By Nick Heath, 9 September 2008 16:59
NEWS
MP Lembit Opik braved arrest on Tuesday as he teetered along on a Segway at a cool 12mph outside the Houses of Parliament.
The MP for Montgomeryshire was willing to be hauled away by police in his protest against the ban on the two-wheeled transporters on UK roads saying: "It's either Segways or Strangeways."
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Opik, who can regularly be seen weaving along the country lanes on his Segway Personal Transporter around his home in Newtown, Wales, believes the machines will be legal on UK roads by Christmas.
He argues the one-person gyroscopic vehicles could transform city centres - replacing pollution spewing cars with the electric vehicles - saying their top speed of 12mph is four miles per hour faster than the average car in London city centre.
Opik believes the fact his action went unpunished will inspire other Segway owners nationwide to defy the ban and take to the streets without fear of arrest.
About 500,000 Segways have been sold worldwide and they are used by about 600 police forces. Around 2,000 are thought to be in the UK where they cost about £4,300.
Opik said: "The Segway Personal Transporter...is a revolutionary leap forward for travel, which virtually does away with short-haul journeys in the car.
"I use my Segway for many journeys, for example to travel the seven miles from Newtown to the nearby village of Abermule.
"The only barrier is the Department for Transport's vagueness about whether they are legal or not.
"I was prepared to be arrested but if they do not arrest a group of MPs in high-visibility jackets then how can they arrest anyone."
Opik pledged to raise the issue with transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick and to put forward a parliamentary question asking for them to be given the same classification as a bicycle on the road.
He said: "Let the Segway reduce congestion and pollution on Britain's roads."
The Department for Transport says it would be "difficult" for scooters such as Segways to meet the standards required to be classified as road vehicles.
Comments
There are 11 comments. Join the discussion
1. Graham Moore
"The Department for Transport says it would be "difficult" for scooters such as Segways to meet the standards required to be classified as road vehicles."
Just suppose the bicycle was just invented, surely it would also not meet todays standards would it?
2. Richard Davies
Maybe if it doesn't meet standards, then the standards should be changed so that it does?
Who are the DfT anyway!?! I know who they are but what I mean is...who are they to stand in the way of progress!
3. Nigel Montgomery
I agree with the MP concerned, not least because his constituency shares the same name as myself!
Think about the number of school buses used to transport children from villages to ever consolidating schools. In many cases the distance is a matter of a few miles but cost enormous amounts in terms of impact on the environment, congestion and monetary cost. Segways would be perfect for the school run, assuming the unit cost could be brought down to £950, the representative cost of a bus pass for village-based children in years 11 & 12
In terms of safety, in the US, Boston to be precise, if a padestrian is run over by a car then it's the car drivers fault, regardless of the person wandering across the road. If the same rule was applied that if a car and Segway collide then there is a stiff penalty for the car driver, then Segway's would be safer than bicycles on the road.
4. radical Meldrew
He may be risking arrest but this isn't the first time he's got 'Cheeky'.
5. Craig
Has this member of parliament nothing better to do ? I hope his constituents get him back working on more important matters soon.
6. Charles Smith
The Segway would be a menace to cyclists on the pavements (sidewalk).
They shouldn't be allowed.
7. galleyslave
The Segway needs an independent
brake on the wheels 'at least' to comply with the regs.
But on the other side why can't the lazy beggers walk.
AT 4MPH
8. Rob
Being a motorised vehicle and being allowed on the roads third party insurance is a definate must.
Because of the sort of numpties that would by one, I'd want them to pass some sort of basic CBT test as well.
Personally can't see the attraction, what's wrong with your legs for short journeys or public transport even. Let's not forget the Sedge may seem like a good green answer to congestion but how much electricity do they need?
9. Yoosyur Bhike
Of course they should be legal. Maybe some clarification is needed about top speeds, use of pavements, etc, but they have been in use around the world long enough for their safety not to be in doubt.
What's odd is that, other than for their novelty value, anyone should prefer them to a bicycle, electrically-assisted or otherwise. If you want to stand for your whole journey and travel at 12 mph, you might as well use public transport!
10. Karen Challinor
so he's too cool to walk like the rest of us and too bone idle or lacking in coordination to use a pushbike ?
I have to say my estimation of politicians in general has NOT moved in an upward direction because of this
11. Richard Percival
I have now rented a Segway and taken 1-hour guided tours through the streets of St Petersburg Florida and Santa Barbara California. These tours involve using sidewalks (Brit. Eng. pavements) and mixing with foot traffic, crossing streets using crosswalks, and crossing open spaces parks and grassed areas. For those in the UK where such activities are currently illegal, here are the facts:
Learning to navigate, balance while stationary or moving, brake (from 25mph) and park takes at most 5 minutes.
It looks weird from the outside, but it is exhilarating.
control is a breeze, they stop on a dime (magnetic regenerative brakes are a joy - just lean backwards, like pulling up a horse)
Incidentally Police forces (eg Chicago) use them with great effect as they are completely silent, very quick, (Police Special version does I believe 50 mph)
They recharge from the wall, and run 2-3 hours from one charge (regenerative braking is very efficient)
In other words only ignorance and poor understanding of the engineering behind them (see Dean Kamen's Wheelchair design for the rest of the story) holds back a timorous British public - unless it is the rainy climate and the price, which sadly remains high, no doubt due to the low sales volumes.