Airwheel legality

I am going to visit Harrods to have a look at their Airwheels, as seen here :

but I cannot see where they stand legally for use in public.

Obviously they are not legal on the road, but for use on pavements Airwheel seem to think that they fall into a ‘grey’ area where they are not actually covered by the same issues that mean that the Segway is banned, primarily because of the Airwheels smaller wheel/lower weight/lesser power, etc.

They reckon they have been stopped by police primarily out of curiosity rather than to be told to stop using it.

I am not expecting the Harrods sale rep to offer any clarification but might pop into the police station to see what they think.

Anybody here got any insights about the legality of the Airwheel ?

🙂

Instinctively, I’d say treat unicycles the same as bicycles, and electric bicycles seem to be treated as if they are human powered, so since this is an electric unicycle, it should go where bikes go. Where that is? I think there is another thread running.

I had to look up the Segway issue. Found this,

in Britain they were classed as motor vehicles under the Highways Act 1835, preventing them from being used on pavements, yet also barred from the road as they do not comply with road traffic law.

The key there is ‘classed as a motor vehicle’ (it was in a court case). So the question is, is that thing a motor vehicle? How do we define that? It’s got to be more than just “powered” otherwise disability scooters and electric wheelchairs would be banned (unless they have specific exemption).

I suspect that what they’re saying is right, it’s a grey area and well remain so until tested in court.

until tested in court.

But that test will be a test of a user and their use of the ‘vehicle’. The grey area is of no concern to the manufacture so long as they sell enough units before any test is made

We had one in the lab on Tuesday with a film crew using it for shots. Mostly the man fell over. Mostly.

And I don’t want to be that test case 🙁

I’m afraid that is already a grey area – about the best description of where things are can be found in http://www.bikehub.co.uk/featured-articles/cycling-and-the-law/ (which is to also a superb explanation of general cycling law). Personally I sometimes ride mine on the pavement where I wouldn’t ride a bike (and not legally allowed to ride a bike), and have never had any aggravation from anybody – they’re slower and more manoeuvrable (ironically the only time I can think I’ve ever had any aggro I was on a shared use path where I had an explicit right to be however a unicycle is defined).

I appreciate that some of those qualities also apply to the Airwheel, though the top speed of 12mph puts it above what you’d do on a unicycle except if you’re pushing hard on a large wheel – to do that speed on a uni you’d have to be considerably more skilled at riding than you would be to do it on an Airwheel. No unicycle rider would ever ride at anywhere near that speed on a pavement, whilst I have a suspicion airwheel users wouldn’t feel so constrained.

The makers of that video appear determined to demonstrate places where standing on your airwheel will put you in maximum conflict with other users of those traffic free routes and spaces. As such I’d expect that they’ll get banned fairly shortly after going on general sale

might pop into the police station to see what they think

good luck with that.

That video’s great. Incredibly tense people trying desperately hard to look relaxed and not quite managing.

I think I’d find it hard not to push someone over on one of them. 🙂

I saw a guy going through Glasgow city centre on one of those things a couple of weeks ago. About 5:30pm, busy pavements, he was whizzing along, looked a complete dick. If you’re in that much of a rush just cycle/get bus/tube etc.

Plus their slogan of welcome to the future’ means its destined to failure.

There’s an extensive train of case law on this that would almost undoubtebly rule it illegal and leave the user in for a substantial fine

Have a look at DPP v seddington that essentially outlawed the Goped since it categorised it as a road vehicle (despite having none of the ‘normal’ attributes of one, DPP v king with an electric scooter ridden on the road and then followed up by Coates vs CPS that did the same with the Segway

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2011/2032.html

They may think that they’ve got a loophole, but the case law clearly infers that they would have to overcome seperatley both the ‘carriage’ argument and the ‘road vehicle’ argument to be legal

Not a chance

Pointless tat, i’ll stick with my skateboard, gets me maximum respect in the park with the local yuffs.

just cycle/get bus/tube

only problem with that is how crowded the trains are – meaning that if I take a train after the 6:59 I risk not getting on with my folder (Birdy, but in reality a Brompton doesn’t save much space) – and the same with earlier trains back from London.

Used to get on the 7:40 with no issue – the vestibules were empty – but not now – they are stuffed.

Whereas walking is supposedly good for me in reality it is a waste of time and I would rather save that time and go for a run or bike in the evening – as the walking has very little aerobic benefit.

Whistl were supposed to be trialing them for delivery purposes which would imply they could be used, but I am suspecting that was a marketing maneuver.

Whereas walking is supposedly good for me in reality it is a waste of time and I would rather save that time and go for a run or bike in the evening

er run home – kill two birds with one stone.

Have done a bit of research and it seems an Airwheel definitely wouldn’t count as an electric bike as those are actually electric assist bikes and require their prime means of propulsion to be pedals. They also have a 200W motor limit – this seems to have at least a 400W motor. It would therefore be classified as a motor vehicle in the same way as a Segway – I’m fairly confident that the Segway ruling would also apply to these until such time as a court says it doesn’t. Hence illegal on the road, illegal on the pavement, sorry!

