A segue on Segway

[kandrathe]

I was looking into the little scooter's called Segway's to solve a transport problem. I came across this news nugget,

In Britain, the Department for Transport has welcomed the scooter with a double whammy, invoking the Highway Act of 1835 to ban it from sidewalks 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 self-balancing 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 seems to be an anti-conservation and overly restrictive position to me. My use of them would be in the USA, and not on public sidewalks or roads (except to cross them), so silly British rules do not apply to me. But, it does seem to be a Lounge worthy discussion.

[Occhidiangela]

I was looking into the little scooter's called Segway's to solve a transport problem. I came across this news nugget, It seems to be an anti-conservation and overly restrictive position to me. My use of them would be in the USA, and not on public sidewalks or roads (except to cross them), so silly British rules do not apply to me. But, it does seem to be a Lounge worthy discussion.

What's wrong with walking?

Occhi

[--Pete]

Hi,

What's wrong with walking?

Walking is not an acceptable means of locomotion, it is a form of exercise. The correct modern protocol is to ride your scooter to the gym where, after finding a parking place as close as possible to the door, you can then walk on the treadmill. :whistling:

--Pete

[NiteFox]

Mmhmm. It's healthier, doesn't cost $3,000, doesn't annoy legitimate pedestrians walking on the pavements and the legitimate drivers on the road.

As a motorist that's frequently annoyed by cyclist packs riding three abreast, little old seniors driving their 15mph scooters, potholes, speed cameras, Estonian bus drivers (A major cause for concern around my area), and other such annoyances, I'm all for anything that keeps another breed of freeloader off the roads that my road tax and my fuel tax supposedly pays for.

[Merlinios]

Mmhmm. It's healthier, doesn't cost $3,000, doesn't annoy legitimate pedestrians walking on the pavements and the legitimate drivers on the road.

Need we continue the questioning?

--me

[kandrathe]

What's wrong with walking?

Occhi

Low speed. High persperation. I'm looking into ways to improve service delivery when a site visit is required. Arriving late and sweaty would be bad.

[Crusader]

Woooh! I want laws like that too! Everyone should go by bike and foot, like I do, I ride 45 mins every day to school, 45 mins back, 20 to the horse riding training centre, 20 mins back, and all I see is lazy teenagers on scooters and everything past that in a car... a CAR. for a 10 minute walk they need to burn fuel, pollute our atmosphere and whatnot.


BAN CARS! :ph34r:

[Hammerskjold]

>Hi,
Walking is not an acceptable means of locomotion, it is a form of exercise. The correct modern protocol is to ride your scooter to the gym where, after finding a parking place as close as possible to the door, you can then walk on the treadmill. :whistling:


Unfortunately that is the way it is in some places. Sometimes it's due to safety (eg:bad neigbourhood), or lack of infrastructure. (Planners in the past never figured that humans in the future\our present still have not invented affordable flying cars and jetpacks. Sidewalks shmidewalks. 'Within walking distance' is a concept for suckers and commie pinkos.)

As a form of exercise, the kind of walking you described I can only do for about 15 minutes. Which feels more like 15 hours. I still prefer the other one where you stroll around the neighbourhood. More stimulating visuals and terrain variety. And depending on the hour, I can encounter in my neighbourhood such wonderful sights and experiences as:

- Suburb raised thug wannabes asking me for an extra cigarrete.
- Police doing their patrols and the occasional arrests, though it's funny they rarely show up when I call because of a suspected vandalism\arson on one of my neighbour's yard.
- Someone doing their best impression of Oscar the Grouch in the local soccer field.
- Someone doing their best impression of Puff the Magic Dragon behind the pharmacy dumpster. (Must be dramatic arts night out or something.)
- My favorite, people trying to re-enact their favorite scene from 'The Fast and the Furious'.

[Taem]

BAN CARS! :ph34r:

Easy to say if you don't have children who need to be in two or three different places in a matter of minutes. Not to mention the hassle of shopping for, in my case, four children, my wife, and myself which requires a LOT of food so our mini-van is usually filled to the brim with Costco food. No, without a car, life would be impossible in this society. Perhaps if we lived on a farm... Nah!