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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Opik and peers in Segway protest | Opik and peers in Segway protest |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A ban on using two-wheeler Segways on UK roads will be deliberately flouted later by an MP, in protest at the law. | A ban on using two-wheeler Segways on UK roads will be deliberately flouted later by an MP, in protest at the law. |
| Lib Dem Lembit Opik will ride a Segway from Parliament to the Department of Transport - and is challenging ministers to have him arrested. | Lib Dem Lembit Opik will ride a Segway from Parliament to the Department of Transport - and is challenging ministers to have him arrested. |
| He will be joined by Conservative peers Lord Attlee and the Earl of Liverpool on the five-minute trip. | He will be joined by Conservative peers Lord Attlee and the Earl of Liverpool on the five-minute trip. |
| Both the Tories and Lib Dems have called for the 12mph battery-powered vehicles to be allowed in cycle lanes. | Both the Tories and Lib Dems have called for the 12mph battery-powered vehicles to be allowed in cycle lanes. |
| The Segway Personal Transporter, which can carry one person for 24 miles before it needs to be recharged, uses gyroscopes to maintain balance but can only be driven on private land in the UK. | The Segway Personal Transporter, which can carry one person for 24 miles before it needs to be recharged, uses gyroscopes to maintain balance but can only be driven on private land in the UK. |
| 'Ludicrous' | 'Ludicrous' |
| It is illegal to use them on highways or pavements. | It is illegal to use them on highways or pavements. |
| Montgomeryshire MP Mr Opik says it is very flexible, convenient in rural areas as well as large cities - and environmentally friendly. | |
| "It seems ludicrous that such an environmentally friendly way of getting around has been dismissed by the British government," he said. | "It seems ludicrous that such an environmentally friendly way of getting around has been dismissed by the British government," he said. |
| He said the government seemed "paralysed with indecision". | He said the government seemed "paralysed with indecision". |
| "On the one hand they say that the Segway PT isn't legal, on the other hand they are unable to point to a single scrap of evidence in British law to show why they should be banned." | "On the one hand they say that the Segway PT isn't legal, on the other hand they are unable to point to a single scrap of evidence in British law to show why they should be banned." |
| Bush fall | Bush fall |
| He added: "For these reasons I've decided to take a stand, and am challenging the government to either have us arrested or to accept that not doing so means the Segway PT is effectively legal transport." | He added: "For these reasons I've decided to take a stand, and am challenging the government to either have us arrested or to accept that not doing so means the Segway PT is effectively legal transport." |
| Mr Opik said they were already used by hundreds of police forces across the world and at Heathrow Airport. US President George Bush famously fell off one in 2003. | Mr Opik said they were already used by hundreds of police forces across the world and at Heathrow Airport. US President George Bush famously fell off one in 2003. |
| Some 250,000 have been sold worldwide. It is thought there are about 2,000 in the UK, where they cost around £4,300 each. | Some 250,000 have been sold worldwide. It is thought there are about 2,000 in the UK, where they cost around £4,300 each. |
| In its guidance, 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. | In its guidance, 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. |
| Segways and other scooters are not included in the same category as bicycles, as they cannot be pedalled. | Segways and other scooters are not included in the same category as bicycles, as they cannot be pedalled. |