Is the Airwheel legal as they say?

[Fab32]

If there was as setting that limited it to 4mph 'for use on paths' could another 'private land use' setting be available for ragging it round your back garden?

would that sidestep things?

[agtlaw]

daveenty said:

If you look on the site the OP referred to in his first post and search for the item in question ( Here to save you searching), you'll see that the selling company have a disclaimer near the bottom of the page: -

"******** The S3 is only for use on private property and in parks. It can not be used on pavements************"

That's not the item being discussed.

[R1 Indy]

It may not be "quite" legal, but it would surely have to be a right jobs worth to book you for riding one on the road??

[Adrian E]

R1 Indy said:

It may not be "quite" legal, but it would surely have to be a right jobs worth to book you for riding one on the road??

The risk of prosecution would be similar as for riding a bicycle on the pavement - and people have been done for that in fairly significant numbers (albeit these days with a fixed penalty mainly)

[Octoposse]

Adrian E said:

R1 Indy said:

It may not be "quite" legal, but it would surely have to be a right jobs worth to book you for riding one on the road??

The risk of prosecution would be similar as for riding a bicycle on the pavement - and people have been done for that in fairly significant numbers (albeit these days with a fixed penalty mainly)

I would have thought that a Section 165 seizure for no insurance would also be a possibility.

[Lowtimer]

Re: electric cycles

There is a specific category for these, the "electrically assisted pedal cycle" or EAPC, allowing them to be used on the roads (not pavements) subject to certain criteria in a highly deregulated way. These are summarised here:
https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

One of these is that is must have pedals which can be used to propel it. Neither the Segway not the Airwheel has pedals so nether can claim to be any sort of cycle. They are certainly not EAPCs and therefore to be used legally on the roads would have to go through type approval, which they would obviously fail, and be taxed, insured etc.

None of the above can legally be used on public pavements.

[Lowtimer]

Fab32 said:

If there was as setting that limited it to 4mph 'for use on paths' could another 'private land use' setting be available for ragging it round your back garden?

would that sidestep things?

Hardly, as it is by no stretch of the imagination either a Class 2 or Class 3 invalid carriage, and that "4 mph for pavements" thing is only relevant to invalid carriages

[thescamper]

A related question, is the use of mobility scooters limited to those with limited mobility (disabled)?

[V8forweekends]

Adrian E said:

R1 Indy said:

It may not be "quite" legal, but it would surely have to be a right jobs worth to book you for riding one on the road??

The risk of prosecution would be similar as for riding a bicycle on the pavement - and people have been done for that in fairly significant numbers (albeit these days with a fixed penalty mainly)

Not round here they haven't - I was in town recently and was passed at speed by a kamikaze cyclist who mounted the pavement long which a BiB was walking - sailed straight past without any sign of interest from the copper.

[Lowtimer]

thescamper said:

A related question, is the use of mobility scooters limited to those with limited mobility (disabled)?

I have no reason to believe so. Although to do some things with one, e.g. park it in a disabled parking space, you need to have a blue badge and be entitled to use it.

https://www.gov.uk/rules-powered-wheelchairs-mobil...

[4rephill]

I have to say that if I saw someone riding one of these airway things, My first thought would be: "You look a right knob!"

It reminds Me of those small dogs that get carried everywhere (or as the recent fad was, carried everywhere in a bag - Paris Hilton style! [do people still do that?]), because they're "too precious to walk!".

You've got legs! - try using them you lazy bds!

[stemll]

Seems that they don't believe the distance selling regulations apply to them

http://www.theairwheel.com/shipping-returns/

[duckwhistle]

Read carefully what Lowrtimer has posted. This is 100% correct. You could commit several offences with one of these and also be disqualified from driving. Beware 'private ground', the rules apply to anywhere the Public has access not just roads. In Scotland' public' access means virtually everywhere for practical purposes. An electrically assisted bike has to comply exactly with strict rules on construction, power etc. The Police are not daft ,they know exactly what's going on with this stuff and the overpowered electric bikes currently being built and used. When the crackdown comes, and it will a lot of folk will find themselves in deep you know what.

[Jagmanv12]

I'd say these come in the same classification as Go-peds which were proved to be illegal for road/pavement use as they had an engine/motor. Only (legal) use I can see would be in the paddock at Silverstone, etc.

[TinyCappo]

I will give you my experience of riding a motorised vehicle round london and the south east.

I bought a electric skateboard about 3-4 years ago now after seeing them at the Gadget show at the NEC as I was working at the time within Gatwick and as a contractor was not eligible for a parking permit. Choice of £3-400 a month to park in Gatwick short stay or £200 ish and a potential 45 minute wait to get to the terminal in the long stay...Not ideal and the nearest free parking as a good few miles away in Manor Royal.

These boards were bought 2nd hand and were either the 600w or 800w models capable of 25mph apparently best I ever achieved after about 2 months of learning and slowly increasing the speed was 18mph which was more than enough.

In the 3 years I rode them I took out Extreme sports insurance which covered me in case I accidentally fell off and the board shot off into a car door or small child. This cost me on average £40 a year, Wrist guards, a bike helmet and occasionally a high vis tabbard for round central London showed any interested parties I was sensible, Other than that my only tangles with the police have been positive and being prepared to let them have a go.

I only met one person who got upset by it who was a park warden who said there was no cycling so I couldn't be on that thing too.

Be safe, be sensible, get some insurance and be prepared to pick it up and carry it if asked to, Other than that enjoy it.

[Lowtimer]

I see CPS has finally got round to this subject today, undoubtedly spurred by the latest burst of PR from the importers. None of these off-beat electric thingies (airwheels, so-called hoverboards, Segways, electric roller skates, what-have-you) is legal for road or footway use.

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/road_traffic_of...

If the CPS site seems sluggish (it seems to have been up and down today) there's a reliable report here:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/12/...
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/12/uk-...

[Baryonyx]

Crap peddlar in the article said:

“Clearly customers need to take advice, but millennials are not going to take kindly to the authorities using a law that pre-dates the penny-farthing to tell them what they can or can’t do on the streets of Britain”.

Yeah, stick it to the man by riding your crappy electric scooter thing. Alternatively, the nervous twitch of a man who has invested in this crap and has a load in stock, sensing them going the way of the C5.

[R8VXF]

V8forweekends said:

Adrian E said:

R1 Indy said:

It may not be "quite" legal, but it would surely have to be a right jobs worth to book you for riding one on the road??

The risk of prosecution would be similar as for riding a bicycle on the pavement - and people have been done for that in fairly significant numbers (albeit these days with a fixed penalty mainly)

Not round here they haven't - I was in town recently and was passed at speed by a kamikaze cyclist who mounted the pavement long which a BiB was walking - sailed straight past without any sign of interest from the copper.

Personally been ticketed by a CSO for cycling on the pavement in London Very near where I got told off for carrying a blow-up tommy gun in public...

[Lowtimer]

Baryonyx said:

Yeah, stick it to the man by riding your crappy electric scooter thing. Alternatively, the nervous twitch of a man who has invested in this crap and has a load in stock, sensing them going the way of the C5.

Laws against murder, arson, burglary etc also predated the Penny Farthing. Presumably he feels Millennials should ignore those too.

[Lowtimer]

R8VXF said:

ersonally been ticketed by a CSO for cycling on the pavement in London Very near where I got told off for carrying a blow-up tommy gun in public...

Sorry. you can't just say "blow-up tommy gun", all casual-like, and leave it at that. MOAR DETAILS.