The company had expected the price to drop sharply but this was based on original projections of millions of sales rather the tens of thousands that have been purchased.

If they are deemed to be an appropriate policing tool, forces should remember that the Segway shares one major shortcoming with those other motorised trolleys, the Daleks.

Fugitives could escape simply by heading for the nearest stairs.

The 'Pogo stick on wheels'

I APPROACHED the Segway with trepidation, remembering that it had thwarted the world’s most powerful man (Ben Webster writes). My instructor reassured me: “Don’t worry, George Bush fell off only because he forgot to switch it on.”

There is no accelerator or brake: you simply lean forward to go forward and backwards to stop or reverse. To turn, you twist the left grip on the handlebar. In less than five minutes I was whizzing along the pavement and spinning on the spot. Learning to ride a Segway is so simple that you very soon feel the urge to push it to the limits. Pedestrians scattered ahead of me.

The extra eight inches gives a sense of superiority over mortals planting one foot in front of the other. Unfortunately, it also gives a good view of all the people sniggering at the bald bloke on the Pogo stick on wheels.

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