My understanding might be totally wrong but I was off the impression that e bikes aren’t motor vehicles per se simply because they’re assistive and won’t operate without rider power input [pedaling] (or gravity) and that as soon as it will operate entirely under its own power rather than enhancing input it is a motor vehicle.
By that understanding those things are very demonstrably motor vehicles judging from the video and aren’t going to be legal for use on pavements/footpaths or bridleways. I’d go so far as to guess they wouldn’t be road legal either.

<edit > or what aracer said

e bikes aren’t motor vehicles per se

I believe that technicaly it would be the other way round, all e bikes are mechanically propelled vehicles per se, however those which fulfil the power and speed criteria set out in regulations are subject to a statutory derogation which qualifies them as ‘electrically assisted pedal cycles’ and therefore not subject to the wider requirements of road traffic law.

I predict that the Airwheel will do for urban transport what the house brick did for eye surgery.

Still wanna see it ridden down stairs though.

Oddly my MD turned up with one yesterday and was using it round the office! I had a go, bit weird, possibly not helped by it having stabilisers at the moment (I can ride a unicycle offroad…)

That kid in the 2nd vid above is quality – he’s definitely got the right idea, get two and ride them at the same time 😆

Well I stopped a copper in London and asked him about the AirWheel and showed him their video of the people whizzing around the Waterloo area.

He reckoned that it was OK as long as it’s top speed was less than 14mph. He wasn’t worried about the power output/motor size.

The video he watched was all on the pavement as well.

He also mentioned the goped as not being legal because of its speed.

Going to visit Harrods but also check with the local police station as well tonight.

Think these are on Dragons Den this Sunday. Just looks like the latest travel me-me, right up along we were supposed to be going everywhere on little scoot along scooters.

think these are on Dragons Den this Sunday

looks like you might be right :

This episode sees a couple of young stuntmen glide in to the Den on a new form of transportation…

Some nobber was trying to sell them at tesco tonight, riding it around the carpark then into tesco.

It will be a road kill massacre if they catch on here.

It will be a road kill massacre if they catch on here.

pavement kill massacre you mean…

What possible reason would you want one around town for? You would look such a prat and everyone would think you’re a @@@@er. Just like them Segway things.

What possible reason would you want one around town for?

an option for commuting?

options in addition to the train are

1) folding bike – OK but the trains are getting massively more crowded and more people are using folding bikes, so you need to get ever earlier trains in the morning and getting an early train in the evening isn’t so great either.

2) additional train/tube + walk.

3) walk – leads to about 2 hours walking a day, which is OK but it is ‘dead’ time.

With 1 I can keep my commute time down to 1 hr or 1hr 10. 2 is about 1 hr 20, and 3 is about 1hr 30.

However over the week the extra hassle of 2 and 3 over 1 mean commuting feels much more like a chore.

1 also runs the risk of conflict with cars (one broken collarbone, one nearly broken and long recovery time).

The Airwheel looks good fun so would reduce the chore of the commute, plus the size is more manageable than a bike for getting on a crowded train.

Working late even becomes attractive as there are less people on the South Bank so you can pile along even faster.

I might end up with my folder again (as it is a Birdy and a lot more fun than a Brompton to ride…) but the Airwheel has attractions.

It probably doesn’t look any worse than the folding bike either.

What possible reason would you want one around town for? You would look such a prat and everyone would think you’re a @@@@er. J

I’d bet good money someone once said that about bikes.

I used to travel alot by roller blades and was told several times by the police that because I was on wheels I must be on the road, and have lights, reflectors etc.
I would suggest that because this has wheels it should be on the road as per a bike.

I hope you told the police that “having wheels” does not constitute a motorised vehicle.

That or asked him whether your wife should be in the road with reflectors when pushing a pram.

It probably doesn’t look any worse than the folding bike either.

it does, a lot worse, but not as bad as roller blades 🙂

I hope you told the police that “having wheels” does not constitute a motorised vehicle.

That or asked him whether your wife should be in the road with reflectors when pushing a pram.

The Perambulator Nuisance

I’ll just keep on waiting for my hoverboard ta.

350 quid for one? There are cheaper ways to look a knob

So the Woking police station guys came out with a similar story to here.

They reckoned that are probably classified like an electric cycle and can only ride where an electric cycle can.

This means no roadside pavements – or a possible £30 fine – but OK to ride in the road (!).

But I would be OK on all the shared use paths, and the canal path, and cycling on the south bank is rife without issue.

Having looked at the Airwheels in Harrods the one I like is the dual 12inch wheeled Q1 which has a motor of 170W, which is under the 200W electric cycle limit.

It will be interesting to see Dragons Den if they are on it as they are sure to get a grilling on legality.