Dutch to ease ban on self-balancing Segway scooter

Puffin13 · Post by **Puffin13** » Sat 19th Apr 2008 06:17 am

Dutch to ease ban on self-balancing Segway scooter
Fri, Apr 18 09:39 PM

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands is to relax its ban on the Segway motorised scooter, a two-wheeled, gyroscopically-balanced machine of which U.S. President George W. Bush is a fan.

"The general use of the Segway will be allowed on bicycle paths and roads under the condition that a maximum speed of 25 km per hour will be kept to," the Dutch government said in a statement.

The electric scooter is currently banned on public streets in the Netherlands and many other European countries have placed restrictions on the use of the machine because of safety fears.

Bush was famously captured on film falling off his Segway and a number of U.S. cities ban the scooter from sidewalks.

Introduced in 2001 in a blaze of publicity the machine, which sells for between $5,000 to $6,000, is a rare sight in most places and is mainly used by police or tourists in Europe.

The Dutch authorities said all Segway users must be 16 or older and must be insured when the ban eases from this summer. The government said it had not yet decided on whether the machine, which moves when the rider leans forward or backwards, will need to have licence plates or some other form of identification.

Disabled persons will be able to use the Segway on pavements up to a maximum speed of 6 kph.

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Puffin13 · Post by **Puffin13** » Sat 19th Apr 2008 07:03 am

Here's some additional info that I found on Amsterdam Segway Tours. Unfortunately, the site, www.igo.nu is only in dutch but you will get the idea. There is also a reservations form on the site. Peace.

Wanna feel like a celebrity in Amsterdam?

Discover what it's like to be a celebrity as everyone, and we mean everyone, turns to watch you go by! iGo moves people.

We offer a 2 hour SegwayTour for 40 Euro's. Your 2 hour tour begins with a 15 minute training session.

Whenever you visit Amsterdam, you can book iGo Segway tours. We have 8 Segways at your disposal.

Find our website on www.igo.nu

Greetings,

Florian Minderop

iGo Segway tours
Rentals and Tours
www.igo.nu
+31 6 24460683
Brouwersgracht 136
Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Source

geoffk · Post by **geoffk** » Sat 19th Apr 2008 04:34 pm

Those things are silly. And only Bush could fall off one.