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18 January 2011
Last updated at 08:28 ET
A man has become the first person in the UK to be successfully prosecuted for riding a Segway scooter on a pavement.
Philip Coates, 51, used his Segway motor scooter to travel from his home in Cudworth to Barnsley.
His lawyer had challenged the prosecution's definition of the Segway as a motor vehicle after he was charged under the Highways Act 1865.
But a judge fined Mr Coates £75 and ordered him to pay £250 in costs.
At Barnsley Magistrates' Court on Tuesday District Judge Michael Rosenberg ruled that the Segway was a motor vehicle under the meaning of the law and, therefore, it was an offence to ride one on the pavement.
Mr Coates, of Park Avenue, Cudworth, bought his £5,000 Segway, which has a top speed of 12.5mph, after trying one out during a holiday in Florida.
The unemployed factory worker was also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.
The Home Office levy is paid into a fund aimed at helping improve services for victims of crime.
Mr Coates prosecution has been seen as a test case by users of the two-wheeled transporters.
It has attracted nationwide interest from campaigners for wider Segway use, who say they are effectively barred from using them on pavements if they are classed as motor vehicles, but cannot drive them on roads because they do not pass all the requirements of a motor vehicle.
Segways are legal for use on pavements in more than 30 American states and in Portugal, Sweden, the Czech Republic and in German cities.
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Philip Coates, 51, used his Segway motor scooter to travel from his home in Cudworth to Barnsley.
His lawyer had challenged the prosecution's definition of the Segway as a motor vehicle after he was charged under the Highways Act 1865.
But a judge fined Mr Coates £75 and ordered him to pay £250 in costs.
At Barnsley Magistrates' Court on Tuesday District Judge Michael Rosenberg ruled that the Segway was a motor vehicle under the meaning of the law and, therefore, it was an offence to ride one on the pavement.
Mr Coates, of Park Avenue, Cudworth, bought his £5,000 Segway, which has a top speed of 12.5mph, after trying one out during a holiday in Florida.
The unemployed factory worker was also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.
The Home Office levy is paid into a fund aimed at helping improve services for victims of crime.
Mr Coates prosecution has been seen as a test case by users of the two-wheeled transporters.
It has attracted nationwide interest from campaigners for wider Segway use, who say they are effectively barred from using them on pavements if they are classed as motor vehicles, but cannot drive them on roads because they do not pass all the requirements of a motor vehicle.
Segways are legal for use on pavements in more than 30 American states and in Portugal, Sweden, the Czech Republic and in German cities.
Webmaster Forum | SEO Forum | Coding Forum | Graphics Forum</b>