Holland bans Segways from public roads

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 03 January 2007 19:44

Opinion and Analysis

Lacks a handbrake, apparently… but it’s still used at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which is ‘private property’.

Reports online indicate that Dutch authorities have decided that the Segway people mover, the electric scooter that was going to change the world (until it didn’t) can’t be licensed for use on Dutch roads because it doesn’t have a handbrake.

To stop the Segway, you need to lean backwards, but apparently this isn’t good enough for the Dutch authorities. Given that the Segway runs on batteries and is fully electric, it actually is quite a cool invention, if only it didn’t cost so much.

I don’t think too many Dutch people had Segways on the shopping list for 2007 in any case, given the thousands of dollars it costs to buy one. But it might force Segway to come up with some newer, better designs that are more affordable and take local driving laws into account around the world.

The Dutch Segway importer is flabbergasted by the development and is working with authorities to have the decision reversed. Still, it’s a pity the distributor is trying to put the handbrake on the new regulations now, as it were, when they should have worked harder to stop this from happening in the first place.