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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Cars, bikes and now… segways

segways

STARTING tomorrow (July 1) segways will be permitted on footpaths, shared paths and some roads across the ACT, says acting Road Safety Minister Gordon Ramsay.

But what are the rules? Mr Ramsay says the new segway rules treat users as pedestrians with some additional requirements to ensure safety. 

Segway users will have to wear an approved bicycle helmet, have a bell or other warning device fitted and use lights and reflectors when travelling at night or in reduced visibility.

“The requirement for segway users to wear a bicycle helmet will help to mitigate the risk of serious head injury in the event of a rider falling off their segway,” Mr Ramsay says. 

Segways will be permitted on footpaths, shared paths and nature strips and segway users must keep left on a footpath or shared path unless impracticable to do so.

On-road use is allowed only when there is no footpath, shared path or nature strip or it is impracticable to travel on the footpath, shared path or nature strip. Segway users on the road must also keep to the left side of the road like cyclists.

Motorists must give way to segway users travelling across pedestrian and children’s crossings, however, the segway user must slow to 10 km/h on the approach to the crossing, check for any approaching traffic and be prepared to stop – the same pedestrian crossing rules as for cyclists.  

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re driving a car, walking or riding a bicycle, motorcycle or segway– we all need to act responsibly, be courteous to each other and share the road. Developing this culture will make our roads a safer and friendlier place to be,” Mr Ramsay says.

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One Response to Cars, bikes and now… segways

John Hynes says: 30 June 2017 at 12:42 pm

Great, another slow moving, unregistered, unlicensed road user who contributes nothing to maintenance with an entitlement complex. Just what our roads need. How about lights after dark? How do you identify them if a pedestrian is hit? You are saying a 20kph machine in an 80 zone? Cant see anything going wrong with that.

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