Great news, hoverboarders – London Mayor Boris Johnson wants to put self-balancing scooters back on the right side of the law.
Johnson has hit out at recent Crown Prosecution Service guidance that banned public use of Segway-inspired wheeled vehicles, commonly referred to as ‘hoverboards’.
Writing in his weekly The Telegraph column, BoJo argues that there’s “one little thing we might do at once” to improve prospects for the younger generation.
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He continues: “They are the Segway-like things which authorities have said young people may not use on the pavement.”
Johnson says he’s already spoken to Transport for London experts, who he reckons think the whole affair is “hogwash”.
“They are a new and potentially liberating form of personal mobility,” explains BoJo. “We want to legalise them.”
But how does the Tory Mayor justify a potential legislative switcheroo? He says that if “pavement-hogging oldster[s]” can ride around on mobility scooters, there’s no reason why the modern youth can’t use their ‘hoverboards’.
“If the oldsters can charge towards you on their terrifying chariots, the youngsters should be able to waft on their boards. It’s intergenerational fairness,” argues Johnson.
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Public use, i.e. on roads or pavements, of ‘hoverboard’ scooters was officially deemed illegal on October 12.
According to the CPS, the devices are “an offence under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835”, which forbids riding or driving a vehicle on the pavement.
The CPS also bars road use, pointing out that road vehicles must be approved via ECWVTA or MSVA to be licensed and registered for road use.
That was bad news for Marty McFly wannabes, many of whom had shelled out upwards of £500 for their scooters.
Do you agree with BoJo? Let us know why, or why not, in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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