Segway Human Transporter

HL Deb 21 July 2004 vol 664 cc58-60WA

Earl Attlee

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Segway human transporter should be ridden on the pavement or in the road; and which option is safer. [HL3879]

Lord Davies of Oldham

Only invalid carriages complying with the Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988 can be used on pavements. Information provided to the Department for Transport indicates that the Segway human transporter is not such a carriage, so could he used only on a road.

To be used on the road the human transporter would have to be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. It would also be required to comply with the requirements of the Road Traffic Act 1988, including vehicle construction and lighting regulations, in the same way as any other powered two-wheeled vehicle.

The Government have not carried out any assessment of the relative safety of its use on the pavement or road.