Netherlands Brakes For Badly Worded Laws (And Bans Segways Because Of It)
from the lean-back dept
Back when the Segway was known as Ginger or IT, there was a lot of talk about how this revolutionary device might transform the modern city. Needless to say, things didn't quite go as planned. In fact, instead of cities reorganizing themselves to accommodate the Segway, some have just banned it because it doesn't fit in with the overall transportation picture. The start of the new year in the Netherlands brings a ban on the device. Because it doesn't fit into any specific category of vehicle, there's no way for an owner to get one registered for road travel. The whole thing sounds like classic bureaucratic reasoning. A spokesman for the Transport Ministry notes, when discussing the differences between it and other road-legal vehicles, "It doesn't have a brake, you brake by leaning back, and that's clearly not permissible." Sounds like a case of going by the letter of the law, as opposed to the spirit of it. Obviously, it shouldn't matter whether it stops by leaning back or from squeezing a brake on the handlebar, but apparently the way the law has been written, there's no room for such subtlety. The whole matter might just be chalked up as one more disappointing event in the history of the Segway, and because it never really took off, the implications of the law won't be felt by very many. From a broader perspective, however, we really can't anticipate the effect of something like a minor wording issue in the law -- in this case using the word "brake" as opposed to the more wordy "mechanism for stopping the vehicle" -- has on the development of new technologies. In some cases the effect is clear, like when a technology is either banned or made legal. But there are bound to be many instances, which we'll rarely hear about, when the law prevents the innovation in the first place. And for Segway itself, which has been hoping to resuscitate its fortunes and perhaps even go public, the event is just another reminder about how little success and impact the company has had.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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silly laws
The law is an ass.
I'm sure the Dutch will quickly find a way around this, they're
generally a pragmatic bunch.
As for the law preventing innovation - these are different things. The above story is about how an existing set of useful and reasonable laws conspire to impede something new but sensible and benign.
The stories we are hearing lately from the USA and some other places are about people buying/creating/lobbying for laws to deliberately impede progress for their own financial aims. This is the sense in which pure old school capitalist economics married with state intervention is actually anti-progressive.
That is not the fault of laws, it is the fault of greedy people.
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"Command Presence"
I'm not sure if it's actually possible for a cop to achieve "command presence" while on a Segway, though.
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Scrooges
They've always been the scrooges of europe.
So they figure that if the don't want to spend the money, noone should.
:)
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meh
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interesting
This sounds more like bureaucratic stupidity (which doesn't surprise this Dutchman much) than a mal-worded law.
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Silly Law, but...
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Semantic solution
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Re: Semantic solution
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Re: Semantic solution
I'm not even sure it has a real brake either - I think works as a power gradient to the motor. You lean back and the motor loses power. You lean back further and it cuts into reverse.
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Secondary
~Dave
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Segway and the Germanic influence
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i saw a segway in Amsterdam
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who cares?
Im really glad that the segway was a failure, because if it had caught on all of you americans would be even more obese, although the heart disease may well get rid of a few of you.
In summary, segways are a load of over complicated pish, and in amsterdam
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Re: who cares?
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Re: who cares?
I wouldn't want one on a pavement doing that speed for reasonably obvious reasons. We had a police authority install speed cameras on a pavement recently to try and curb pensioners speeding in their shopping carts but I'm damned if I can find a link sorry (the pavement limit in the UK is 4mph incidentally)
I think they look great and someone needs to give whichever bureaucrat who came out with this ban a quick slap for being thick - A brake is generally accepted as a device for slowing machinery or similar. I find it hard to believe the legal document quoted actually goes into mechanical specifics unless they update it every time someone invents hydraulics/air-brakes/ABS/new braking systems etc - I could be wrong but surely this is the case?
Incidentally I go through Schipol Airport in Amsterdam all the time and the airport security always look kinda funny on them (mind you they can see you a mile off and can move much faster...)
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what i'd really like to see is more bike lanes in the US. riding bikes is fun, cheap, great exercise, and faster than a silly segway.
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A different American point of view
That's not to say that I endorse such an assinine interpretation of an otherwise functional law, but please, don't judge me by my countrymen.
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Another American chimes in
As far as the stereotyping and such, we all need thicker skin. Americans make fun of Canadians, Canadians make fun of Quebec, Europe makes fun of America, it's all good until someone makes the mistake of thinking it actually means something....
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Yet another American opinion...
Stereotypes aside, many Americans are overweight and it has everything to do with our diet. While it wouldn't hurt to get more exercise, putting our diets back into realistic portions and getting rid of all the sugar would put us back into normal girth.
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Why not just put a brake on it?
It wouldn't take much more training for the users than the operation of the Segway in the first place - after 5 minutes on the thing it feels natural as walking. Having a "brake" lever or button that leans the Segway back and slows it down would be easy to get used to.
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Why not a wheelchair
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As a Segway owner, I should chime in
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Bad Gov Rules can damage Dutch prosperity
It seems to be quite safe and can stop.
I hope they can see that rigid interpretation of the
rules will stop tech. innovation in the Netherlands.
The British rule in the 1900s requiring
a man with a red flag to walk in front of the the 'new fangled motor car' at 3 miles per hour, damaged the car industry in Britan.
Foolish officials can do consideralbe damage to an economy.
Perhaps officials are sheltered from the effect of their poor decisions, one has these laws.
The countries where the goverment avoid problem e.g.
"Laws of unintended consequences" will do will.
Will the netherland be clever? We shall wait and see?
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Electric bikes, bicycles, cycles UK
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Electric bikes, bicycles, cycles UK
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