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Rant Self balancing Boards now ''illegal'' to use in public

Discussion in 'General' started by lilgoth89, 12 Oct 2015.

  1. lilgoth89

    lilgoth89 Captin Calliope

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    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...are-illegal-to-ride-in-public-police-say.html

    Thoughts ?

    personally i dont see a problem with them, they are no more dangerous that Bicycles ( albeit they take as long to learn to use )

    i imagine the Electric Skateboards that are stating to make their way over here now will be next in the firing line...

    it seems the government are intent on looking into alternate transport methods simply to make them illegal. Also notice they are not banning the SALE of the items ( because that would lose them money in sales tax obviously ) just the use of them in public, so you basically need to own your own park / airfield to get any kind of use out of these things...

    i wonder when mobility scooters will come a cropper, as they mostly fit the category of the now illegal items
     
  2. wolfticket

    wolfticket Downwind from the bloodhounds

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    I suppose the thing is, you can't legally ride a bicycle on a normal non-dual use pavement so why this? And maybe you can't safely ride them on the road either?

    I don't see why you couldn't ride one on an off road path where bicycles (and electric bicycles more to the point) are allowed though.

    Of course what's really needed is updated legislation that is more specific to modern alternative transport. As it is (and as stated in that article) the police are basically having to take a very broad interpretation of existing laws that were not made with this sort of thing in mind at all. This leads to ambiguity and uncertainty.

    I think where possible things like this should be accommodated, rather than hit with knee jerk bans. Alternative personal transport methods are generally a good thing.
    I think the world would be a nicer place if everyone made short journeys on glowing electric boards rather than in cars :)
     
    Last edited: 12 Oct 2015
  3. mrlongbeard

    mrlongbeard Multimodder

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    Always have been, just that now it's been publicly commented on...
     
  4. mrlongbeard

    mrlongbeard Multimodder

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    Except they are covered under separate legislation, as are elec bikes
     
  5. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    How does this rule help anyone? How are they more dangerous than someone on roller blades or a skateboard, or a regular scooter. What is it about gyros that creates a sudden threat to humanity?
     
  6. legoman

    legoman breaker of things

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    Similar vain to bicycles which are not allowed on a public footpath unless the road is unsafe. I think Scooters etc also come under this ruling but its mainly small children on them so the police turn a blind eye.
    It'll all be down to some pillock using their phone ploughing into an elderly person because they were to busy Tindering their new "bae" to look up where they were going.

    Ironically the inventor of the Segway met his end due to one (drove off a cliff by accident)
     
  7. wolfticket

    wolfticket Downwind from the bloodhounds

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    It wasn't the inventor. It's was a business man who had recently bought Segway Inc.
     
  8. JoeK

    JoeK Minimodder

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    they're a nuisance, whenever someone comes the other way with these you have to yield way to them, and move towards the lampost side. It's annoying, any motorised vehicles that are "lifestyle" vehicles like these sedgeway things should be on the road and if they're too slow on the road then they should not be in neither.

    Peeople who use these are so annoying, walking takes no effort, and these things are effectively walking speed. You can actually walk for 2 hours no problem - but standing still for 2 hours is extremely difficult. So this actually is more harmful than walking.
     
  9. JoeK

    JoeK Minimodder

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    another interesting fact. The chinese copycat copied and sold their version in china by the masses, the chines knock off made a lot more porfit due to better margins. The american company sued the chinese. The chinese in turn just bought the american company that sued.
     
  10. JoeK

    JoeK Minimodder

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    i bet the bulk of car scrapes that happen are from idiots who ride bikes and these gadgets on the pavement. I would be glad if they outlawed these.
     
  11. Cerberus90

    Cerberus90 Car Spannerer

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    I didn't think China bothered with copyright infringment.
     
  12. JoeK

    JoeK Minimodder

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    they are starting to, they are creating their own brands now and they need protection of their brands in western countries so they are starting to play ball. Lenovo & Huawei are 2 examples of chinese brands that are worldwide.

    I noticed now tht chinese companies are now not doing blatent rip offs for their longterm branded products, and now doing close imitations.

    casein point

    bouncepad.com (original designer)
    onshowsecurity.com/eacpzs.asp?dlb_id=15 (rip off, but their own take)
     
  13. legoman

    legoman breaker of things

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    I stand corrected!

    Irony at its finest right there.
     
  14. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    Yes, that the best reason to outlaw something, because it offers a minor 2 second inconvenience to a person. Stepping to the side of the footpath? Oh the humanity.

    Funnily enough, people are allowed on the road and they are slower or as equally slow as any of them.
     
  15. Bungletron

    Bungletron Minimodder

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    Theres one with a really loud integrated bluetooth speaker for megalolz, the pavement is now the new back of the bus.
     
  16. wolfticket

    wolfticket Downwind from the bloodhounds

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    They're already outlawed from riding on the pavement, so that's good eh?
    Oh, and I'd take that bet if there was any way of proving it one way or t'other.
     
  17. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Are they? You try walking down the middle of a main road in your town, see how long it takes for the police to show up and ask you what the heck you're playing at. Assuming you don't get hit by a car before that happens, of course.

    I'm on the "good" side of this argument. Pavements are for pedestrians, with exemptions made for mobility vehicles. If you're on a wheeled vehicle which is not part of the exemptions, then you need to be on a road or other carriageway designed for its use - such as a dual-use path or cycle track. I walk with my three-year-old daughter, and if some idiot on a balance board ran into me full-tilt it'd hurt - but if it hit my daughter there'd likely be hospitalisation involved.

    See also this pavement-cyclist who hit a toddler and scarpered - and isn't it ironic that he was wearing a nice bright top, presumably for his safety - or this jogger who died when a pavement-cyclist hit him.

    Pavement's for feets, specifically-exempt mobility vehicles and pushchairs/prams/old ladies' shopping trollies/wheeled luggage; everything else can get on the road or GTFO.

    I'll make an exception for Sinclair C5s, if anyone wants to put 'em back into production, because seriously, how lovely were they?
     
  18. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

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    My neighbour had a C5 back in the late 80s. I remember thinking it was very "Star Trek" at the time. He tired of it within a year or so and I had the option to buy it from him for £400, which is roughly what he paid new, but I didn't have the nous to realise it would climb in value and thought he was trying to fleece me (I was only seventeen).

    Despite having the money, I declined and bought a brand spanking Amiga 500 for about the same fee.
     
  19. Kronos

    Kronos Multimodder

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    I see them as no more dangerous than two women pushing baby buggies and yapping. OK then very dangerous.
     
  20. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    People were constantly walking on the main road in my town because the footpaths were too narrow. So it was pedestrianized. Turns out that cutting out a traffic route through the town was a bad idea so they put cars on it again.

    Anyway, generally where there's no footpath you can walk on the road.

    What about roller blades and skateboards then?

    What about all the cyclists that die when cars hit them? Should we ban cars?
     

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