Segways banned in Britain

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Budda648

Only realize what? I know I don't share the same sentiment as the majority of ChiefDelphi users and the FIRST community, but I don't see the practicality of using a Segway daily. Walking is just as easy and consumes less space on the sidewalks. Now, if you have an injury or something of the sort that doesn't allow you to walk for very long then be my guest, ride a Segway. It's a cool invention and all.

It all depends on how one lives. I use my Segway almost daily - and not just for fun. And with the large growth of paved bicycle (linear) trails in Connecticut, the commute options for Segway owners are constantly growing. My father has said when gas hits $4.00 a gallon, he'd purchase a Segway to commute to work. And after doing the math, he'd only have to commute to work on it 1/3 of the year for about 2 1/2 years and it would pay for itself in savings (gas, vehicle wear-and-tear, etc).

And Segways do not occupy that much additional space on a sidewalk than a pedrestrian. The only thing that's wider is about 3-4 inches on either side of the wheelbase, which are the wheels. And even then, whenever I'm on a sidewalk and a pedrestrian is coming, I'll move out of the way for them.

Originally Posted by Budda648

Heh... Highway Act of 1835 was used to ban it. Weird.

Back in 1835, you could count on one hand how many steam-powered railroads there were in Britain. Cars, trains, planes, trolleys, subways, electricity, or even modern bicycles had either yet to be invented or widely adopted. Although there are some laws which may stand the trials of time and continue to be valid, laws which deal with technology need to keep pace with current needs and inventions.

To use a law from 1835 to ban Segways, is in my opinion, a lame attempt by the ignorant to ban something based on biased opinions. I can't stress enough how many people's opinions of Segways have changed for the better after they've rode one around for five to ten minutes.